Householders given help to combat rogue lenders

EXTRA help is being offered to householders on the brink of eviction because they owe money to rogue lenders.

A free repossession advice service means 3,405 North-West residents who were facing eviction, have been able to spend Christmas in their homes.

The Government’s Housing Possession Court Duty Scheme provides last-minute emergency help through its Legal Services Commission to homeowners and tenants who are facing court.

And it has produced a list of figures picked randomly from the 200 courts nationally which offer the service, to show how it can help people who are a whisker away from losing their homes.

Oldham County Court offers the service, as does neighbouring Tameside, but only figures for Tameside have been released, revealing it helped 130 people escape eviction in the 12 months up to September.

Over the 12-month period, the Legal Services Commission helped more than 33,000 people nationally. Three out of four were able to return home immediately following repossession hearings that might otherwise have led to eviction.

The plan seeks to close a legal loophole which lenders could use to sell an owner-occupied residential property without the approval of the owner or the courts.

Justice Minister Bridget Prentice said: “Under the existing law, lenders have the right to repossess and sell a property without seeking either the agreement of the owner, or of the courts.

“While there is no evidence that owner-occupiers are being treated in this way, the Government proposals published today would close this loophole and prevent any future instances of ‘rogue lenders’ behaving this way.”