1,250 families a week face losing home after falling into arrearsReported by Metro.co.uk on Wednesday, 27 June 2012 (on June 27, 2012)
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*An estimated 1,250 families a week face being made homeless for not meeting their mortgage repayments.
*
More than 65,000 struggling households have been hit by repossession claims after falling into arrears.
Homeowners in the London borough of Barking and Dagenham are most at risk, followed by Knowsley, Merseyside, and Thurrock, Essex.
‘In London, many people who find themselves evicted cannot be housed near to their families, or their children’s schools,’ explained Rachael Orr, of homeless charity Shelter.
‘While in the north of England, families finding themselves suddenly unemployed and without a wage is proving devastating.’
Shelter said its Repossession Risk Hotspots report ‘presents a stark picture of the housing crisis’.
There were about 37,000 repossessions last year and more than 9,550 in the first quarter of this year, according to the Ministry of Justice.
Among the top 20 per cent of possession claims, unemployment stood at 10.4 per cent, while in the lowest 20 per cent it stood at 5.5 per cent.
Natasha Smith has been out of work since having a baby six months ago and faces eviction next week. The 40-year-old, from Lewisham, south London, said: ‘I’m going through legal aid to try not to lose the home.
‘I couldn’t meet the mortgage payments because I was only on basic maternity allowance and not entitled to jobseeker’s allowance.’
Housing minister Grant Shapps claimed repossessions are at their lowest level since 2007, as the coalition has ‘prevented the need for rapid rises in interest rates that would have put pressure on families’.
Those struggling with arrears may be able to negotiate with mortgage providers to avoid repossession.
Visit www.shelter.org.uk/advice, or call free on 0808 800 4444.
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