About repossession

What repossession is

Repossession is when your mortgage lender applies to the court to repossess your property if you cannot pay your mortgage.

If you have used your property as security for other debts that you cannot pay, your property may be repossessed to recover those debts.

If you are worried about repossession

Facing the possibility of repossession can be stressful. It is important to remember that you can get help at any stage and there are options available to you. Your mortgage lender’s last option should be repossessing your home.

What an application for possession is

If you have fallen behind on your payments and cannot pay your mortgage, your mortgage lender may decide to take a legal case against you. This is known as an application for possession in the court. There are support services that can help you speak with your mortgage lender to try to agree how you can make your repayments.

Mortgage lenders have to follow certain steps and guidelines when you are behind on your mortgage payments:

• Guidelines for your primary home .
• Guidelines for other types of loans, including mortgage-to-let payments .

When a mortgage lender makes an application for possession, they will send you a legal document called a Civil Bill for Possession. This is used to begin a repossession case in the Circuit Court.

If you have other debts that you cannot pay and have used your property as security for the debt, you can talk to support services.

What you can do

Talk to support services for repossession to help you speak with your mortgage lender

Support services can help you talk to your mortgage lender to try to agree a solution. They can also provide information and advice to help with your situation.

Talk to your mortgage lender

You should talk to your mortgage lender and try to agree a solution without having to go to court. Open and read all letters you receive from the mortgage lender to understand what they are telling you.

Resolve your repossession through the courts

If you do not speak to, or cannot agree a solution with, your mortgage lender, they may decide to take a legal case against you. You should talk to support services to get practical advice and information. There are a number of steps involved in the court process.

You can visit our repossession and the court and responding to a Civil Bill for Possession pages for more information.

You should also consider getting legal advice to better understand your options.

If you are unsure about any of the repossession legal terms used, you can visit our repossession glossary.