Help with a mortgage



You may be eligible for help with mortgage interest payments and loans for some repairs and home improvements, although the rules about these payments are changing with the move to Universal Credit (see Chapter 1). You must be getting one of the following benefits to qualify for Support for Mortgage Interest (SMI):



• Income Support (IS);



• Income-based Jobseeker’s Allowance; 



• Income-related Employment and Support Allowance; 



• Pension Credit; or


• Universal Credit.



It is only available for paying the interest on up to £200,000 of a loan or mortgage (or £100,000 if you get Pension Credit), and there is a 39-week waiting period. As of April 2018, SMI will shift from benefit grant status to a loan system. For further information go to: www.gov.uk/support-for-mortgage-interest