Support for Mortgage Interest Loan - Can I get Support for Mortgage Interest Loan?

Homeowners (or people treated as liable for owner-occupier payments) who are entitled to one of the following benefits could get Support for Mortgage Interest:

• Universal Credit 
• Pension Credit

Owner-occupiers can also get help with leasehold service charges paid in with the above benefits. Help with service charges is not in the form of a loan. You can also receive help with ground rent paid in with Pension Credit.

Waiting periods

If you get Universal Credit, you must usually wait three months before you can get an SMI loan.

If you get Pension Credit, there is no waiting period.

If you move to Universal Credit within a month of one of the benefits listed below ending, you can start getting an SMI loan when you’ve had three months in total:

• Income Support
• Income-based Jobseeker's Allowance (JSA)
• Income-related Employment and Support Allowance (ESA)

Do I have to have a credit check?

The DWP will not do a credit check when offering you a loan; and taking the loan will not affect your credit rating. However, interest will be applied daily to the loan, so you have to get as much information as possible before deciding whether or not a loan is the right option for you.

Can I get help if I rent my home?

If you rent your home, you cannot get help with housing costs this way, however you may be able to get help through the housing costs element of Universal Credit or  Housing Benefit.