Abuse support
If you’re a victim of any abuse, whether it’s physical, emotional, or economic – please remember that support is always available. There are links to charities and organisations who can provide help here on this page.
If you ever feel that you’re in danger, you should call 999 and ask for the police.
If you’ve suffered abuse and are making plans to separate from your spouse/partner and you’re both named on the mortgage, please contact us so we can support you by talking through your options.
If required, we can update your account so that any letters we send just for you are posted to an alternative address instead. We will not tell anyone else of this alternative address, including your spouse/partner.
We also understand you may struggle to make your monthly payments, so we can discuss this with you and let you know how we could help.
Economic abuse is a legally recognised form of domestic abuse. It involves the control of a partner or ex-partner’s finances and the things that money is used for. If your money is being controlled, then you may be worried about how you’ll access money to help with your separation.
Whilst it might seem scary, letting financial providers (such as your bank and mortgage lender) know is important, so they have more opportunities to support you.
For example:
- They can discuss any payments you normally make and help make some arrangements.
- Many banks and building societies have set up safe spaces in their branches where you can talk to them in confidence and, potentially, gain access to temporary cash to fund your separation.
- Many debt advisors use an Economic Abuse Evidence Form. This an information-sharing tool that allows them to get information about the abuse and support you.
Organisations and charity support
These organisations and charities provide specific support to those looking to leave abusive relationships. Whilst some of them may appear to be focused on female victims, they also offer support to men who are victims of abuse.
Please be aware that whilst all of these sites have a ‘quick exit’ button that will take your browser to the Google home page, some of these websites may still appear in your internet search history.
Women’s Aid helps women (and their children) get the support they need if they are looking to escape abuse. It can help find refuges and domestic abuse services in England or connect to services in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.
Rail to Refuge is a joint initiative between rail companies and Women’s Aid in which train operators cover the cost of train tickets for women, men and children escaping domestic abuse travelling to refuge accommodation.
Refuge can help find a refuge vacancy for women (and their children), along with accessing other services, in their local area.
It also runs the freephone, 24-hour National Domestic Abuse Helpline (0808 2000 247).
SEA run the Financial Support Line for Victims of Domestic Abuse in partnership with Money Advice Plus. The aim of the telephone line is to help those who have experienced or are experiencing abuse to regain control of their finances.
Its dedicated I Need Help page has many resources to help with banking, debt, legal rights, housing and property, accessing support, financial wellbeing and “de-linking” from an abuser.
Further support
If you have questions or would like to discuss things with one of our team, please call us on 0370 707 1151 – we’re open Monday to Friday from 8.30am to 5.30pm.
For customers having payment difficulties, we’re open Monday to Friday from 8am to 8pm, and on Saturday from 9am to 1pm.
If you’re worried about making your monthly mortgage payments or are already struggling, please call us on the above number and we’ll try to help. Simply talking to us won’t affect your credit file – and the sooner you get in touch the better, as there are often more ways we can help.
Our phone lines are often busy, so we apologise for any delay in answering your call.
Please note, this page contains links to external websites. We are not responsible for the content of external websites.