MORE than 150 cash strapped Denbighshire households were threatened with losing their home last year.
There was a marked increase in the number of mortgage repossession claims made in the county in 2011 compared to 2010.
The new Ministry of Justice figures show 160 claims were made last year, up from 125 the year before, a rise of 28 per cent.
Lesley Powell of Denbighshire CAB says she fears things will get worse when house prices rise again and is urging anyone facing repossession to seek help.
“People shouldn’t assume that repossession is a foregone conclusion,” she said.
“That very often happens and people don’t even attend the courts. They should seek help preferably before the court date but even on the day we can help them. We have representation in the courts in Mold and Rhyl to help and in many cases we can get repossession suspended.”
The claims are the first stage in the repossession process. To obtain a court order granting the entitlement to take possession of a property, a claimant – a mortgage lender or a landlord – must first make a claim which is then issued by a county court.
Normally the issuing process involves an initial hearing before a judge.
The figures equate to 3.64 claims per 1,000 households in Denbighshire last year, a number Lesley thinks will go up in the coming years.
“Our concern is should the housing market improve then I think we’ll probably see more repossessions because at the moment lenders will be laying off because housing prices are low,” she said.
She added that as well as help for residents facing repossession other financial advice is on hand.
“What we are also then able to offer is a service to help people maximize their income and deal with their debts,” she said.
“People sometimes prioritise the wrong payments and it surprises us how many people don’t seek help.
“We also work closely with Denbighshire County Council Housing Options which is a really good and helpful tool.”
Whilst last year’s figures were an increase on 2010, they were an improvement on previous years. In 2009 Denbighshire saw 200 claims made and in 2008 there were 285.
Neighbouring county Flintshire saw a decrease from 260 to 250 claims between 2010 and 2011, as did Conwy with a decrease from 200 to 170.
Wrexham saw an increase from 180 to 215 and Gwynedd an increase from 125 to 150.
Across the UK the numbers of mortgage possession claims issued and claims leading to orders made in the county courts of England and Wales have been reasonably stable during the last two years following steep falls in the second half of 2008 and in 2009.