A group of barristers, economists and business people offering free assistance to those facing repossession are to redouble their efforts to get the government to tackle the growing mortgage arrears crisis.

 

A group of barristers, economists and business people offering free assistance to those facing repossession are to redouble their efforts to get the government to tackle the growing mortgage arrears crisis.

 

With one in nine householders now in arrears or having restructured mortgage payments and countless other buy-to-let investors struggling, they want firm action.

New Beginning and a group of TDs from the United Left Alliance are setting up a campaign called Defend Our Homes.

It has called for swift reform of the law on bankruptcy and personal insolvency.

It also wants an independent arbitrator to adjudicate on debt and is against the idea that the Money Advice and Budgeting Service by converted into an official government debt management agency.

“I have huge respect for MABS, “ said David Hall, founder of New Beginnings. “But where is the advocate for the borrower? You can’t have MABS adjudicating and being the advocate for the borrower at the same time. It’s just nonsense.”

New Beginnings was set up last November by Hall and now has 70 barristers working for it on a pro bono basis across the country. It takes around 60 calls a day, a sober reminder of the lending frenzy that took place during the Celtic Tiger.

One of the ways it believes the banks and government can help struggling homeowners is reducing payments in line with their ability to pay.

Joan Collins, the Dublin South Central TD, who is part of the Defend Our Homes campaign, told the Irish Independent: “We are calling for repayments to be reduced in accordance with ability to pay – which should be determined by an agency that is independent of the government and the banks,” she said.

The government has said it will publish a blueprint for dealing with the mortgage arrears crisis at the end of this month following analysis of reports from its expert working group on the issue.