One in eight UK women who held a joint mortgage in the last two years experienced joint mortgage economic abuse from a current or former partner.

That’s equivalent to over 750,000 people, according to a new report by the charity Surviving Economic Abuse.

It uncovers how perpetrators are using joint mortgages to plunge survivors into debt and homelessness.

Perpetrators are causing economic harm by refusing to pay their agreed share of the mortgage, agree to new terms, or sell up. This mortgage-based abuse traps victim-survivors with dangerous abusers, while those who flee are forced into housing insecurity and debt because of ongoing economic abuse.

The charity is urging the government to set up a cross-government task force on economic abuse with financial services, legal, and domestic abuse experts to strengthen protections for victim-survivors and stop perpetrators from using joint mortgages to abuse.

Over 1,000 UK women who have or had a joint mortgage in the last two years, surveyed by Opinium on behalf of the charity, were asked about whether they had experienced mortgage-related abuse from a current or ex-partner. 

Of the women who experienced this form of abuse:

• Over three quarters (78%) felt unable to leave their partner or an unsafe living arrangement due to abuse through the joint mortgage;

• Nearly half (49%) had to cut back on utilities or go without essentials, such as food, clothing, or toiletries, to cover monthly mortgage repayments; and 

• Almost nine in 10 (89%) experienced negative mental health impacts because of the abuse, such as anxiety, depression, panic attacks, or suicidal thoughts.

Sam Smethers of Surviving Economic Abuse says: “Mortgage abuse is a hidden crime that’s destroying the lives of hundreds of thousands of survivors. Right now, domestic abusers are using joint mortgages to cause economic devastation by refusing to pay their agreed share, agree to new terms, or sell up. Being forced to foot the full mortgage bill makes it near-impossible for survivors to flee to safety. For those who do escape, they remain tied to the abuser who can plunge them into mountains of debt.

“Survivors are doing everything they can to make ends meet – cutting back on food, turning off the heating, and borrowing money to keep up with repayments. But right now, banks are limited in what they can do to stop abusers from causing a lifetime of debt and homelessness for survivors.

“While banks can do more to support survivors within current rules, only an urgent law change can stop abusers from destroying lives. We urge the government to set up an economic abuse task force to prevent abusers from weaponising joint mortgages. It must also make sure tackling economic abuse is at the heart of its mission to halve violence against women and girls in a decade. It’s the only way to ensure survivors and their children can have a safe home.”

The charity wants:

• Financial services firms to boost their support for customers experiencing joint mortgage-based abuse and take steps available under existing guidelines to make it harder for perpetrators to use joint mortgages to cause economic harm;

• The financial services regulator to clarify and strengthen regulations and guidance for firms to avoid causing foreseeable harm to customers experiencing economic abuse through perpetrators’ misuse of joint mortgage products and services;

• The government to urgently convene a cross-government task force on economic abuse, focusing on legal solutions to prevent perpetrators from causing significant harm through joint mortgages. Furthermore, the government should improve financial remedy proceedings by ensuring cases have regard to economic abuse and orders can be properly enforced, as well as introduce cohabitation reform to award legal rights to cohabiting couples.

Under current laws, both mortgage holders are jointly and separately responsible for the whole mortgage debt, and any changes to the terms, such as switching interest rates or removing one party from the mortgage, require both parties’ consent. 

This stands even in domestic abuse cases.