How it started
I had a decent income and my mortgage was in good standing, but I'd accumulated significant credit card debt across multiple cards — the classic trap of using one to pay another. I wasn't missing payments, but I was living with constant financial anxiety. When I decided to remortgage to raise capital to clear the cards, I hit a wall. The lender said no. The reason? Too much debt. Despite having a good income and a solid mortgage history, the ratio of my unsecured debt to my earnings was making me a risk in their eyes.
The emotional toll was real — the debt upset me, and I became short-tempered and irritated by the smallest of things. I just wanted the debt to go away, and for me to be my normal fun-loving self again, and to start planning my wedding.
The irony was bitter. I wanted to use a remortgage to solve the debt problem, but the debt problem was preventing me from remortgaging. I felt trapped. My mortgage adviser recommended Lightside as a next step.
The Outcome in brief
Adviser: Priti Shah · Lightside Financial · Referred by Tony Balzan, CeMap Mortgage Adviser, One Stop Finance Ltd · www.osfg.co.uk
Ms. J no longer feels trapped by debt. She understands her finances, knows she can meet her obligations, and has reclaimed the confidence and peace of mind that excessive debt had stolen.
If high debt levels are blocking your remortgage
You're not alone — and it's not necessarily permanent. A creditor arrangement can give you back control.
The work behind the outcome
Ms. J’s wellbeing shifted immediately. When her partner understood the full picture and saw how quickly we’d resolved it, their relationship shifted too. They got married in 2019 — a milestone that had seemed impossibly distant. She got her fun-loving self back and could look forward to the future.
In Ms. J’s case, the core issue wasn’t her mortgage — it was the level of unsecured debt affecting her overall financial profile.
Our first step was to separate the two. Her mortgage remained in good standing, and it was important to keep it that way. We then focused on the unsecured debts that were driving her debt-to-income ratio. We carried out a full review of her financial position and identified what level of repayment was genuinely sustainable. From there, we engaged directly with her creditors.
A structured creditor arrangement was proposed, designed to reduce her monthly outgoings and bring the debts under control. As part of the negotiation, we secured a freeze on interest and charges where possible. This ensured that her repayments would begin reducing the balances, rather than maintaining them.
The objective was not to force a remortgage outcome — but to stabilise her position.
By bringing the unsecured debt under control, the pressure was reduced, and her financial situation became manageable again.
Ms. J’s wellbeing shifted immediately. When her partner understood the full picture and saw how quickly we’d resolved it, their relationship shifted too. They got married in 2019 — a milestone that had seemed impossibly distant. She got her fun-loving self back and could look forward to the future.