The January 2026 Victorian bushfires and floods have had a devastating impact on individuals, services, and entire communities across the state. We extend our heartfelt sympathies to everyone affected. With more than 400 homes impacted, many with active mortgages, we know the financial and emotional toll is significant.
Mortgage Stress Victoria (MSV) is here to support both community members directly affected and practitioners assisting those impacted. During times of natural disaster, mortgage stress and financial vulnerability escalate sharply. Our integrated model, bringing together Social Work, Financial Counselling, and Legal services, and our strong relationships with lenders position us to provide timely, coordinated, specialist support.
For a summary of our natural disaster support services, view our Natural Disaster Response Sheet.
How We Can Help
You are not alone. We’re here to help you stay safe, informed, and supported.
Our specialist teams work together to provide clear, practical guidance on home loan related issues during and after natural disasters. We can assist by:
- Navigating hardship processes with lenders, including negotiating payment pauses or affordable repayment plans across home loans and other debts
- Providing legal advice on lender conduct, including direct engagement with lenders, support with internal dispute resolution, and escalation to AFCA.
- Supporting Body Corporate and Council Rates hardship, including arrears, payment plans, and dispute processes
- Assisting clients experiencing family violence, mental health challenges, or other vulnerabilities that increase financial risk during disasters
- Helping with emergency grants, temporary housing, and recovery supports
Who We Prioritise
Under the expanded eligibility, MSV will offer intensive casework support to any Victorian homeowners who:
- Have experienced damage to their primary residence as a result of a natural disaster; and
- Are uninsured or underinsured, resulting in financial difficulty or mortgage stress.
In these circumstances, MSV will not apply our standard eligibility criteria.
For all other situations, our usual criteria apply. You will be eligible if you:
- Have one property only
- Live in Victoria in the mortgaged home
- Have a household take-home income is under $90,000 (up to $1,730 per week), or for small‑business owners, your gross business income is under $180,000 ($3,460 per week)
Note: The eligibility criteria does not apply where:
- There is recent experience of family violence or
- There is damage to the primary residence as a result of a natural disaster; and you are uninsured or underinsured, resulting in financial difficulty or mortgage stress.
Accessing Our Assistance
If you need help, please contact us:
- Submit a webform here
- Call Us: 1800 572 292
- Email Us: info@mortgagestress.org.au
Support for Practitioners: Secondary Consultation Service
MSV provides a dedicated secondary consultation service for financial counsellors, lawyers, social workers, community workers, and other frontline practitioners supporting people affected by natural disasters.
This service offers:
- Expert guidance on mortgage hardship, lender expectations, and available options
- Support with complex lending matters, including arrears, enforcement action, and insurance related impacts
- Insights into lender processes, informed by MSV’s strong relationships with major and nonmajor lenders
- A one hour tailored consultation, focused on the practitioner’s specific case scenario
Our goal is to equip practitioners with the specialist knowledge needed to confidently support clients experiencing mortgage stress during and after crisis events.
For more information, visit: Practitioner Information