‘They hound us... They want €1,300 a month’

A YOUNG family who face having their home repossessed said their circumstances are so difficult they had to tell their young son they could not afford any toys for Christmas.

The plight of Jason and Karen Moody, who live in Ballyjamesduff in Co Cavan, made the airwaves yesterday as they recounted their situation to TV3.

The couple, who have three young children, said they were being “hounded” by their mortgage company which is demanding mortgage repayments totalling €1,700 a month, including unpaid arrears, on the Moodys’ four- bedroom house.

As repossession cases continue to go through the courts, Karen and John, both aged 29, said they were receiving up to 15 phone calls a week from GE Money.

“We fell in love with the house and we couldn’t afford one in Dublin,” Karen said of the house which has been home to the family for the past five years.

She said they had been with Permanent TSB and needed a top-up on the mortgage on the house, which cost €210,000 initially. Told they were unlikely to get one from Permanent TSB they went, on recommendation, to GE Money.

When Jason, who worked as a security man, was let go from his job a year ago the family’s ability to repay the mortgage took a serious hit.

“We have been paying GE €600 to €800 a month in repayments,” Karen said. “They are hounding us, basically. They want at least €1,300 a month.

“Basically they are saying €800 is not enough and if we do not pay the arrears they are going to start a repossession order.

“It’s not like we are not making an effort, we are making a bloody big effort.”

The mortgage lending firm had granted the couple a six-month window in which they paid €700 a month, but are now demanding the arrears, while Jason has been unable to secure a new job and Karen is at home with the children, the youngest of whom, Jamie, is just 16 months.

Karen said she had told eldest son Kian that they could not afford toys for Christmas.

“We told him the bank might take the house off us because we cannot afford it.

“Some people might not agree with that but we thought we should because he knew something was going on.

“It’s heartbreaking.

“There are people the length and breadth of the country experiencing the same problem,” said Karen.

GE Money said it could not comment on individual cases but said repossession was a last resort.