Summary
Mortgage Prisoners are among the most financially excluded and least visible groups in the UK. Many were trapped after the 2008 financial crisis, when mortgages were sold to private equity and hedge funds, leaving around 200,000 households paying disproportionately high interest rates. Despite strong payment histories, most cannot remortgage, resulting in severe financial strain and heightened risk of fuel poverty.
Pure Leapfrog, in collaboration with UK Mortgage Prisoners (UKMP), is establishing a national energy advice service tailored to this community’s specific needs, developed by listening to mortgage prisoners’ experiences and ideas. The project will deliver 3,120 phone and online advice interactions, supported by new specialist training, bespoke materials, and a dedicated digital platform. The aim is to provide trusted, empathetic support that reduces energy costs, improves confidence in navigating the energy market, and increases access to grants and energy‑saving measures.
What problem are we trying to solve?
Mortgage Prisoners experience a unique combination of financial exclusion, high-cost mortgages, and deep mistrust of institutions due to structural economic injustice at the root of their situation, and a failure of consecutive governments to offer a credible pathway out. Many work long hours, have limited means, and prioritise mortgage payments over essentials, leaving them disproportionately exposed to fuel poverty. Offers of help are often viewed with suspicion, and most do not access mainstream energy advice services.
UKMP is the only organisation trusted by this community, but it does not have the expertise to provide energy advice. Without a tailored, sensitive service delivered through a trusted route, Mortgage Prisoners remain largely unsupported despite a clear need.
Why does this matter?
The consequences of being a mortgage prisoner are severe. Households face a poverty premium across essential spending, including energy, and some have resorted to extreme measures to stay warm. UKMP has supported individuals sleeping in company vans with engines running for heat, and very sadly has engaged with people who felt overwhelmed enough to consider ending their lives.
Providing energy advice through a trusted relationship can reduce bills, improve wellbeing, and prevent crises. We also aim to raise wider awareness among MPs, councillors and stakeholders about the intersection of mortgage imprisonment and fuel poverty, helping to address a largely invisible national issue.
How are we doing this?
The project has two phases:
Phase 1- Design:
- Co-designing the service with UKMP and their members.
- Developing new training on Mortgage Prisoners’ history, characteristics and vulnerabilities.
- Creating case studies, scripts, digital materials and a dedicated website with online chat and booking.
- Mapping stakeholders and building referral pathways.
- Training advisors in this new specialism.
Phase 2- Delivery:
- Providing 1:1 advice via phone, video and online chat.
- Delivering Tier 1 (basic), Tier 2 (behaviour change) and Tier 3 (case support/ debt) advice.
- Offering small postable measures such as low-energy lightbulbs, heated blankets and radiator foils.
- Monitoring outcomes through follow-up calls, wellbeing tools and CRM data.
Who are we working with?
The project is delivered by Pure Leapfrog in collaboration with UKMP, the only national advocacy body dedicated to this community. UKMP brings deep lived experience, trust and connections to beneficiaries, while Pure Leapfrog provides trained energy advisors, retrofit expertise, project management and service design capability.
The collaboration aims to ensure that advice is delivered sensitively, through a warm connection through a trusted organisation, and a deep understanding of the community’s unique circumstances.
What is the innovation?
This is the first national energy advice service designed specifically for Mortgage Prisoners. The innovation lies in combining established energy advice practice with insights from UK and members, creating a model that addresses a previously unsupported need.
Key innovations include:
- A new training course for advisors on Mortgage Prisoner’s situation and vulnerability.
- A CPD-style module to help other advisors identify and triage potential Mortgage Prisoners.
- A bespoke digital platform with trusted referral routes.
- A service model that can be iteratively improved and potentially replicated by other advice providers.
