"Family life ended for Francesca Onody on a late summer evening in 2022 when her abusive husband doused their cottage with petrol as police arrived to arrest him. She and her children escaped seconds before the building exploded. Her husband Malcolm Baker died in the blaze. That night, Onody lost her husband, her home, her pets and her possessions. She also lost all her money. Shortly before he died, Baker had emptied their joint bank accounts and cancelled her mortgage protection and buildings insurance. Three years later, she faced losing the little she had left."
"It feels like my world has once again imploded, she said when she first contacted Guardian Money in June last year. I saw my home razed to the ground. I've scraped together to put a very basic roof over mine and my kids' heads, and now the Halifax want to literally pull the ground out from under our feet."
"This month, three-and-a-half years after the explosion, Onody, 53, was able to pay off the mortgage and take possession of the land. Halifax halted proceedings after Guardian Money intervened. It also cancelled the interest and fees that had accrued on the mortgage during Onody's long legal battles to secure probate. Her ordeal exposes the legal and financial obstacles faced by domestic abuse victims long after a relationship has ended."
Francesca Onody and her children escaped an arson attack in 2022 that killed her husband and destroyed their home. Before he died, he emptied joint accounts and cancelled mortgage protection and buildings insurance, leaving Onody with no money. The mortgage lender sought to repossess the property to recover about £35,000 in arrears and charges, forcing the family to live in a caravan on the ruined land. Over several years she fought probate and legal battles, ultimately paid off the mortgage, and had repossession halted while accrued interest and fees were cancelled.
Read at www.theguardian.com
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