Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment she has made of the potential merits of legislative reform for victims of (a) domestic and (b) economic abuse to exit joint mortgages safely and promptly; and what discussions she has had with the (i) Chancellor of the Exchequer and (ii) Financial Conduct Authority on the introduction of guidance for the financial industry on this matter.

This Government recognises the devastating impact economic abuse can have on victims. ‘Freedom from Violence and Abuse: a cross-government strategy to build a safer society for women and girls’, published on 18 December 2025, outlined a package of commitments to tackle economic abuse. This included a commitment from His Majesty’s Treasury (HMT) to work with key stakeholders, including industry and the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) to explore how joint mortgages are used as a tool of abuse and how victims and survivors can be better supported. This commitment was also included in HMT’s recent Financial Inclusion Strategy.

The Minister for Safeguarding and Violence Against Women and Girls met with the Economic Secretary to the Treasury as both strategies were developed, and remains committed to working closely with her HMT counterparts as they deliver on this agenda.