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It's summer, politicians are on holiday and surfing dogs are in the news.

So you'd be forgiven for missing this summer's change to a benefit claimed by more than 100,000 people.

It's called Support for Mortgage Interest. Every year it dishes out £170million to struggling homeowners who fall on hard times.

But not for long.

The free benefit is being axed and turned into a loan instead by the Tory government. That loan will be secured on your house and billow with interest, a bit like the mortgage itself.

Personal finance groups tell us it's "weakened the safety net" and "adds to the pressure" on families in desperate need.

We've supposedly known about it for years - but it's only coming into effect now. So what's happening, and should you be worried?

Here's your guide to how it could affect you.

What is this benefit?

(Image: PA)

Support for Mortgage Interest (SMI) is a benefit for people who fall on hard times and are struggling to keep up their mortgage payments.

It's existed in some form since at least the 1980s and is currently paid for 124,000 people - almost half of them pensioners - at a cost of £170million a year.

To qualify you must be on one of these benefits: Income Support, Pension Credit, income-based jobseekers' allowance or income-based disability benefit ESA.

The benefit can only cover interest charged by a bank, not the capital value of a house. It's paid up to a total of £200,000, or £100,000 for pensioners.

What's changing?

The free benefit is being turned into a repayable loan from 5 April 2018, a cut of £150million a year.

That means if you accept help, you'll have two loans secured on your home at the same time. One from the bank, one from the government.

As you grow older, the amount you owe the government will get bigger and bigger. That's because the interest on the government loan will be set at the 'forecast gilt rate' - currently 1.7%, but it's likely to rise at some point.

The big difference between the government loan and a mortgage is this: the government's loan won't have to be repaid each month.

Instead the full amount is only due as soon as you die, sell your house or transfer ownership of it to a relative or friend.

The exception is if you die and have a husband or wife or civil partner. In that case, the loan only has to be paid back after they die too.

Why is it relevant now?

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It's hard to believe, but this change was actually announced by George Osborne. Remember him?

It was in the ex-Chancellor's first all-Tory Budget in 2015 - at the same time as Tax Credit cuts that hogged much more attention.

The date was always set as April 2018. But it's become relevant this summer because of the maths involved.

You see, you have to wait 39 weeks between your first benefit claim and getting paid SMI. (Labour shortened this to 13 weeks in 2009, but the Tories changed it back to 39 weeks last year).

That means people who lost their job last month will become the first new claimants hit by the system in April 2018.

The changes quietly became law on 27 July 2017, without a full vote by MPs. They weren't asked because the changes were made with an obscure law called a 'statutory instrument' not a full Act of Parliament.

I get SMI now. Will I be affected?

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Yes. The government will be transferring existing claimants onto the new loan system from 5 April 2018.

There will be a transition period where some people can continue claiming SMI as a free benefit for a while.

But this is simply to stop people falling through the cracks if there are "delays" to moving them onto the new scheme.

Outsourcing giant Serco is taking responsibility for telling people about the new system in the coming months through letters and a phone call.

Why are campaigners worried?

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The Money Advice Trust, the charity that runs National Debtline, is concerned.

It wants a two-year grace period before SMI payments turn into loans, and says the loans shouldn't grow with interest.

Spokeswoman Jane Tully said: "These changes have significantly weakened the safety net for mortgage-payers – who now have to wait longer, to receive less support.

“The fact that these payments are now loans, with interest also being charged, will make it harder for people to recover their finances in the long run.

“Our concern is that these changes come at a time when there is significant uncertainty over the future direction of the economy.

"Millions of homeowners have never experienced a rise in interest rates. With wages being squeezed and household borrowing soaring, many could find themselves in financial difficulty if circumstances change."

A spokesman for welfare rights charity Turn2us added: "Support for Mortgage Interest has been an important source of help for those with a mortgage who have had an income shock.

"It has helped many stay in their homes.

“The increase in the waiting period to 39 weeks has already affected that.

“Now, turning Support for Mortgage Interest from a benefit into a loan adds to the pressure on homeowners who are already struggling.”

What do the Tories say?

They say it's unfair to pay people benefits that will help them own a house, especially when house prices are soaring.

And they warn a rise in the very low interest rates we have at the moment could make the price tag of SMI soar out of control.

Then-minister Shailesh Vara told MPs in 2015: "The Government recognise the importance of helping owner-occupiers in times of need, and they remain committed to doing so.

"We are simply changing the nature of the support.

"It is right that taxpayers, many of whom are unable to afford their own home, will no longer be asked to subsidise claimants in the accrual of a significant asset."

The Tory minister rejected Labour's calls for a transition period for people already on SMI.

He told MPs it would be "simply unfair" to have a grace period for some while other, new claimants face the full whack of the policy.

How can I find out more?

Go to the government's SMI information website here.