I am writing on behalf of my neighbour with her consent.
She is a 43-year-old single mother of three.
Her husband forced her to agree to a secure loan a few years ago against her home. He was abusive and coercive to her. There were many police incidents.
He then took all the money, left and spent it all on his mistress, went on cruises and so on, but then died unexpectedly in 2020.
My neighbour has been left with the debt against her home and the loan firm has her paying £1,300 in interest alone.
She works from 6am-6pm every day in the week and also works as a cleaner on weekends.
She's left with hardly any money to feed her children.
Surely as she was forced to sign the loan then it shouldn't be her responsibility to pay it back?
It's such a sad story of such a lovely person whose home is falling apart as she can't pay to fix it, and that's all she has. Is there anything you can do to help?
Tanya Jefferies, of This is Money, replies: I am terribly sorry to hear this heartbreaking story. You are very kind to try to help this lady.
Financial abuse is a cruel form of coercion as it can leave victims in serious debt. In your neighbour's very sad case, the financial damage is still being suffered by her and her children after the perpetrator's death.
We have previously explored how to spot the signs of financial abuse, for the sake of both people affected and those who suspect someone they know is at risk of harm.
There are places you and your neighbour can contact for help, which might also be useful to others.
The charity Surviving Financial Abuse runs a free helpline in partnership with Money Advice Plus - 0808 1968845
The Refuge charity might also be able to offer help - 0808 2000 247
The debt charity StepChange might be another option - 0800 138 1111. It's best to use a not-for-profit debt charity and not a commercial debt consolidation firm to help you.
We asked an expert from Surviving Financial Abuse to give you more specific advice.
Lauren Garrett, Financial Services Manager at Surviving Economic Abuse (SEA), replies: First of all, I would like to say how sorry I am to hear about the abuse your neighbour has experienced and thank you for reaching out on her behalf.
Friends and family have a vital role to play in spotting the signs of economic abuse.
Your neighbour is not alone - forcing or coercing someone into debt is unfortunately a common form of economic abuse.
In SEA's work with women who have experienced domestic abuse, 50 per cent said they had been made to take out a loan or buy something on credit when they did not want to.
Some abusers control their partner's everyday actions and choices, threatening violence or becoming violent if their demands are refused. In the case of your neighbour, it may have been that taking on this debt was the only safe option.
Following economic abuse being recognised in the 2021 Domestic Abuse Act, there is greater understanding about coerced debt but there is still a long way to go.
It can be very difficult to get coerced debt recognised by the courts and/or creditors and there is no general exception for people who have experienced domestic abuse, including economic abuse.
However, depending on the details of your neighbour's situation, there are a number of possible solutions that she may consider exploring.
This could include debt respite schemes, challenging the liability of the debt or asking the lender for a debt write-off.
These all come with advantages and disadvantages so in the first instance she should seek expert debt advice.
She can find organisations who may be able to help on the Surviving Economic Abuse website.
Your neighbour should also call the Financial Support Line for Victims of Domestic Abuse, which is run by Money Advice Plus in partnership with Surviving Economic Abuse.
It offers specialist advice to anyone experiencing domestic abuse who is in financial difficulty and can give strategies for dealing with debt, including coerced debt.
To contact the Financial Support line for advice and guidance call the freephone number 0808 1968845 (Monday-Friday, 9am-1pm and 2pm-5pm).
Calls are free of charge. For callers whose first language is not English, an interpretation service is available on request.