Once you take out any kind of mortgage, it’s very important that you make all the repayments in full, and on time. If you fail to do so you could lose your home and it could also affect your credit rating.

Sometimes, however, the unexpected happens. For example, you might lose your job through redundancy, or find yourself unable to work due to long-term sickness. By law, an employer must pay most employees statutory sick pay for up to 28 weeks though this will probably be a lot less than full earnings. After that, you would probably have to fall back on State benefits. These are limited and means-tested, which may mean you won’t qualify. If you are self-employed, you have no employer to help, so you would have to turn to the State.

This is when insurance to protect you or your family’s income or borrowing can be useful. Listed below are some examples of products and why you might find them useful.