Struggling with debt? Ask a debt advisor a question

Former_StepChange_Rory · 24 July 2014 at 3:51PM

sugar9 wrote: »

Hi there would like some advice please. We were paying Equita Enforcement Agents £80 per months for a Council Tax bill. Then my husband lost his job and now his is working again Step Change have advised to pay £1.00 due to all the debts we have. We are currently looking at Bankruptcy. Equita knocked this morning (or rather banged) at least 6 times and left a note saying will be back tomorrow. I have never let them in or answered the door, could they break in or get over our back gate? They refuse to accept any smaller payment and we have sent our financial statement (recorded delivery). Please help feeling very scared this morning. Thank you.

Hi sugar9, welcome to the forum.

I’m sorry to hear about your difficulties with the enforcement agents (bailiffs) dealing with your council tax, I understand that this can cause a lot of stress and difficulty.

If you have already spoken to us it might be best to speak to us again over the phone and we’ll be happy to offer some more advice on what to do next.

You can visit our contact us page for details of how to get in touch with us, this way we can offer our advice and reassurance.

We look forward to speaking to you soon.

Rory

charlotte240887 · 26 July 2014 at 10:19AM

hi, please can anyone give me some advice? i've just moved into a new property after finally getting away from my abusive ex and wessex water are refusing to let me set up a standing order on my new property until the debt for the old property is paid off (just over £1000 and before anyone judges my ex had told me all along he was paying the bill when really he was wasting the cash *sigh*) I don't see why I should have to pay all of it off leaving myself in more debt because they won't take payment for my new place? I said if they split the bill in half and charged both of us I would happily pay my share but they won't accept this! I honestly don't know what to do :-(

System · 28 July 2014 at 10:40AM

charlotte240887 wrote: »

hi, please can anyone give me some advice? i've just moved into a new property after finally getting away from my abusive ex and wessex water are refusing to let me set up a standing order on my new property until the debt for the old property is paid off (just over £1000 and before anyone judges my ex had told me all along he was paying the bill when really he was wasting the cash *sigh*) I don't see why I should have to pay all of it off leaving myself in more debt because they won't take payment for my new place? I said if they split the bill in half and charged both of us I would happily pay my share but they won't accept this! I honestly don't know what to do :-(

Hi charlotte240887,

Welcome to the forum.

I’m sorry about the personal trouble you’ve had in the past – I’m glad you’re in a better position now. We can help you with the water debt.

If you were named on the water bill at the previous property you will be jointly liable for the unpaid bill. The water company will ask for full payment from either you or your ex-partner, sadly it’s not split 50/50.

The best thing to do would be to contact us for some advice – we can go through a budget and recommend the best way to deal with this debt alongside your other outgoings. The water company will know you’re getting the advice you need and should be more willing to accept repayment in instalments.

To go through a budget and get the advice you need you can either call us or request a call back.

To get the advice online you can also use our Debt Remedy tool. You can build a budget and get debt solution recommendations in about 20 minutes – it’s free and completely confidential to use.
I hope this helps.

Thanks,
Jess

mol3 · 30 July 2014 at 10:31AM

Hi

I recently reduced my dmp as I was struggling to find the payment due to decreased income.

I put the minimum amounts that I could so that I would be able to give the creditors a reasonable amount and keep them happy and get it paid off a bit quicker but being really honest this is also a struggle to find at the moment.

Basically what I want to know is how would it fair if I were to reduce it again so soon? Is it possible to do so?

I really need to stop thinking about what the creditors want and think about me and my family - suppose really answering my own question!

Former_StepChange_Rory · 30 July 2014 at 11:35AM

mol3 wrote: »

Hi

I recently reduced my dmp as I was struggling to find the payment due to decreased income.

I put the minimum amounts that I could so that I would be able to give the creditors a reasonable amount and keep them happy and get it paid off a bit quicker but being really honest this is also a struggle to find at the moment.

Basically what I want to know is how would it fair if I were to reduce it again so soon? Is it possible to do so?

I really need to stop thinking about what the creditors want and think about me and my family - suppose really answering my own question!

Hi mol3

It's important to make sure that what you pay towards your debts is fair, but is also affordable and isn't leaving you short each month.

If you feel like you're not able to meet the payments to your DMP then it would be a good idea to talk about it and review your budget to make sure it's as realistic as possible.

I'm not sure if your DMP is with StepChange or not but speak to your provider and they'll be able to discuss the best options for you and offer some reassurance and advice.

I hope this helps,

Rory

ShinyShoes · 30 July 2014 at 2:42PM

Hi, Hoping you can help.
Due to my partners redundancy and having a baby in 2012 my debts got out of control. In May 2013 I applied to each credit card company to pay a lower than the minimum fee on a temporary payment plan. I've just sent off my updated position to them showing I can pay some more and praying they'll agree as I can't go bankrupt due to my career, and I really do intend on paying every penny back.

Zopa have agreed the lasted increase but want something more permanent in place by the end of the year - what do they mean?

I know that in the future I will have more money - my son is in nursery at the moment and in September 2015 he will be entitled to the free 15 hours during term time which will save me about £200 a month. Then from September 2016 he will be in school saving me at least a further £700 a month. Would the credit card companies alllowed me to design a payment plan on a basis that repayments will go up each year?

At the end of August my total debts will be below £25,000.

Thanks you for any help you give.

SS

Former_StepChange_Laura · 31 July 2014 at 9:55AM

ShinyShoes wrote: »

Hi, Hoping you can help.
Due to my partners redundancy and having a baby in 2012 my debts got out of control. In May 2013 I applied to each credit card company to pay a lower than the minimum fee on a temporary payment plan. I've just sent off my updated position to them showing I can pay some more and praying they'll agree as I can't go bankrupt due to my career, and I really do intend on paying every penny back.

Zopa have agreed the lasted increase but want something more permanent in place by the end of the year - what do they mean?

I know that in the future I will have more money - my son is in nursery at the moment and in September 2015 he will be entitled to the free 15 hours during term time which will save me about £200 a month. Then from September 2016 he will be in school saving me at least a further £700 a month. Would the credit card companies alllowed me to design a payment plan on a basis that repayments will go up each year?

At the end of August my total debts will be below £25,000.

Thanks you for any help you give.

SS

Hi SS,

Thanks for your message.

You mention Zopa say they want something more permanent in place by the end of the year. What they mean is that they’d like you to take more formal steps to manage your debt so they know exactly how much they’ll be repaid each month and that it’s an amount you are able to afford in the longer term.

I’d suggest getting in touch with us so we can take a good look at circumstances and advise you as to the best solution for your current situation. The advice we give is free, independent, and tailored to your individual circumstances. If your financial situation changes in the future, as you anticipate it will when your son starts school, this is something we can address when it happens.

You can contact us through our online Debt Remedy tool or by giving one of our advisers a call on 0800 138 1111. We’re open Monday to Friday from 8am to 8pm, and Saturdays from 8am to 4pm.

I hope this helps,

Laura

drjeangrey · 1 August 2014 at 3:12PM

Hi,

I'm asking for some advice on behalf of my husband. I was just wondering what the realistic expectations around Debt Management Plans should be? I'll admit I am clueless about them and DH seems to bury his head in the sand so I don't know how clued up he is.

Basically he has been in a DMP for about five and half years now. It's a fee-paying one through Eurodebt (I keep trying to convince him to avail of one of the free arrangements but so far it's falling on deaf ears). He's paying about £120 a month on around £15k of debt. The balances of what he owes has barely fallen (around £100 - £200 reduction with each creditor). At this rate I can't imagine him ever clearing the debt or that we will ever be in the position to get a mortgage. I applied for a pack from Step Change on his behalf.

I guess I'd just like to know what our expectations of a DMP should be? I know we don't have a lot spare at the end of the month to pay into them but will we ever be free of this debt? Would he be better off considering an IVA or even bankruptcy? He works in insurance sales so I don't know if either of those would effect his job.

I'd be very grateful for any advice.

Former_StepChange_Rory · 1 August 2014 at 3:51PM

drjeangrey wrote: »

Hi,

I'm asking for some advice on behalf of my husband. I was just wondering what the realistic expectations around Debt Management Plans should be? I'll admit I am clueless about them and DH seems to bury his head in the sand so I don't know how clued up he is.

Basically he has been in a DMP for about five and half years now. It's a fee-paying one through Eurodebt (I keep trying to convince him to avail of one of the free arrangements but so far it's falling on deaf ears). He's paying about £120 a month on around £15k of debt. The balances of what he owes has barely fallen (around £100 - £200 reduction with each creditor). At this rate I can't imagine him ever clearing the debt or that we will ever be in the position to get a mortgage. I applied for a pack from Step Change on his behalf.

I guess I'd just like to know what our expectations of a DMP should be? I know we don't have a lot spare at the end of the month to pay into them but will we ever be free of this debt? Would he be better off considering an IVA or even bankruptcy? He works in insurance sales so I don't know if either of those would effect his job.

I'd be very grateful for any advice.

Hi drjeangray

Thanks for getting in touch with us.

A debt management plan (DMP) is just one of many debt solutions that we could look at with you, with the intention of offering a solution that will help clear your partner’s debts as quickly and stress-free as possible.

On a DMP with us, we would ask creditors to reduce or stop interest and charges to help your husband pay back his debts more quickly. While we can’t guarantee this, most creditors agree to do this.

I couldn’t comment on the arrangement your partner has at the moment, but not paying a fee for a DMP can have a positive difference on how long it takes to clear debts.

As a charity we offer free, impartial and confidential advice and on a DMP with us every penny goes towards your creditors. We’ll always look and see if there are alternative debt solutions based on what’s best for your partner.

One option that might benefit you would be to use our anonymous, free Debt Remedy tool on our website which you can complete in your own time, without your partner needing to speak to us at this point.

Alternatively you can visit the StepChange website for more details on how to contact us.

I hope this helps,

Rory

Needsomehelp · 6 August 2014 at 10:22AM

Hi

I have debt split over 3 credit cards, each of which are in their interest free period. When the interest free period for one comes to an end, in the past I have simply transferred it to another interest free offer and paid off what I can.
I have one (Tesco) coming to an end and applied for a Lloyd and bank of Scotland card, both of which I got rejected from. I looked up my credit reference info ad discovered that it is now really low due to an old current account.

I had an account with halifax and transferred it to a nationwide account. I was told nationwide would pay off the overdrafts transfer direct debits etc and the account would be closed. However I learnt through the credit check that 6.99 owed was left in the halifax account and therefore it has been in arrears for 2 months. I have now rectified this however it will still affected my rating. I have spoken to both banks and neither will take responsibility and contact the reference agency to explain.

I have two queries:

1. Is there anything I can do to get this removed from my credit history or some sort of note explaining it?
2. I am about to start getting charged a lot of interest on the credit card. If I have bad credit rating what is my best option to do with this balance to get interest free or at least reduce it?

Thanks for your help

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