Dont know where to start :(

Stuffed23

Ok, A while ago, must be nearly two years ago now I made a post about my financial situation, Well thanks guys for trying to help before and I really need help now .

OK, crooks of it is, since I last posted my marriage broke down for various reasons early last year (entirely my fault) and I have moved away from my family....... All was going fairly well except the debts that I have until now and I have no idea whatsoever what I am going to do.

Basically I owe almost £14,000 as I worked it out after calling all the creditors and have just lost my job, I'm in an area where employment is hard to find let alone on reasonable wages but am looking for anything.

My rent is £274 a month and I live in a 1 room bedsit with everything included except internet, electric and TV License. I pretty much stay at my girlfriends most of the time but don't want to move in until I have this lot under control so she isn't affected by it so much, she worries about me but I manage to hide my feelings mostly

My main concerns are I have council tax debts of £400 from last year when I was at my lowest and these have been to court and I got a letter a couple of weeks ago saying they would be sending baliffs if I didn't pay, I was trying to save soooo hard and now no job, my main concern is prison I really dont want to go but honestly cant think of a way of paying. I've been living off (and paying rent/bills/food etc) £150 a week so I can keep up to date with child support and now I have nothing until JSA as long as I can get it.


Sorry if the above doesn't make sense, my heads not really all here at the moment but I know I have to do something and do that something now

poorandindenial

Hi there

Well done for coming back and I am so sorry to hear that things are rough for you at the moment.

I am afraid that I don't have any advice re: the council tax but someone will be along here soon that does. In the meantime it might be worth getting in touch with citizens' advice bureau or www.nationaldebtline.co.uk for advice on that.

For the rest of your situation you might want to do a new statement of affairs (SOA) so that you (and we if you want to post it) know exactly where you stand and might be able to make suggestions for how you can get the rest back on track. There is a SOA calculator at www.makesenseofcards.com to help you put it together.

piglet39

Hiya stuffed. I am so sorry to hear about your situation and so I am bumping this up so an expert will see it more easily.

Re: council tax. Despite what is reported in the press imprisonment I believe is very rare but the councils do seem to get bailiffs in pretty quick.

Have you contacted the council about this and explained the situation. You need to get on to the council tax recovery dept - this is different to the actual council tax dept.

Given your situation they may agree to accept payment terms with you directly. Worth a shot maybe.

Some councils have agreed to 'take a debt back' if you are vulnerable. But obv the definition of this can vary enormously. I would give them a ring tomorrow or better still go in armed with your income and expenditure details.

HTH

Piglet

Stuffed23

Thanks to both of you, To be honest there isn't really a statement of means to write up now, I have £274 a month on rent, about £20 a month on electric, £40 a month on car insurance and my TV license payed monthly but no income.

IF I get jobseekers in the meantime, I'm hoping to get housing benefit but I don't think my landlord takes that.

After my child support I reckon I'll have about £55 a week to live on which if I'm very frugal I should be able to manage just about but I just cant see a way to even make an offer to repay these debts

What sort of offer would the council be likely to accept? I have heard that they sometimes make you bankrupt if you cant pay, I really dont want that as I'd lose my car and I need(ed) it for work and to drive to see my kids so am desperate for that not to happen.

fiodyl

If you are on JSA then I think you can ask for the council tax arrears to be deducted from it and with housing benefit they would pay it direct to you so your landlord might not need to know.

smashedbooboo

Hi hun, and welcome. Please dont panic. Get on the phone to the tax office and tell them you are out of work. Offer them a payment you can afford and nothing more. Dont worry about prison. That will not happen to you. Not for that amount. You could maybe go down to CAB and ask for some advice there. And they wont make you bankrupt either for that amount. As long as you pay something and keep up to the arrangement. It would cost them more than 400.00 to take you bankrupt. As far as housing benefit goes you can have it paid into your account and you can pay your landlord from that. Dont forget to get council tax benefit as well for this yr hun.

You really should go and see CAB or one of the debt help charities, They are really brilliant and will help you lots. You might have to set up token payments for now. Maybe 1.00 per creditor for the time being. But at least it shows you are trying to make an effort.

Boo x x

RichOneday_2

Prison is not going to happen.

In theory it can, but reality it is only ever used for people who willfully refuse to pay when there is no question about their ability to pay.

When you are contacted by the bailiffs, write to them and explain that you are on benefits and have a negative disposable income. They will probably ask for your NI number so they can send the debt back to the council who, in turn, will be able to check their records to confirm you are in receipt of benefits.

I would pay £1 per month to the bailiffs/council just to demonstrate an 'effort to pay'. This will act as insurance policy should there be any further legal processes at a later date.

RichOneday_2

Smashedbooboo,

I typed that response before seeing your reply. Looks like great minds think sort of alike!

smashedbooboo

And they so do think alike. LOL xxxxxxxxx

Sue-UU

Hi Stuffed23, good to see you back again. Far better to be 'chatting' about it with us than just constantly thinking about it to yourself all the time. One thing to remember here is that your are never on your own and we all understand what it's like to be you!

I agree with Piglet about contacting the Council and to go in with all your income and expenditure details so they can see exactly what's what. I know you say you live in an area where jobs are hard to find but do your level best every day to get one ASAP. It doesn't matter what it is (I know you know all this, but...) just get back in employment as soon as is possible.

You say you don't want to move in with your girlfriend and I can understand why, but when you've found another job are you sure it wouldn't be a bad idea. If you have a solid relationship it would certainly give you far more of a chance with just one lot of bills. It also sounds as though she's understanding of your situation so (regardless of whether you move in with her or not) why not talk to her and let her see that you trust her enough to do so. You need someone to physically talk things over with and get things off your chest. Be totally honest with her about every single penny, she'll thank you for it and you could end up feeling a whole lot better for doing so. You may be worrying her more by not telling her too much!

For now, please don't worry..... as it won't solve anyhing so it's never worth the effort! Put everything into getting a job and let's hope that happens soon so you can start to sort yourself out. Don't concern yourself about prison either, not for this amount, they have enough folk in there already without adding you to the numbers too!

All the very best and please keep us up to date (on this thread) with how you're going. Good luck!

Sue