Conflicting BR advice from CCCS & CAB

So_Sad_Angel

Costus wrote: »

Total income
£2238 without CB, we went on this amount.
£2319 with CB, CCCS went on this amount.

Expenses
Rent £550
water £50
Gas £70
Electric £70
Council tax £107
Contents insurance £11, low but correct.
Telephone £60
TV Licence £12
Child care (playschool) £20
Car tax & MOT £43
Car insurance £48
Car spares & servicing £40, CCCS £30
Vehicle fuel £261 a lot i know, but it is justified.
Car breakdown cover £12
Car parking charges £18 CCCS didn't even include this in their SOA for us, don't know why, probably an oversight on their behalf. :rolleyes:
Housekeeping £450 CCCS £392
Meals at work £40
Clothing £130 CCCS £56
Hairdressing £25 CCCS £20
Laundry/dry cleaning £10
Prescritions £14
Dentist/ Opticians £16 CCCS £10
Holiday fund £60 CCCS called it sports, hobbies, entertainment £32
Emergencies £25
Gifts £15 CCCS £0
Also CCCS suggested £17 newspapers, we said o.k. then. Then they knocked it down to £10.... bizarre! But i won't include these as i know newspapers aren't allowed in BR.

Total
£2157 CCCS £1943 quote]

Morning Costus

Not had time to go into detail on your soa but is car spares/servicing really £40 per month? Also mobile phone & internet ..is this included in general phone?.
Newspapers & gifts will be disallowed & holiday/emergency is a grey area too..so leave in but don`t be surprised if it is knocked down.

As Bat said the BR SOA is slightly different to DMP as it is essential to be realistic as if you have a large surplus that will be taken as an IPA by the OR.

Angex

So_Sad_Angel

Also I believe Child Benefit is not included as income. Someone may correct me there.

Plus...life assurance ? & do you have any pets?

Costus

Morning SSA, and thanks for such a quick response.

Do you think that car spares & servicing is excessive? the only way i worked it out was, 2 cars, 1 service each per year @ £130 = £260. And 4 tyres, 2 for each car @ £60 each = £240.

The phone is worked out at 2 mobiles & a landline.

I'm really just chancing my arm with the Holiday fund & emergencies, but hey. I think in reality you do need a small holiday per year and what if i need to replace say an expensive domestic item. Like you say leave it in & see what happens.

We haven't got any Life insurance, how do you think it would look if we got some organised now but went BR in a few weeks time ? Would that look bad in the eyes of an OR ?

We can't have any pets as this is written in our tenancy agreement.

Any advice on these bits please.

Costus

Can anyone have a look at my SOA please, and let me know if they look acceptable.

Going to be filling in the BR forms very soon and any feedback on our amounts or anything else we can claim for and missed out would be gratefully received.

Many thanks.

Costus

Can anyone have a look at my SOA please, and let me know if they look acceptable.

Going to be filling in the BR forms very soon and any feedback on our amounts or anything else we can claim for and missed out would be gratefully received.

Many thanks.

[EMAIL="abuse@moneysavingexpert.com?subject=Reporting%20post%20http://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/showpost.html?p=15191059"][/EMAIL]

Trollfever

We have no assets whatsoever,

=

Bankruptcy.

Rylynn

Is it just you going BR or both of you, are the debts in joint names? as you need to consider this.

On your SOA my only query would be that the OR may look at work lunches and say it should come out of your housekeeping.

If you are claiming in there for two cars I kinda think it is you both going BR.

I have put down £20 servicing repairs for one car so cannot see why your should be frowned upon.

When you let us know if it is both of you it will be easier to look at the SOA as if it is only you then things are a bit different as I do not think you can claim for your wifes car repairs, tax, insurance etc. She has to pay that, and you put in an amount she gives towards the expenses of the house.

Hope that makes sense.

Wishing you the best of luck, and my advice Costus do not touch an IVA with a barge pole, I had no assets either, other than the car, and took an IVA on it failed due to ill health, I have since been told I should most definately have gone bankrupt back in 2005. In the IVA believe me they allow for nothing other than total basics. No holiday, no presents, they even wanted to take away my pension but I fought them on it as there was a clause in my work contract that my wage would be cut due to a change over in whom I worked for, ie being a civil servant for 18 months then being chucked into the NHS whose pension was more expensive to the employee my wage was increased at that time to make sure I did not lose out, not just me the whole workforce.

DMP if you have had one fail with Payplan why on earth are the CCCS suggesting another one.

I would say to you try ringing National Debt line and see if they agree with the CAB and us here.

As I think bankruptcy is the route you need to take.

I was asked today on the advice I had taken, not who from it was more did I realise the implications of BR ie I would be commiting a criminal offence if I get credit or take on a loan etc, or try to be a director of a company while undischarged.

As the CAB have advised you BR then if asked by the judge on the day you can say yes taken advice and CAB have said BR is our only viable route.

Costus

Thanks for your advice Trollfever, any advice on our SOA amounts ?

Costus

Hi Rylynn and thanks for the advice,

Yes its both of us going BR, and the debts is all unsecured in separate names. £19,000 me & £26,000 OH.

All i have done is lumped together our income and expenses, that is what the CAB & CCCS wanted to see, but i understand that we will have to do that separately when we go BR, and i have that already worked out what i think is the best way to do it, i don't know if its right but this is what i have done.

With the amount my OH brings into the house i worked out what that was as a percentage, and divided that amount by the expenses, to give a true amount that my OH pays.

I also pay more some of the bigger bills and expenses myself as i have the bigger income or else my OH would be in a minus surplus amount at the end of the month and me with too much surplus. Is this allowed ?

Many thanks.

P.s. Well done today.

Costus

Just off to work now, just thought i'd let you know so you don't think i'm being rude.
Will pick up any advice and posts later.

Thanks.