Ask a CCCS counsellor a question

CCCS_Matthew

trouble1981 wrote: »

My husband is currently looking into a DMP. I currently am on a DMP with Payplan and they have said that we would have to make ours a joint DMP if he went with them also, we have entirely separate finances so this would be an non-preferred solution
Would he be able to do so independantly on cccs?

Also, i was told on the boards here that cccs decide on the payments each creditors receive based on the amount you are currently paying to each where as payplan do this as a percentage of the total balance, is this true (as i prefer the payplan method so not to reward the silly interest rates cards!)

What is the current waiting time for cccs to make the appointments?

Hi there.

At CCCS you can choose to either to a sole or joint budget. So in your situation if finances are completely separate then we could create a budget based on 'your share' of the living costs.

Our DMP's do work on a pro-rated basis based on the contractual basis rather than the actual balance. If you wanted to do it based on the balances, we could provide you with the necessary paperwork to do a self admin DMP if you prefer.

Since we’ve implemented our new system, appointment wait times have come down quite significantly. Next available appointment does vary depending on what time you require appointment for, and also if you need to speak to a counsellor from a specific team (such as our Mortgage or Self-employed counsellors) so it’s hard for me to advise to give you a date.

However we have also introduced the facility to transfer your call straight away to a counsellor if one is available and we have all the relevant details from you to proceed, which saves you having to wait for an appointment.

As always, there is also Debt Remedy which can be used without having to speak to anyone and you can get advice straight away! Click here to use Debt Remedy.

Hope this helps,
CCCS

CCCS_Matthew

Desperate_Partner wrote: »

Hi
A bit of advice please, my partner has been on a DMP with Payplan since April 2008 he lost his job in November 2008 and we have now accepted an offer on the house so this will hopefuly be complete in 6-8 weeks. He had a conversation with Payplan today and said he would like to use £30K of his money to settle 2 of the larger loans and continue with the DMP for the remaining 20k debt, they have suggested a lump sum IVA which would possible clear all the debts and that would mean he would pay 44p per pound he owed? I am not really sure what they mean by this and would there be charges for setting this up? Payplan are phoning him on Tuesday so would like to make sure he is prepared with questions.
Many thanks in advance

Hi there,

A lump sum IVA would incur fees, as it's a legally binding arrangement which is administered by an Insolvency Practitioner. The costs with a reputable agency would be included within the money you are prepared to offer the creditors so in theory it should actually 'cost' you anything if that makes sense? Avoid a company that require you to pay anything just to make the proposal to the creditors, as there is no guarantee that your offer will be accepted.

A lump sum IVA can be a good way of clearing debts if you are in the position where you have a sizeable amount of money to use, as if accepted it can be less hassle than trying to make settlement offers to creditors. Obviously I wouldn't be able to say whether a lump sum IVA would be a possibility without seeing your full financial situation, but you are welcome to book an appointment to speak to a debt counsellor at CCCS for a second opinion should you wish. To book an appointment you will need to ring the helpline on 0800 138 1111.

Hope this helps,
CCCS

CCCS_Matthew

stephaniek6838 wrote: »

hi, just need a bit of advice. I'm in debt and just need to know what my rights are when it comes to debt collectors.I dont earn a great deal and one debt collector is wanting £150 a month whioch im finding real hard to come up with, and wondered if i have any rights o say i cant afford that, thewy were threatening to take me to court if i couldnt pay it. another debt collecting agancy is sending out an 'agent' to get the money, what can i exect when he turns up??
thankyou

Hi Stephanie.

You're not obliged to pay anything more than you can afford to this debt. Despite them wanting £150 a month, if you haven't got it then you can't afford to give it to them. If they send an agent round, don't be worried - they have no powers to enter your house and take goods, they are not bailiffs. In my experience, they rarely follow through the threat of sending someone round to the house as it’s an expensive way of collecting debt, so it’s not very efficient. If they do send someone round, just explain you are not in the position to pay any extra money and ask them to leave your property.

If the proceed with court action, their only option would be to obtain a CCJ against you. This would be instigated by sending a court document to you through the post and you would be asked to complete an income and expenditure sheet followed by an offer of repayment. You would then send this back to the creditor and they would pass it the court to assess if they rejected the offer. The judge will never expect you to pay more than you can afford, so if the offer is realistic then it becomes set through court and the creditor cannot request any extra money.

Hope this helps,
Matthew.

CCCS_Matthew

mrs_murdle wrote: »

Hello. My son, recently separated from wife, paying regular maintenance, and now living in a house share where his rent is approx £380pcm. He has an outstanding debt of a bank loan, £9880, and two overdrafts totalling approx £1400. I think he has a couple of other little things - the whole amount being just about £13,000. He contacted an agency where they have said that he can pay back at £500pcm over three and a half years, which will clear his debt. Now my maths are not brilliant but there is something wrong there!! He does work, although the worry of this all made him quite ill and resulted in him spending time in hospital quite ill with pneumonia. He is 38. He cannot speak the name - LloydsTSB - without raising his heartbeat - such has been the frustration dealing with them. This agency he has now chosen have set up a bank account with the bank of scotland, which I believe is part of Halifax, which is now part of LloydsTSB! So, Is he now paying his old bank to get out of debt, with charges?

mrs_murdle wrote: »

This same company told another person that they could afford to repay £150pcm off a credit card debt for 12 years! The person is on Income Support and is looking after a fifteen year old and a 18month old. The also told her that there fee is £29.95 pcm - part of the £150! Is this dubious or is it just me worrying for them (The latter has NOT agreed to £150pcm by the way. Any advice you can offer would be greatly received

I can only agree with what VanillaDelia has said. There is no need paying anyone to admister you can do yourself for free, or with a non-charging agency such as ourselves (CCCS) or National Debt Line, CAB etc.

If he wants us to look at his options for him he can get advice via either of the following methods:

Debt Remedy would assist you in completing a financial statement and you would be provided with tailored advice on the best way to deal with your situation. Click here to go directly to Debt Remedy.

If you would prefer to talk to a debt counsellor about your situation, you can book a telephone based appointment by calling our helpline free on 0800 138 1111. Lines are open Monday to Friday 08:00-20:00. It would be helpful that when you call you have details ready regarding your income, expenditure and creditors, as this can help speed up the referral process. If you have this information ready it may be possible to refer you directly to a counsellor if one is available, otherwise we will arrange a time that is convenient for you to be called back for an appointment.

Hope this helps,
Matthew.

CCCS_Matthew

50broke wrote: »

Hi
I have just sent all my statements etc to CCCS (last week) and notified all my creditors abount DMP, and paid token £1.00. How long will the CCCS take to set up plan, and should I just carry on paying £1.00 until it in place? Also one of my creditors has already issed a default notice on receipt of the notifacation of the plan... should I notify CCCS about this Many thanks....

Hi there.

We aim to get a DMP set up for the beginning of the following month, so if you've sent back the information last week it's likely to be April 1st. Don't worry about the default notice, you don't need to inform us about that, but do let us know if the creditor decides to pass on the debt to a DCA. If your creditors require another payment for March, just continue with the token payments until the DMP is up and running.

Hope this helps,
Matthew.

CCCS_Alan

mervyn wrote: »

sorry to dp this but I've lost my last thread......

to summarise, I've got the best part of 30,000 worth of debt which im highly embarrased about, went to my partner a few years ago who helped me but made it plain that if I did it again I was now a single.........

2 years ago I ended up in hospital after doing something daft and everything has spiralled.

Contacted all my debtors who basically said "we want our money"

Tried coming up with plans but none are interested so unfortunateley have missed payments.

Got roughly £500 more going out than coming in, and have reached the end of all available avenues.

I cant get an IVa as they want a mortgage statement from my partner which I cant give................

Don't know which way to turn anymore

Hi Mervyn

First of all don’t panic about the situation, but you may need to be honest to your partner eventually as it is likely that he may find out, and it may be better coming from you rather than a third party but it is your choice.

The most important thing is to try to balance your budget first to cover your basic essential living costs, and what ever is left over to offer to your creditors. Cutting out non essentials and luxuries is a possible.
If you are left with only a token payment for each of the creditors each month that’s all you can pay, and no creditor can make you pay money that you do not have.
You need to make changes to remove the reliance on any credit that you have been using to survive. Unfortunately this does sometimes mean cutbacks and changes to lifestyles to make this possible.

For us to really provide full advice on your situation I would advise that you call for an appointment to talk to a debt counsellor about your situation, you can book a telephone based appointment by calling our helpline free on 0800 138 1111. Lines are open Monday to Friday 08:00-20:00. It would be helpful that when you call you have details ready regarding your income, expenditure and creditors, as this can help speed up the referral process. If you have this information ready it may be possible to refer you directly to a counsellor if one is available, otherwise we will arrange a time that is convenient for you to be called back for an appointment.

Regards

CCCS_Alan

CCCS_Matthew

minder125921 wrote: »

hi my husband has recently had an op on his knee, its an ongoing problem that isn't going to get better. this means that his earnings will drop considerably and i have been inverstigating the 'benefits' available to see if we can get any help.
my question is about the housing benefit, we have applied for it, but council says we cant have it because we used to own the house we live in. we sold it and rented it back in sept 2007, when i became disabled and had to stop working. they say this is government legislation? any ideas or advice would be most grateful for.

Hi again.

I've checked this with one of our benefit experts who have advised that
under Housing Benefit / Local Housing Allowance rules then you cannot claim for housing benefit if the tenant or their partner owned the property within the last 5 years, it maybe seen as depriving themselves of capital/assets in order to claim benefit). However there is a clause, if you can prove that they were forced to sell the property in order to remain living there, for example in order to stop the property being repossessed then you maybe able to contest it and may still be able to claim housing benefit or Local Housing Allowance.

Hope this helps,
Matthew

mysuni

hi, i have sent all my creditors my income/expenditure sheet as advised by my cccs counsellor. i also sent the offer of token payment letter with a token payment. One of my creditors Lloyds TSB have defaulted me due to sporadic/non payment (2 cards) over the last few months. I have had letters from their solicitors and also now getting phone calls from MHA collections which i believe is there in-house dca. I sent the letter and token paymentsx2 on 25/2/09. i also asked for my phone number to be removed from file as i don't want calls all day everyday which is what the call centre have been doing. MHA have left a message asking me to urgently contact them. Letter from them dated 24th said i had to pay up arrears of £1335 IMMEDIATELY or else SCM solicitors may begin legal proceedings against me. so getting to the point finally do i call MHA and tell them all this or do i ignore them and wait for LTSB to inform them? And if i get ccj'd what can they do to get money from me if cccs have told me i can't afford my priority debts let alone c/c debts.

MarieAnn_2

Hi, my husband and I are just starting on a DMP with CCCS. I made the first payment on 1 March.

We have almost 40k worth of debt- through credit card and overdrafts.
We are not in arrears on any priority debts.

Are surplus is £285 a month which is about an 11year repayment period. However our creditors are refusing the plan and making demands of full and final payments etc. They are also refusing to freeze interest and most of them are accruing more interest per month than we are paying to them- therefore we have no chance of repaying the debt anyway. We have also stated that we will look to increase our payments where possible i.e. we are looking to take in a lodger, rebroke our mortgage to a lower interest rate etc. Also my husband has good career prospects and his salary will increase in the next few years. We have 3 pre-school children so I do not work at the moment but will be able to at some point in the next few years.

My main worry is that we will be forced to sell our house, although we do not have much/if any equity in it at the moment due to credit crunch prices.

Also how will this affect our credit rating for the future. Say for example, we payed of all the debt within 7 years and kept up with all our payments etc. What we be likely to be able to move house after that or would our credit rating be so badly damaged that we would not be able to get another mortgage for years?

Thanks.

stickman

Currently on DMP with cccs who are by the way brilliant. Currently paying 407 on debts of 48k which roughly will take just over 9 years to pay off. I retire before then and would like nothing more than to clear all off as fast as possible. The problem is like so many others the creditors are reluctant to stop the interest. Just say that I could afford extra on the monthly payment its pretty pointless as its just going in interest not reducing the debt.
I know its my own fault I realise this but surely it would be better for all concerned to pay off sooner than later ie the total ammount owed 48k and freeze the interest.
Also could anyone tell me how can you come to a Full and Final settlement as I have heard that if you offer 60p in the pound then its possible the creditors would accept this rather than prolonged payment lasting years.

All advice/help appreciated.

Thanks