Debt Relief Orders (DRO) - Information & help thread

Orville

cd36uk wrote: »

I too have a very account, and I think the whole balance should be put forward (even the BNPL), that is what I have done anyway, it is a total debt to the company.

Did you get accepted with a very account on buy now pay later cd36uk...?? I just did a SOA but didn't include them as i wasn't sure..?

cd36uk

Orville wrote: »

Did you get accepted with a very account on buy now pay later cd36uk...?? I just did a SOA but didn't include them as i wasn't sure..?

My DRO application is on the verge of being processed, I spent over an hour on the phone Monday evening with my intermediary(?sp) juggling my figures. I was asked several times to lower the figures I have entered on my application as I was somehow coming out in deficit?! In my haste to return my application (which took me 2 hrs to complete!!) I foolishly forgot to photocopy my application and so was working blind when we were discussing it during the call. It was a very stressful hour for me. Every last detail on my bank statement was picked over as was my credit report.
All debt has to be entered even that to family members.
Especially that of buy now and pay later too.

Orville

cd36uk wrote: »

My DRO application is on the verge of being processed, I spent over an hour on the phone Monday evening with my intermediary(?sp) juggling my figures. I was asked several times to lower the figures I have entered on my application as I was somehow coming out in deficit?! In my haste to return my application (which took me 2 hrs to complete!!) I foolishly forgot to photocopy my application and so was working blind when we were discussing it during the call. It was a very stressful hour for me. Every last detail on my bank statement was picked over as was my credit report.
All debt has to be entered even that to family members.
Especially that of buy now and pay later too.

#

OK cool... keep us posted on what happens, i will be very interested to hear

Lee_m

Hi All,

I thought I would just share my experiences with you concerning DRO's. We are in debt to just short of £15k, of that my husband is jointly liable for approx. £3k. My husband was disabled about 2 years ago and is in receipt of DLA, I am his appointed carer. We have 2 children.

We started to seriously look at our finances or lack therof about 5 weeks ago. As we were or rather I was in real debt problems. After doing a lot of research online we decided to contact the CCCS. We went through an SoA with the CCCS, which we found quite daunting and difficult as it's these figures that could decide your future. As we really had no idea of how much we spent on groceries, travel etc. The advisor at the CCCS had a list of amounts that she said were approved for use (trigger figures) by creditors and in the instances we were unsure of she told us what would be an acceptable amount. Based on these figures we were told that a DMP was possible. However, when the paperwork arrived a few days later we noticed that my husbands DLA had been included as an income, but his health costs had not been taken into consideration. When we rang back to tell them this we were then told that we needed to adjust the figures and told to come back when we had.

Our next move was to contact National Debtline, this was a different experience as rather than do a consultation on the 'phone they wanted to send us out their info pack with an SoA form. The info pack was very informative, but we felt that it might be best to try and see the CAB for a face-to-face consultation as it might be quicker and we were fast approaching the £15k criteria.

8th July - We visited the CAB and had a brief meeting with a General Advisor, he gave us an SoA to complete and advised us to drop it in ASAP and an appointment would then be made to see the Debt Advisor. We completed the SoA and hand delivered it the following day.

16th July - We had our appointment with the CAB Debt Advisor/AI, lovely lady. She explained all the options (i.e DMP, DRO, BR) to us and was impressed by our knowledge of those options. I explained I had received some invaluable info from MSE members and I was very pleased to hear that she recommended the forum to her clients for support. In talking about our SoA the advisor said that Housekeeping expenditure looked a little high, but the other expenditure was well below the trigger figures for a family our size. So in her opinion it all looked ok. Based on the figures we submitted she recommended either a DRO in my name or one for my husband also. Alternatively, we could look into a DMP for my husbands debt. We explained that as the total debt was fast approaching the 15K criteria figure we wanted to speed up the process as quickly as possible. If we waited for them to apply for the credit report by post it would be at least 4 weeks before we could proceed any further. Based on advice we received (thanks fb) we already had a copy of my Experian credit report with us (downloaded free online), but the AI needed the others from Equifax and CallCredit to cross reference. She advised us to download and print the other 2 credit reports and then call each creditor on Monday 19th July and ask what the amount owed to each will be by the end of the week. If we could do this by Tuesday she would make another appointment for us on Thursday of the same week.

22nd July - We had our meeting yesterday lunchtime with the AI at the CAB and went through the online DRO application (took about an hour). The Insolvency Services online DRO system was supposed to be down for upgrades until the 26th July. However, the propsed upgrades were postponed which enabled the AI to complete the application online and print the form with the barcode on. We manged to scrape the £90.00 together and took the form to the local Post Office and paid the fee. The AI advised that the timeframe for hearing from the Insolvency Service was normally a few days, providing I wasn't one of the cases they audited and wanted additional evidence from.

Earlier today - We had a quick call from the AI telling us the IS had approved the DRO - Success! :j We are so pleased and a large weight has been removed from our shoulders (I can now get on with caring for my husband). I would like to say that if anyone has any reservations concerning looking into this for themselves then please don't. While I felt very guilty about the whole thing, the CAB were very non-judgemental during the whole process. They listened, advised, were very courteous and professional in their handling of our case.

I found our biggest problem in dealing with all of this was finding the trigger figures that are acceptable as we were unsure of our actual expenditure. AFAIK these figures are the ones the AI and the OR perceive to be acceptable. They are not necessarily the amounts you actually spend!;)

Apart from the excellent help members here have supplied I also found the following to be very useful!

http://bankruptcyandlivingwithit.co.uk/HouseholdExpenditur2010.htm

http://www.insolvency.gov.uk/freedomofinformation/technical/technicalmanual/Ch25-36/Chapter31/part7/part2/part_2.htm

http://www.insolvency.gov.uk/freedomofinformation/technical/TechnicalManual/Ch37-48/chapter46/Part%203/Part%203.htm

I hope my story helps someone - Goodluck!

cd36uk

"I found our biggest problem in dealing with all of this was finding the trigger figures that are acceptable as we were unsure of our actual expenditure. AFAIK these figures are the ones the AI and the OR perceive to be acceptable. They are not necessarily the amounts you actually spend!;)"

I am going through national debtline for my DRO application and sadly they dont seem to be helping me much with my figures in regards to trigger figures. I am being asked to justify and give actual figures, which is hard work when each week is different, and that although the csa have awarded maintenance, it is by no means regular and reliable.
Though I can't fault their help, I wish nat. debtline were as helpful with this issue.

Question: how do I get on if I owe some money to my mum's home shopping catalogue. How do I 'prove' which part of the balance is mine and which is hers, and how will it affect her account ( will she still be able to use it).?

fatbelly

cd36uk wrote: »

Question: how do I get on if I owe some money to my mum's home shopping catalogue. How do I 'prove' which part of the balance is mine and which is hers, and how will it affect her account ( will she still be able to use it).?

If it's in your mum's name then it's 100% hers. No part can be added to the DRO, and your DRO won't affect her catalogue. If you want to make some voluntary monthly payment to your mum then it would have to come out of your surplus income (if you have any).

cd36uk

fatbelly wrote: »

If it's in your mum's name then it's 100% hers. No part can be added to the DRO, and your DRO won't affect her catalogue. If you want to make some voluntary monthly payment to your mum then it would have to come out of your surplus income (if you have any).

I wasn't sure as the intermediary kept asking me if I owed my mum any money 'because that would have to be included in the dro'
But if it then becomes my mum's debt effectively if its in her name...whats the point of it being on the dro??
I find all this a bit confusing.
From my bank statement, the intermediary could see I had transferred money to my mum's bank account (csa has witheld my maintenance for almost 2 months which left me short to buy food etc so I had to borrow it from my mum til the csa paid it to me, then I paid her back). I explained this to the intermediary and he didn't sound too happy and then repeatedly asked if I owe my mum money now, so I was a bit scared to mention the catalogue issue.

fatbelly

cd36uk wrote: »

I wasn't sure as the intermediary kept asking me if I owed my mum any money 'because that would have to be included in the dro'
But if it then becomes my mum's debt effectively if its in her name...whats the point of it being on the dro??

Well, yes, in theory if you owe your mate or your mum a few quid then it should go in the DRO so that they cannot enforce that debt through the courts.

In this case....whats the point of it being on the dro?? I don't think there is any.

TheRealDeal_2

Do these DRO's apply in Scotland at all ?

tigerfeet2006

TheRealDeal wrote: »

Do these DRO's apply in Scotland at all ?

Sorry, no they don't. You have a completly different system in Scotland. You will probably have to go for something like a LILA.

From the Bankruptcy Help sticky

Information for those in Scotland.


Advice on bankruptcy.

• Consumer Credit Counselling Service (Scotland) - Website: CCCS Telephone: 0800 138 3328
• National Debtline (Scotland) - Website: National Debtline Telephone: 0808 808 4000
• Citizens Advice Bureau - Website: Citizens Advice or visit your local CAB centre (find nearest)

Others:

• Business Debtline Scotland - Website: Business Debtline Telephone: 0800 197 6026
• Christians Against Poverty
• PayPlan
• TaxAid - Help with tax debts.

.
.
Accountant in Bankruptcy (equivalent of the English Insolvency Service).

Main website: www.aib.gov.uk

For general queries about insolvency (but not debt advice) you can contact: General helpline - Tel: 0845 762 6171 - Email: [EMAIL="Helpline@aib.gsi.gov.uk"]Helpline@aib.gsi.gov.uk[/EMAIL]

Bankruptcy

Low Income Low Assets.

Debt Arrangement Scheme

Trust Deeds

Bankruptcy after 1 April 2008

• DAIP - Debt Advice and Information Pack
• Debtor's Guide
• Creditor's Guide
• Bankruptcy Restriction Guide
• Trust Deeds Guide