Debt Relief Orders (DRO) - Information & help thread

fatbelly

scarlett1234 wrote: »

Hi all, am new here and after a bit of advice with DRO's please

Firstly, I am £8k in debt. Not a huge amount compared to some but in my position it's pretty scary when I can't afford to pay it. I'm a single parent with 3 children, one who gets DLA and a motability car. I receive Carer's Allowance, CTC, IS and CB. I am at college part time too and receive a childcare grant from college to help pay part of the childcare costs. Are all of these needed to be included when working out if I am suitable for a DRO including the childrens DLA and Carer's allowance for them?
Also wondered about paying for bills which you are tied into a contract with, such as Sky and mobile phone bills, etc. Are you going to be questioned for having higher than recommended bills, when cancelling them would leave you with even more debt and having to find a new phone provider, etc?

As you're on Income Support I'd be disappointed if your intermediary couldn't show your surplus income to be less than £50.

Sky isn't an allowable expense but you do have surplus to play with and I think their basic package is only £16 so that should be do-able.

Phone allowance for one adult, three kids is £51 - £60 depending on whether they are under 14 or not.

fatbelly

Rovers89 wrote: »

Hi,

I was discharged from my DRO on the 28th October but I haven't heard anything. Will I get something in writing to say it has ended and that I'm debt free or is there somewhere I can check?

Thanks for any help

No-one's going to write to you. I suggest that you check here:

http://www.insolvency.gov.uk/bankruptcy/bankruptcysearch.htm

and print your entry while it is still showing. If anyone contacts you about your debts, send them a copy.

The search facility was broken this morning but hopefully it's back now.

scarlett1234

fatbelly wrote: »

As you're on Income Support I'd be disappointed if your intermediary couldn't show your surplus income to be less than £50.

Sky isn't an allowable expense but you do have surplus to play with and I think their basic package is only £16 so that should be do-able.

Phone allowance for one adult, three kids is £51 - £60 depending on whether they are under 14 or not.

Thanks for your reply. My income would show higher than £50 per month as my child receives DLA, which is why I wondered whether this is taken into account when detailing financial income. I can't 'prove' on paper the expenses travelling to hospitals and additional things cost, they just do cost and it varys depending on what appointments, etc, my child has each month.
Thank you for the sky and phone information. My children are all under 14.

fatbelly

scarlett1234 wrote: »

Thanks for your reply. My income would show higher than £50 per month as my child receives DLA, which is why I wondered whether this is taken into account when detailing financial income. I can't 'prove' on paper the expenses travelling to hospitals and additional things cost, they just do cost and it varys depending on what appointments, etc, my child has each month.
Thank you for the sky and phone information. My children are all under 14.

Child's DLA would be child's income not yours.

I am fairly sure that your surplus income would not exceed £50 per month. The 'trigger figures' on housekeeping and travel costs are quite generous and even so can be exceeded if an explanation is given. As you're on Income Support (plus Child Tax Credit, Child Benefit and Carers Allowance) I can't see that any Intermediary would have a problem there.

Denty23

Still wondering if anyone knows anything about my question i posted, hope someone here does hehe thanks

immoral_angeluk

Denty23 wrote: »

I dont honestly think they will give me more then £200 to be honest but i just wanted to clear that little matter up. thanks Orville.
Next question is this ive been reading that DRO takes a long time to get accepted am i better off just applying for the loan now or shall i wait till the DRO is in force. I dont want them thinking that because im applying for it that i wont pay it back but thats not the case im happy with them taking a few ££ each week from my income support.

I submitted a DRO Monday about 4pm, and received the approval email Tuesday midday. Usually it's around 24-48 hrs to go through...

fatbelly

immoral_angeluk wrote: »

I submitted a DRO Monday about 4pm, and received the approval email Tuesday midday. Usually it's around 24-48 hrs to go through...

I had an approval email timed today at 9.21 for a DRO I submitted yesterday at about 4pm.

I think that's my record...

immoral_angeluk

fatbelly wrote: »

I had an approval email timed today at 9.21 for a DRO I submitted yesterday at about 4pm.

I think that's my record...

That's impressive!!

fermi

Denty23 wrote: »

So i decided to get my head out of the sand and take control of my finances and my support worker decided to put me in touch with a dept advice service thats helping me sort out my dept and we decided the best thing i can do is apply for a DRO and i 100% agree with them because after my out goings and bills ect i have £20 a month but they havent put the dro apply in yet and i asked the woman at the dept advice place if i was able to take out a budgeting loan that gets repaid by taking a small amount of money off my income support and she said i wouldnt be allowed to.
So my question is has anyone has the same problem as me and am i really allowed to apply for a budgeting loan since its part of my benefits.
Im living on very little money at the moment and after my bills and things i dont have any money left over i dont work. Am i able to apply for one once the DRO has been granted?
Here is abit more info on the loan i would like, just want to tell people before anyone brings it up i need the money for a new bed and a few other things so im not going out to buy lots of nice things. the things i need are really needed lol

dwp.gov.uk/publications/specialist-guides/technical-guidance/sb16-a-guide-to-the-social/budgeting-loans/
Thanks alot

[STRIKE]
I don't think you would be able to exclude it from the DRO, but DWP may still be able to deduct it from your benefits until the end of the moratorium?[/STRIKE]

One of the intermediaries can probably say. If not, I'll try to look it up later.

Denty23

Thanks for the replys everyone, i just hope i can apply for a budgeting loan after i have put my DRO in.