Completely lost, very long post - need a lot of advice/direction

TottalyLost

Dalip - thanks, I will have a look at debt remedy - where can I find it please?

At the moment my biggest worry is if my daughter will be seen as my depanedant and therefore I will be able to include her in my expenses as the last thng I need is for her to get into debts as I am trying to sort my ones out....

Thanks again

dalip

www.cccs.co.uk click on debt remedy,it gives you a number so that if you need to ring ccc's they already have your details on file. Good luck.
Your daughter should be included as a dependant as she is still(or will) be in full time education,bt don't quote me on that:o.DX

TottalyLost

Dalip - thanks again, very much appreciated.

Really worried as to my daughter's status as dependant if she is at Uni - I know CHB stops then so not sure if she can be classed as a depandant for the SOA purpose.

dalip

I know you can class them as dependant up to the age of 20 for HB,not that is much help to you.DX


ps fiveyearplan may know, maybe drop her a pm.

JCS1

From the technical manual:


31.7.4 Reasonable domestic needs
In assessing the amount the bankrupt is able to pay under an income payments agreement, the official receiver or trustee must make allowance for the "reasonable domestic needs" of the bankrupt and his/her family in the same way as would be considered for an income payments order [note 10]
The bankrupt’s family are persons who are living with him/her and who are dependent on him/her.

http://www.insolvency.gov.uk/freedomofinformation/technical/TechnicalManual/Ch25-36/Chapter31/part7/part1/part1.htm

My reading of this would be if she was at home, then she would be a dependant - if away at university then she would not be.

meerkat2007

I don't know if this would help or not, but I've been on a self-administered DMP since about 2002. It will run for about another 4 years or so, according to my current calculations. My monthly expenses are what I decide they are, not the OR (as in bankruptcy) or CCCS/Payplan (third party DMP) decide they are.

This has worked because I have tried to be reasonable about my expenses (reasonable to myself) and reasonable about what I can afford to pay for my debts - before I received a lump sum for voluntary redundancy that meant I could pay off a number of debts, I think the smallest amount I was paying any creditor was £50 per month, the largest £100 per month.

It means, though, that I have had to deal with my creditors rather than having CCCS/Payplan do it for me. I have done this by asking them to remove my phone number from their records, which they seem to have done, because I don't get phone calls any more, and responding promptly to their communication in writing.

My most recent communication was with Hillesden in January, when they bought a debt I had with a bank. They wanted full details of my income (including payslips), and my expenditure - they may even have wanted to see bank statements, I'm not 100% sure now to be honest. However, I didn't fill their form in, and I certainly didn't supply payslips, on the grounds that payslips include a lot of personal information (risk of identity theft).

Instead, I wrote to them and told them my income, gave a list of expenditure, showing what I had available for my debts (I just listed the amounts, I didn't give the names of the creditors), and working out a pro rata distribution for my creditors.

Now, this is where the logic falls apart a bit. Because I started this before I found MSE - indeed, I dont think it even existed when I started sorting out reduced payments - I wasn't making pro rata payments to my creditors, some were getting more than their share, others were getting less, as I had made the initial arrangements at different times, sometimes months apart.

Anyway, by showing Hillesden the pro rata distribution and pointing out that they were getting more than their fair share anyway, they accepted the payments and have been quiet about it ever since. They have accepted it without seeing a detailed, 100% accurate breakdown of my expenses, and without seeing proof of my income. I told them what I wanted them to know, in a nutshell, but it was the truth with regard to my income, not far from the absolute truth with the expenses, and it gave them reasonable, acceptable instalments.

For example, I included a modest amount each month towards a holiday, but I haven't been away on holiday since the 90s, and it doesn't bother me that I haven't - but that money then becomes available for an expense that creditors/DMP providers might not see as essential, such as dog-walking costs in your case (I sympathise there - I have dogs, and if my mother wasn't there to take care of them during the day, I would have those costs to pay out for as well).

I don't have a problem with not being absolutely truthful with the creditors and providing full, 100% accurate disclosure of my income and expenditure - close enough will do for them - but I would have a problem with taking the same approach with the debt charities.

I don't know if this will help, as it would involve you taking the bull by the horns and dealing directly with your creditors, and going through all the initial grief until things settle down. I apologise for the long post, but I thought it might be helpful to present another example of how debt can be tackled.

dalip

Very impressed meer. Well done to you. My OH is doing a DMP with CCC's and it can be a pain at times.Can I ask did most of your creditors stop interest?

Francesanne

TottalyLost wrote: »

Thanks a lot for your answers, very much appreciated - Waspease and Fiveyearplan.

I have tried to look at various SOAs on here but can not find any figures for 2 people (myself and my daughter) so can not quite work out what expenses may be allowed on DMP or if I was to go BR?

Is there anywhere I can see sample figures to give me some idea?

I do nto need a template as got all my current expenses on own spreadsheet - I need some guide figures for 2 people please?

I will try to have a go at making my own SOA hopefully soon and post it here for advice but need a starting point with the figures.

Yes, my daughter will be eligible for a Student Loan but in my situation obviously I would prefer her not to get into debt herself if I am trying to get out of debts at the same time. This in any case would be somethng to happen in September (we will not not know earlier if she stays at home or goes away to Uni) so what do I do/put on SOA in the meantime as her expenses (food , travel etc?)

£20 per month for pets is just simply impossible - as per my post above , noe sure how to deal wit this?

Thanks a lot again

Please don't think I'm being harsh and uncaring but can you honestly afford to pay out so much on your animals each month when you're in this situation? I appreciate you have a dog walker but 9 hours is a very long time to leave animals and especially a dog. You're spending a small fortune each month on your pets. I know it's not a fortune (£10.00) but do you really need to have your hair cut each month ? and spending a £100.00 a month on clothes??? I love my dog very much and would find it impossible to part with him but really think you need to consider cutting those very expensive costs somehow.

TottalyLost

Francesanne - thank you for your post on this thread but... I am a bit taken back by your comments and I feel they are a bit out of place.

Working where I do, doing what I do costs money as I am expected to look certain way - £100 per month on clothes is a very, very modest amount in my position and also considering it covers myself and my daughter. I never said I have a £10 haircut every month. Decent haircut in London costs much more than that (and again this is for 2 people) so I have one once maybe every 3 months and then it costs me about £40 each time (just for me).

I could go on but what is the point?

Although everyone is entiled to their own opinion I really appreciate if you do not try to analyse my life for the sake of it if you have nothing of substance to offer in terms of advice I am asking for.

**************************

JCS1 - your post and quote makes things much clearer for me, thanks a lot for that.

Meerkat - thanks a lot for your post,very informative and I appreciate the time it took you to reply to me here.Not sure I have the guts to do it solo though.... Need some kind of assurance that the debts will be reduced and not growing so DMP with CCCS is possibly the way forward for me. WEll done for you for managing your debts all by yourself.
Also, sometimes people who do not have pets are not able to understand those who do and I appreciate that. My pets are my family and I will stand on my head if I have to to keep them well and happy to the end of their days. My dog is never alone for 9 hours per day by the way, my daughter is in a lot but she can not walk the dog, dog (German Shepherd) is way too strong for her and got a few behavioural issues so only myself or my dog walker take her out.

Dalip - thanks again for your help.

TottalyLost

Oh, good point Dalip, what if creditors refuse to freeze interest?
Will the DMP go on forever then?