Urgent help needed please

Aliislost

Afternoon all - I have just opened a letter that has left me feeling broken.

Can anyone tell me how long it is if you have not been contacted that a debt is wrote off please?

The_Boss

Dont wish to sound rude, but if you owe it then why should it have been written off at any stage?

Aliislost

Yes I do see where you are coming from.

It's just I recieved this letter out of the blue after 7 years. I have had no contact with them in this time whatsoever and now they are threatening court action.

Murtle

I believe it is 6 years. Depending on the type of debt. But if you have moved and not told them and they have sent letters to your previous address then this counts.

Yes you should pay it, but they should have also chased it earlier.

Do you have any hope of paying it back?

M

crazyfj

They can contact to ask for payment after 6 years, but they cannot pursue in court. This is my understanding. I also think its from the last point you contacted them, so if at any point you contacted them to discuss the debt then its six years after this point.
fj

Aliislost

Yes I will pay it back but only on a payment plan - no hope of paying it back as a lump sum. I got in so much trouble with debt when I was 18 / 19 and really thought I had managed to pay it all off. I sucsessfully have new credit cards now and my experian report was clear in March of this year - this is why it has come of a bit of a shock.

CLAPTON

statute of limitation applies after 6 years of no contact.

see
http://www.payplan.com/debt-library/joint-and-several-liability-the-limitation-act-1980.php

and

http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/manuals/IHTmanual/IHTM28384.htm