Unable to keep up payments.....

beccam

...where do I start??

My husband left us just over 3 weeks ago, I am currently on maternity leave with our 2nd child, he is living with another woman that he met in May (2 weeks before our son was born).

We have a huge amount of joint debt that was getting unmanageable anyway but now with him leaving I am unable to continue paying.
Although the debt was jointly made it is all in my name, accounts were in my name but he had was a 2nd card holder.

I have always been the main earner, he works minimum wage job so he cannot afford to take on any of the debt.

I have done a rough SOA on CCCS and they suggest a DMP however because I am on maternity leave and unsure how or when I will return to work due to childcare issues I am not able to guarentee my wage. (shift work as a nurse)

I contacted 2 of the companies to stop his cards and they are aware I may have problems paying the debt, the largest debt is to MBNA (just over 10K) and they said they could look into a DMP with me but I need to have firm answers about my wage/income etc.

My intention is to return to work just after Christmas and it will only be then that I will know what I am actually earning (if I can get the childcare etc sorted) so what do I do in the meantime??

Can I offer reduced payments for now with a view to then setting up a proper DMP when I am working? How do I go about offering this?

I am confused about the best course of action....in future I may have to sell the house and pay debts but even this might not be enough to cover it all. If 'husband' gives up his claim to the house I will most likely not get the mortgage in my name alone and especially not if I am in a DMP even though I could cover the payments if I wasn't paying so much to credit cards.

All help and advice gratefully recieved.:o

MyLastFiver

Sounds like a nice guy, your ex. Nail him to the wall for child maintenance. You might not get much but you need everything you can get.

Look, I've never advised anyone before to do this, and it is hugely dependent on your precise circumstances, but don't be too quick to take on your ex husband's responsibilities. He's left you with two kids and a load of debt. There might be an advantage to getting this before a judge sooner rather than later. You cannot afford to be paying interest and charges, and you've had a genuine case of hardship inflicted on you. Explain the circumstances to your creditors in writing. If they won't stop interest and agree a very generous payment plan with you, tell them to take you to court. A CCJ is the least of your worries.

Please give it some thought before you work yourself into the ground for years and years getting nowhere, just because your ex husband is a flake.

BorassicLint

Hi beccam,

Firstly I would like to say that I'm so sorry for the situation you find yourself in. Secondly, try not to panic, you do not need that at the moment as you have young children to look after and they are your priority.

Get in touch with one of the free advice services such as CCCS, CAB or NATIONAL DEBT LINE for advice before you do anything about your debts and in the meantime, if you start getting lots of phone calls, just don't answer them, there's no law that says you have to answer your phone:) If you do want to respond to any of your creditors, do so only in writing and do not sign your name but print it and send it recorded delivery so you have proof of them receiving it.

I hope you can get things sorted out soon and there will probably be more knowledgable people coming along soon who can help you further.;)

JamesY_2

Got to the jobcentre asap and make an appointment with an advisor.
You should get some financial aid.

This is priority #1, priority 2 would be going to the citizens advice.

beccam

MyLastFiver wrote: »

Sounds like a nice guy, your ex. Nail him to the wall for child maintenance. You might not get much but you need everything you can get.

Look, I've never advised anyone before to do this, and it is hugely dependent on your precise circumstances, but don't be too quick to take on your ex husband's responsibilities. He's left you with two kids and a load of debt. There might be an advantage to getting this before a judge sooner rather than later. You cannot afford to be paying interest and charges, and you've had a genuine case of hardship inflicted on you. Explain the circumstances to your creditors in writing. If they won't stop interest and agree a very generous payment plan with you, tell them to take you to court. A CCJ is the least of your worries.

Please give it some thought before you work yourself into the ground for years and years getting nowhere, just because your ex husband is a flake.

Thank you!

He's not a nice guy eh? Sadly everyone would have thought different, would never have believed it would have been him to do this but just shows how you never know!

I am going to apply for a legal seperation and have it legally drawn up how much he pays each month. Hopefully that will give me some comeback and encourage him to keep paying or face the courts which he can't afford!