cant ignore the debt anymore, really want to it put right :(

kleechris85

hi all, new to the site and dont really know where to start but here go's...

i moved into a council house with my 4month old son when i was 16 (this was in 2001), not very world wise and didnt even know i had to pay for water untill a bill was posted about 9months later, i was young and didnt understand the bill and the fact i cud pay installments so in panic and nieaveness i burried my head about this one, then about 3years on it resulted in a CCJ (my own fault i know). i ignored this still and its been so long i dont know how much i ow or to who i pay it???

i recieved a second CCJ and ignored this also (i've been awful i know) i cant even be sure what it was for now

i have in the time between now and then (nothing in the last 4 years though) made a few cataloge purchases which most have been payed back but i think a one or two i may still ow something... (not huge amounts).

all of these debts are roughly 5000-7000 (been that long i cant be sure) .

i really want to be able to sort these out as i want a secure future for my children and hopefully mortgage in a few years, do i stand a chance? where do i start?

i will add that i am now married and managing money very responsibly not that the money goes far with two children lol but what i am saying is i have grown up and realsised my mistakes so want to put right these issues and build a good credit rating!!

my husband has a simillar past re-possessed house few bank loans and credit card debts, but he has now got an IVA with debt free direct... we are working hard to sort out our future!

is it a no hoper to look at getting a mortgage in 4-5 years time???

thanks in advance for any help kayleigh x

Neighboursfan

I just wanted to wish you luck I am new to this too and don't know about mortgages but as long as your seen to be trying hard that's got to be good !

mildredalien

Hi there,

Things like defaults and CCJs etc will come off your credit file after 6 years, so if they happened some years ago it will probably be less than 4-5 years til they get removed and your credit report will start to look a little better I'm not sure how your husband's IVA will affect things though.

It sounds like you aren't too sure of your debts at the moment, it's probably worth getting a credit report (from CreditExpert, Experian or Equifax - you can get a copy for £2) and seeing what's on there so you can start tackling it. Once you are clear about what you owe, you could post a statement of affairs (SOA - link in the sticky) here for some advice about paying it off, there's loads of great people here who can help!

Good luck!

Gordon_Hose

Yep, first step is to get your credit files (£2 each as stated above) so you know exactly what you need to tackle. Anything not on the credit files you can ignore, provided you haven't paid anything for over 6 years as they are likely to be statute barred. However, the CCJ's can still be enforced past the 6 year point but the creditor would have to go back to court and explain why they haven't done anything about it before.

Bear in mind, if you do get your files, the CRA's often sell your details onto debt collection agencies so you might start getting letters through the post. I recommend, when registering for your files, you use a fake phone number, 01234567890 perhaps, which will stop your phone number being passed on.