Passing on debt

barrymag

My partner had a few direct debits while living with her mother a few years ago. All kept up to date etc. she moved out and her mum took over from her on 2 mobile contracts, and the sky tv subscription. We thought that she was paying everything she said she would, and had nothing to worry about! It turns out she hasn't been paying any of them, and owes £1000+ in my partners name!! Is there anyway to pass this debt onto her? It is her debt anyway!

RoxRoxBling

I too am interested in whether you can pass on the debt like that. In a similar situation, a company have asked me to pass on the debt to another person.

Would love to hear what the legal guidance is.

broad-sword_2

Are the contracts solely in the mother in law's name, and your partner was supplying the DD details? I am not an expert on the detail, but if MIL signed up alone then it's her debt - but was DD cancelled by your partner when MIL took over?

bouncydog1

First thing I would do is get a copy of your partner's credit report to see if there is anything on there regarding missed payments etc.

If the bills were in your partner's name they they are legally her debts and her mother can just walk away from them. If the bills are in the mother's name and your partner had just been making the payments by direct debit then the debt's belong to the mother.

If your partner's credit report is messed up then the first thing she needs to do is contact the firms to whom money is owed, cancel the accounts and make arrangements to pay the bills off.

Blackpool_Saver

barrymag wrote: »

It is her debt anyway!

No, it's your partners debt, it's in her name.
Who would be daft enough to let someone else just take over their payments, instead of closing the accounts???
It's as daft as expecting anyone to allow you to take over theirs :rotfl::eek:

I am not convinced this is a genuine post........

moohound

Do sky and mobile companies keep supplying you with a service for years and let you run up a massive debt even if you don't pay your bill? Or have I just misread this post?

barrymag

All the direct debits and contracts were in my partners name, the mother in law just took over the payments after she moved out!

Yes, sky, Vodafone and t mobile do!

Blackpool_Saver

this is tosh, another flipping troll

barrymag

Blackpool_Saver wrote: »

No, it's your partners debt, it's in her name.
Who would be daft enough to let someone else just take over their payments, instead of closing the accounts???
It's as daft as expecting anyone to allow you to take over theirs :rotfl::eek:

I am not convinced this is a genuine post........

Why wouldn't she expect her mum to carry on paying for the services she was receiving? She used both contract phones, as they were signed up in my partners name for her mum. And she still uses sky to this day. I'm just wondering if we could phone up the companies and explain that the debt is not my partners, and my mother in law is willing to take on the debt as her own (as it is actually her debt anyway)