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Wycid

Hi I'm really hoping someone can help. Around this time last year i forgot to renew my Tv license, The guy came round from TV licensing and I paid for the year up fron there and then but was taken to court and was fined £178. Obviously not happy about it but haey I should have paid my TV license so no complaints there. Anyway I made an agreement with the courst to pay in 4 installments. The first two payments were made leaving a balance of £88. Then my wife left me taking my young son. My world fell apart. I didnt deal with it well but bills werent paid including the court fine. I got a letter from Marstons soliciters saying I had to pay them about £160, I ignored it in my self pity. Today a baliff attended my property. I refused to let him in but he saidf I had 48 hours to pay £388 as they had a distress warrant and if I didnt pay a locksmith would attend my property and force entry and they would remove goods. I acknowledged that I owe the court fine and offered to pay half the £388 there and then then half in a week. This offer was refused and he said phone me back in 48 hours or i'll attend with locksiths and the police force entry and take goods. I have no way of paying the full balance in this time What can I do??? Please help. Also I'm aware I got myself into this situation, acknowledge that its my own fault and want to resolve the situation as well as possible.

System

Wycid wrote: »

Hi I'm really hoping someone can help. Around this time last year i forgot to renew my Tv license, The guy came round from TV licensing and I paid for the year up fron there and then but was taken to court and was fined £178. Obviously not happy about it but haey I should have paid my TV license so no complaints there. Anyway I made an agreement with the courst to pay in 4 installments. The first two payments were made leaving a balance of £88. Then my wife left me taking my young son. My world fell apart. I didnt deal with it well but bills werent paid including the court fine. I got a letter from Marstons soliciters saying I had to pay them about £160, I ignored it in my self pity. Today a baliff attended my property. I refused to let him in but he saidf I had 48 hours to pay £388 as they had a distress warrant and if I didnt pay a locksmith would attend my property and force entry and they would remove goods. I acknowledged that I owe the court fine and offered to pay half the £388 there and then then half in a week. This offer was refused and he said phone me back in 48 hours or i'll attend with locksiths and the police force entry and take goods. I have no way of paying the full balance in this time What can I do??? Please help. Also I'm aware I got myself into this situation, acknowledge that its my own fault and want to resolve the situation as well as possible.

Hi and thanks for your message.

You did the right thing in not letting the bailiff into your property but you do need to call us for some emergency advice.

Our free Helpline is on 0800 138 1111. We’re open Monday to Friday 8am - 8pm and Saturday 9am until 3.00pm.

We can help you resolve this with minimum fuss but it’s best you call for specific advice.

I hope this helps.

Kind regards,

Mat

StepChange_Private_Messages

hollow_crown wrote: »

Hi,

Apologies firstly as this may be a relatively long post. I have a few queries that I've never had answered in relation to credit reports and also debt collecting firms.

My credit score with CreditExpert is 465 - its very poor. I have a 'default' account with 1 company for £719. If I pay this off in full so the balance becomes settled, will this lift my credit score as it's one less outstanding balance? I had a credit card with Capital One a few years back that I settled and that is still listed as 'default' on my credit report.

I also have a Current Account with a bank that is 6 payments late standing at £3,179 (I had a student overdraft of £3000, as soon as I left university, unemployed, they started charging me £2/day). On my report it is listed as £3,179 but I am receiving letters from the debt collectors it has been passed to saying I owe over £3,300.

These are the only two things listed on my credit report as bad - if I can pay these off will my score jump drastically or is it something that will still take years? I am definitely not expecting it to happen overnight, don't get me wrong.

One last question - I receive letters in the post from debt collectors saying I owe them random amounts of £100+, £80+, £200+ etc. Now I know that some of these are actually from accounts I've previously had such as BT, Eon etc...but they aren't listed ANYWHERE on my credit report and never have been, both with CreditExpert and Equifax. Should I be more concerned with paying the two accounts off from above that ARE listed on my account, or should these be paid off first.

Apologies for the length of this!!

Thanks in advance

Hi,

The thing with credit reports is that nothing is set in stone. A person’s credit score could be affected by a number of different things other than just payment history. For example are you on the electoral role? There should be advice on Experian about other things you could check to improve your score.

Answering what you asked – if you pay off your Capital One card in full it will show as settled which should improve your score. The default will stay on your credit file for 6 years from when it happened so creditors will be able to see you defaulted BUT your credit score is a reflection of recent payment history – so you could have a fair credit score now and still have had a default in the past.

The old current account – the debt collectors would have added on a fee for handling the account, that’s why it’s a slightly higher balance. Again if you pay this off it will improve your score but the default will remain as a record for 6 years.

The letters you receive – credit reference agencies sometimes show different debts/don’t list them all. You can try another called Noddle – it’s free to use and the debts may show on there.

My advice on which to pay off first would be not to let your credit score worry you too much. It can be improved. The debts that are with debt collectors are further on in the collections process – if you do not contact them the next stage is a County Court Judgement (CCJ) being registered against you – if you get a CCJ you will find it very difficult to get credit in the next 6 years even if you clear off all your other debts.

But just because they are with debt collectors does not mean you should panic and pay more than you can afford. You need to pay them from your disposable income (money you have left once you have paid rent, food, bill etc..) They are not entitled to more even with a CCJ.

We can look at your budget and can suggest a debt solution to clear all your debt as quickly as possible. Either use our online tool, Debt Remedy for a budget assessment in 20 minutes. Or call 0800 138 1111 to speak to a debt advisor.

Hope this helps,

Jess

frugalliving

Hi, I have recently agreed reduced payment terms with my creditors as my financial circumstances have dramatically changed. All have agreed in the short term to reduce my monthly payments but my aim is to actually clear these debts by offering 'full and final ' settlement figures. I have written to my highest creditor requesting a FF settlement of 7k ( on a 20k balance) which I didn't expect them to agree to but it was a starting point! I didn't recieve a reply so I emailed them and they sent me a reply saying that they would not accept the offer but to ring and discuss, which I did and they said they would accept 8k as a 'Partial' settlement and that I would not be liable for the balance and that I would not be chased for this either and that it would be marked on my credit file as settled in part..I have asked for the conditions of the settlement in writing from the CC company in particular the 'not liable for the balance' bit! once i receive this I told them they could have the money the same day! I was discussing this with a friend and they told me that the CC company will probably not send a letter to confirm and that to partially settle a debt would more than likely mean the CC company would sell the 'unpaid' part of the debt and I would still be chased to pay the balance! does anyone know if this is the case? can anyone give any advise on what I should do if I don't recieve a confirmation of my agreed settlement terms? any comments gratefully recieved, thanks :undecided

ANewHope_2

My brother has got himself involved in Gambling and has amounted debts of around £45,000 pounds of which £14500 is a personal loan from Barclays and the remaining £30507 spanned across 5 credit cards. I know there is the whole question of addiction which I have to support him to face up to and the second aspect is the practical aspect. The other issue is that we have equity in 3 buy to let propertys together (although i paid all the deposit for all of them) and also equity in 2 residential property (one which i live in an one which he lives in, again which i paid deposit for). We are all joint owners and joint mortgage holders on all. Please I know I have made a vital mistake in doing this. I should have at the very least constructed a trust document. The 3 buy to let properties are my only source of income at the moment and I take the day to day earnings from rent as agreed with my brother and 100% of these earning are declared in my tax return.

However I want him to take responsibility for his debts. He has phoned a debt line but I would also like some help. I am concerned that these debts may lead to homes being taken away or a charge put on it.

What is the first step. is it to write to all the companies concerned and ask for 28 days grace while he reviews the financial status. Do they give this? I know i pay all these debts of it might make things easier but i am unlikely to get the money back for a long time or never at all. I would rather him come to arrangement with all these people he has debts with and pay x amount per month.

Thankyou

ANewHope

nothappy2013

Hi,

I have recently set up to repay payments to a debt recovery agency after threat of a CCJ.

When I called them to set up an arrangement I offered x amount a month and was told I had to pay by debit card and gave them card details over the phone and agreed that they could take the money out on the 28th of each month. I have never had any letter or further correspondence after this call.

They have taken money out in Jan on the 29th and then Feb on the 28th as agreed, but this month they have requested the payment on the 22nd, leaving me with no money this weekend as I don't get paid until 25th.

Where do I stand as to complaining, I have now been left with no money all weekend. I have just been on their website where it says you can pay by all different means such as standing orders etc. which was never explained to me?

I have no problem with repaying the debt but what can I do about them taking money off me on a date that was not agreed? Would really appreciate some advice?

marcos_londres

hi everyone,
I'm in a big problem because I have not payed my VAT tax for 2011/2012 and they are chasing me to do so.Question is...is there any way of repaying my debts monthly with them and not being taken to hight court?people from the Inland Revenue and the police have been in my house to grab my furniture and something else with value to them.Is there a way to repay?????.will be happy if there's any help.thanks

System

frugalliving wrote: »

Hi, I have recently agreed reduced payment terms with my creditors as my financial circumstances have dramatically changed. All have agreed in the short term to reduce my monthly payments but my aim is to actually clear these debts by offering 'full and final ' settlement figures. I have written to my highest creditor requesting a FF settlement of 7k ( on a 20k balance) which I didn't expect them to agree to but it was a starting point! I didn't recieve a reply so I emailed them and they sent me a reply saying that they would not accept the offer but to ring and discuss, which I did and they said they would accept 8k as a 'Partial' settlement and that I would not be liable for the balance and that I would not be chased for this either and that it would be marked on my credit file as settled in part..I have asked for the conditions of the settlement in writing from the CC company in particular the 'not liable for the balance' bit! once i receive this I told them they could have the money the same day! I was discussing this with a friend and they told me that the CC company will probably not send a letter to confirm and that to partially settle a debt would more than likely mean the CC company would sell the 'unpaid' part of the debt and I would still be chased to pay the balance! does anyone know if this is the case? can anyone give any advise on what I should do if I don't recieve a confirmation of my agreed settlement terms? any comments gratefully recieved, thanks :undecided

Hi and thanks for your message.

It sounds like you would benefit from some free and impartial advice.

I’d recommend that you gather details of your income, expenditure and debts and give us a call before paying any money over. We have a dedicated team that deal with full and final settlements and can administrate these on your behalf.

Creditors will sometimes agree to partial settlements, but it’s important to have them agree to this in writing before going ahead. You should also keep this letter for your records as it’s not unusual for creditors to sell on the remaining portion of the debt at a later date.

If you don’t receive confirmation of the reduced settlement terms our advice would be to not proceed with the settlement.
Call us anyway so that we can look at your full situation, we may advise solutions that you’ve yet to consider.

Our free Helpline is on 0800 138 1111. We’re open Monday to Friday 8am - 8pm and Saturday 9am until 3.00pm.

If you phone us it may be possible to refer you directly to a counsellor for immediate advice. Alternatively, we will arrange for an appointment to be booked at a time convenient for you.

I hope this helps.

Kind regards,

Mat

PandyTudor

StepChange_Mat wrote: »

Hi PandyTudor and welcome to the forum.

It’s a sketchy area and it’s worth considering that some creditors don’t actively place a default on your credit file until just before the debt becomes barred (although this is not best practice).

I’d recommend you start by sending the Limitations act letter to RBS, you could also add a note about the default and that this could be seen as a form of harassment.

It’s always worth noting that statute barred debts do still exist and still be chased; they just can’t be enforced via the courts.
I hope this helps.

Kind regards,

Mat

Thanks Matt, I'll do that,

Do you think there would be any possibility that they would remove the defaults that seem to be showing (as a new default) each and every month? I understand and accept one default for this debt, but it looks as though I have around 100 defaults as it's been that many months since I last paid.

Many thanks,
Andy

System

ANewHope wrote: »

My brother has got himself involved in Gambling and has amounted debts of around £45,000 pounds of which £14500 is a personal loan from Barclays and the remaining £30507 spanned across 5 credit cards. I know there is the whole question of addiction which I have to support him to face up to and the second aspect is the practical aspect. The other issue is that we have equity in 3 buy to let propertys together (although i paid all the deposit for all of them) and also equity in 2 residential property (one which i live in an one which he lives in, again which i paid deposit for). We are all joint owners and joint mortgage holders on all. Please I know I have made a vital mistake in doing this. I should have at the very least constructed a trust document. The 3 buy to let properties are my only source of income at the moment and I take the day to day earnings from rent as agreed with my brother and 100% of these earning are declared in my tax return.

However I want him to take responsibility for his debts. He has phoned a debt line but I would also like some help. I am concerned that these debts may lead to homes being taken away or a charge put on it.

What is the first step. is it to write to all the companies concerned and ask for 28 days grace while he reviews the financial status. Do they give this? I know i pay all these debts of it might make things easier but i am unlikely to get the money back for a long time or never at all. I would rather him come to arrangement with all these people he has debts with and pay x amount per month.

Thankyou

ANewHope

Hi ANewHope and thanks for your post.

It sounds like both you and your brother would benefit from some free and impartial advice.

Essentially once your brother stops making contractual payments on these debts then creditors will start the debt collection process. The debt collection process could (further down the line) involve creditors looking at assets which your brother owns or jointly owns.

I’d recommend that you help him gather details of his debts, income and expenditure and that you both give us a call together. We’d be happy to allow you to listen in on our advice with your brother’s consent.

All our advice is free and impartial and you’ll get a range of options that are open to your brother and we can also look at the impact that these will have on you.

I’d also recommend that after you’ve done this you possibly seek some legal advice regards the properties that you jointly own.

Our free Helpline is on 0800 138 1111. We’re open Monday to Friday 8am - 8pm and Saturday 9am until 3.00pm.

If your brother phones us it may be possible to refer him directly to an Advisor for immediate advice. Alternatively, we will arrange for an appointment to be booked at a time convenient for you and your brother.

I hope this helps.

Kind regards,

Mat
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