A couple of DRO questions, please

justpeyton4now

We are currently receiving help from CAB for a DRO for my partner and myself. Though we would have preferred to go DMP, the debt specialist suggested we both go for DRO. We had worked out payment arrangements with several creditors, but our larger payment creditors would not work with us at all. We simply cannot afford to pay them any longer.

My partner has been off work long term sick for 15 months. He has several chronic illnesses which prevent him from working. His doctors have stated he more than likely will not be able to return to work. As such, he is receiving contribution based ESA of £461 per month, housing benefit which covers our rent, and council tax relief. I cannot work as I am his full-time carer. I am also not eligible for any public funds.

My questions are:

1. My partner is a guarantor on a loan for his daughter's partner. Yes dumb, but we did it. Should we include that debt on our DRO so they cannot chase my partner for the money if the daughter's partner defaults? It is not on his credit file.

2. My partner was receiving housing benefit for a short time when off work one winter approximately 9 years ago. He let the council know as soon as he went back to work and began to pay his rent directly to his landlord. However the landlord continued to receive the housing benefit for approx. 10 months and pocketed it, then left the country.

My partner received notice of the overpayment and as the landlord left the country, the council pursued him for the debt approximately 5 years ago. We sent them a Statement of Account with an offer of monthly payment and never heard anything back from them. The only paperwork we had on this was a notice from a collection company from 5 years ago which I think I have filed somewhere here. Should this be included in the DRO?

3. I've read here that Barclays and Coop are the best two banks for a basic bank account when you have or are getting ready to file for a DRO. Barclays is who we have our bank account with and are also a creditor that will be in my DRO. A lady I spoke with at Barclays told me they could step my current account down to a basic account. However when I spoke with the debt management supervisor at Barclays, she said personally she would advise we open a new basic bank account elsewhere. RBS is also a creditor so they are out. I'm not sure if Coop will allow us to keep a basic account open if they give us one, once the DRO's are filed. Any suggestions on other banks to try, please?

Thank you so much in advance.

debt_doctor

justpeyton4now wrote: »

We are currently receiving help from CAB for a DRO for my partner and myself. Though we would have preferred to go DMP, the debt specialist suggested we both go for DRO. We had worked out payment arrangements with several creditors, but our larger payment creditors would not work with us at all. We simply cannot afford to pay them any longer.

My partner has been off work long term sick for 15 months. He has several chronic illnesses which prevent him from working. His doctors have stated he more than likely will not be able to return to work. As such, he is receiving contribution based ESA of £461 per month, housing benefit which covers our rent, and council tax relief. I cannot work as I am his full-time carer. I am also not eligible for any public funds.

My questions are:

1. My partner is a guarantor on a loan for his daughter's partner. Yes dumb, but we did it. Should we include that debt on our DRO so they cannot chase my partner for the money if the daughter's partner defaults? It is not on his credit file.
Your partner does not currently have liability for this debt - the liability for payment only begins upon default of his daughters partner, so it is not a DRO debt - yet - and hopefully not at all.

2. My partner was receiving housing benefit for a short time when off work one winter approximately 9 years ago. He let the council know as soon as he went back to work and began to pay his rent directly to his landlord. However the landlord continued to receive the housing benefit for approx. 10 months and pocketed it, then left the country.

My partner received notice of the overpayment and as the landlord left the country, the council pursued him for the debt approximately 5 years ago. We sent them a Statement of Account with an offer of monthly payment and never heard anything back from them. The only paperwork we had on this was a notice from a collection company from 5 years ago which I think I have filed somewhere here. Should this be included in the DRO? Yes, this needs to be included

3. I've read here that Barclays and Coop are the best two banks for a basic bank account when you have or are getting ready to file for a DRO. Barclays is who we have our bank account with and are also a creditor that will be in my DRO. A lady I spoke with at Barclays told me they could step my current account down to a basic account. However when I spoke with the debt management supervisor at Barclays, she said personally she would advise we open a new basic bank account elsewhere. RBS is also a creditor so they are out. I'm not sure if Coop will allow us to keep a basic account open if they give us one, once the DRO's are filed. Any suggestions on other banks to try, please? Barclays and the coop are your best bet, Barclays do sometimes down grade existing accounts. If you are going to the COOP you need to open the account BEFORE your DRO.

Thank you so much in advance.

Hope that helps a bit.

DD

justpeyton4now

Thank you so much debt doctor. I truly appreciate your help.