Bankruptcy And Rent Arrears?

Whatsgoingon_2

I was declared bankrupt in February 2007. I have been sent a form from the Insolvency practice saying I am eligible for early discharge. Can anyone tell me the pro’s and con’s of this.
On my bankruptcy form I listed my rent arrears (current and pass) however my housing association have said they will not even consider writing off my arrears until I am discharged from my bankruptcy and even then they may refuse. Has anyone had any experience of having rent arrears written off or have they been refused?
I am still getting bills from BT although I have written to them and they were listed on my bankruptcy form. How can I sort this out with them?
I still have not heard from everyone listed on my bankruptcy form yet. If I am discharged early from my bankruptcy can they re-appear demanding that I pay off their debt?
I would greatly appreciate any advice on these matters.

Many Thanks

wherediditallgo

Unless it was a secured debt or a particular benefit overpayment, all debts that were incured prior to bankruptcy are covered by it. It does take a while for the OR to inform everyone of your BR status - they should all know by now, but sometimes the information doesn't get passed to the correct departments.

In terms of BT, I would ring their Customer Services or Billing depts & give them details of your BR order - they'll need the date of your hearing, case number, where the case was heard, & the name & address of the Official Receiver. If you don't feel up to doing that, especially as it sounds like you'd have a few people to contact, then ring/e-mail your OR, give him/her the details of all the companies contacting you & the amounts, & ask them to contact the companies for you.

In terms of your housing association, it's a sticky one. Even if your rent arrears are covered by your BR, the amount covered will only be what you had up to the date you went BR. So if you've got into more arrears since then, that's something you'd have to sort out with them separately, & they may not be very amenable to that if you being BR has forced them to write off some of the arrears. You'll need to speak to your OR to find out how best to resolve these - they may want a rent statement sent to them, so that they can see where the cut-off point should be, & they may also ask you to complete a new income & expenditure form.

Are you paying into an IPA/IPO at all? If not, it's something that can be imposed at any point before you are discharged, so you should be aware that the OR re-examining your finances may result in getting one if they deem that you have more surplus income than you had before.

You could also speak to one of the free debt advice charities, such as the Consumer Credit Counselling Service, Payplan or National Debtline to see what advice they can offer you with respect to your housing. You obviously don't want to put your housing at risk, so you should check the terms of your tenancy to see if it could be affected by you being BR, but you shouldn't be forced into paying off money that is legally no longer your responsibility either. Good luck.