Retired and in trouble - Help!!!

-taff

I don't suppose the loan had PPI on it did it?

Did you ask what impact defaulting on your debts would have on your credit score and what that might mean personally for you?


Hve you also tried Stepchange? Ihave o idea what the difference between payplan and stepchange is, but if you're only receiving a pension then 170 a month is one weeks worth of pension.

Have you checked any other benefits you may be entitled to, like Atendance Allowance, Pension credit, housing benefit, council tax help?


Did you contact Age Concern to see what things they could suggest?

RAS

liasara3 wrote: »

I did meet with my bank financial adviser who understood my situation and immediately froze the interest on my personal account overdraft and the joint account overdraft.
Early this week I had an appointment with a legal adviser at the CAB (I had to wait a few weeks for an appointment to be allocated) who recommended to 1) call PayPlan and 2) change my bank account.

Hi

Can I strongly suggest you need to do the following, because there is a real risk that the bank will off-set any income going into the bank against your debts. This is legal but means you will have NOTHING on which to live.

1. Get you ID documents together and go to an bank to whom you owe nothing and open a new basic bank account today. CAB and Payplan should have told you to do this before you let your existing bank know anything. If Barclays is not one of your creditors, I suggest you use them.

2. Transfer all your income streams to that new bank account as a matter of urgency.

3. Go to the bank where the joint account is held and advise them in writing that all future debts require both signatures. Otherwise he can run up debt on this account and you are liable.

3. Do a full benefit check on www.turn2us.org.uk. You could also get an appointment with AgeUK.

4. Please speak to Stepchange and National Debtline before you do anything else about the debts.

5. Speak to your landlord and tell them that you have moved out and why. Do NOT write to them and terminate the contract as this make you liable for penalty rent if he refuses to leave. Ask the LL to issue a Section 21 notice and a Section 8 if the rent arrears reaches the required level.

You need to understand that you cannot limit your liability for any overdraft on the joint account or the joint loan to "my part of the loan/account" or the rent. These are joint and several liabilities which means that you are both legally liable for the full amount.

Personally I would suggest that you ask Stepchange and NDL about the possibility of a Debt Relief Order if you fit the criteria. You appear to have no assets and a low income so this might work.

if any of the utilities at the rental are in your name, get your name removed from the account.

Set up a postal re-direct as a matter of urgency as well.

liasara3

I just want to thank all of you for your advise that is so enlightening and supportive.
Regarding my position with the landlord, my ex partner wrote to me that the Resident Committee of the house (the landlord is part of it) have open a new lease in his only name, until September, when he would move to a new accommodation.
Certainly I'll open a new account in another bank today, that yes it has been suggested by CAB. Regarding PayPal before to make a final decision, now I'll try with Debt Relief Order and StepChange.
Thank you again,
liasara3

dancingfairy

I don't know if you are properly housed where you are but you may be able to apply to the council for council housing. Even if you are not eligible for council housing you may be able to rent privately, it would be worth having a look on a benefits checker such as entitled to or on the gov website to see what help you would get towards housing (or speak to CAB or one of the debt charities).
It sounds like you are beginning to get a plan together for dealing with the debts. A DRO sounds like it may be your best bet from what you've said so far.
Regards
df

SerialRenter

In regards to the rental, the Landlord can't just remove you as a tenant during your fixed term, so an S21 wouldn't end the agreement and an S8 could only be used if there was two periods of arrears.

The only other way a tenancy could be brought to an end is through mutual agreement of the landlord and the named tenants.
In other words, you are still technically renting and liable.

To bring this to an end write to the landlord stating you wish to mutually end the current tenancy so a new tenancy can be created for your ex. Ask that the landlord confirm this back to you in writing.

After this is confirmed, do not send any more money for the rent, as continuing to pay for it could create a new tenancy.

Best of luck