Scared, troubled and new here, Hello

TroubledSoul_3

Hello to everyone on the boards, I would like to say reading this forum has given me the strength to go to the court tomorrow and pick up my forms, which I have been putting of for what seems like an eternity.

I am a disable single mum, well I say single I do have a very nice boyfriend, for now anyway but that seems to be on the rocks. I was advised a while ago to go bankrupt, but I ran away, I had what I like to call ostrich syndrome, but on the Sunday evening just gone I had my light bulb moment as you all call it, and I have to take control of my life. I found you all on Monday, and if you all can do it and survive... Then so can I.

I fell into the credit/loan trap, I guess like a lot of people in my situation do, I was just trying to make my sons and my life better, but inevitable I have made things worse. I did try to make arrangements to pay, but then my DLA was taken away and I had to take it to a tribunal to get it back, which I did but not before 8 months had passed by and I was in over my head, I also did stupid things like move a couple of times, got drunk and burned all letters and everything relating to my debts, and now I have to track them all down.

Right you don't all want my life story so here is where I am at tonight, After coming out of hospital just over a week ago and having had my light bulb moment, I have printed the forms off for the credit reference agencies and filled them in and they are ready to post tomorrow with the postal orders. I have worked out my incomings and outgoings and have £25ish left at the end of the month, sometimes. Tomorrow I am off to the court to get my forms and relevant information I will need, and making the call to the CAB for help with filling these forms in and a call to the co-op to try and get some kind of working bank account as I walked away from mine ages ago, and as I said burned everything, my benefit is paid into a post office card account fortunately, but will that be frozen too? I already run a very tight budget, so doing my figures wasn't too bad, if debt has taught me anything I know where every penny goes now.

There is one thing at the moment that really bothers me, and I know its probably my just deserts, but I can't seem to track the information down, so can someone please shine a light on this for me, after putting my forms in for bankruptcy, will they come and empty my home? not that I own much, the most expensive thing I own is my £100 18 year old car, no I am not joking either lol, seems all so stupid once I write it all down on here, how could I have let it get to this stage, how could I have been so stupid in the first place!! Sorry to rattle on so.

Thank you all for all the great advice you give here and thank in advance for any advice anyone can give me.

thoughtitwassorted

hi troubled soul, i am not an expert and i'm saying this from my own experience only. i had a car and still got it. i rent my flat so they didn't take that. i got telly, some sort of a radio, kids got a dvd and video player etc. i do think i was in some stage of a shock when the telephone interview took place but i can't even remember them even asking anything about these items, like if they exist or not...i think they are only interested if you own 9 superdooper plasma-tellies and a jag etc ;-)... so don't worry. all the best for tomorrow!

tigerfeet2006

Hi and welcome to the board.

Sorry I am just off to bed so haven't the time to answer at length but there will be people along in the morning to help you. Just didn't want you to think you were being ignored.

Just to let you know that no one will be interested in your possesions unless you have a Picasso hidden under your bed.

You have found a great place and you will get a lot of support here, from a pick me up on a down day to help with filling out forms.

wherediditallgo

Hi, & welcome.

You can download the bankruptcy forms from the Insolvency Service site here - you'll need forms 6.27 & 6.28 (there are two downloads for that, one of which is for the Guidance Notes). You can also read more on bankruptcy on the Insolvency Service site at www.insolvency.gov.uk.

Appointments with the CAB are sometimes hard to get, but don't worry - we can help you fill in the forms when you're ready.

If you do decide that going BR is the right direction for you, you can post an SOA (Statement of Affairs) here - we can help you to put it together before you submit it with your bankruptcy petition. If you don't know what some of the abbreviations are that we use here, you can look at this sticky at the top of the forum for details. There is also a sticky here with details of bank accounts available to bankrupts. As well as the CAB, I suggest you also speak to any of the following organisations, who'll give you free impartial advice relevant to your circumstances. It's very important to get professional advice, & when you submit your bankruptcy petition you'll be asked if you have done so - going bankrupt does affect your life, & the OR will want to be sure you know what you're doing.

CCCS (Consumer Credit Counselling Service) - www.cccs.co.uk
Payplan - www.payplan.co.uk
National Debtline - www.nationaldebtline.co.uk


Regarding your bank account, we tend to advise that you don't open one up until after you're declared bankrupt. The reason for that is that all accounts have to be declared when you go bankrupt, & sometimes the banks will freeze them or even close them. You can read a sticky here about accounts available to bankrupts, & there's also one here of the abbreviations you'll see regularly used on this board.

Don't worry about anyone coming to empty your home - unless there were extreme suspicions about your case, no-one will be coming round. You just need to detail your circumstances on the paperwork, & it's taken that you're telling the truth. The OR will do whatever checking they need to, but it's mostly on paper or by telephone. Your car is safe too.

It's a bit late tonight, so others probably won't see your post until the morning, but have a good night's sleep. Any questions, have a search through the board or just ask.

fermi

I would just like to add to all the other good advice that I know for an absolute certainty that the Post Office Card Account will not be 'frozen'.

Since this account is for the receipt of benefits only, and no other sort of funds can ever be paid in, both the Post Office and the Official Receiver have specific rules that these accounts are never 'frozen'.

Plus I will confirm normal household goods are not assets that will claimed by the OR.

TroubledSoul_3

Hello,
Just popping in to thank you all for the great advice. I have held off on the co-op bank account until after I am declared, I have spoke to the national debt line this morning and they are so nice and very helpful but they do advise I go BR, so I have just sat down and wrote myself a list of what I need to do, and am starting to plough my way through it. I have been to the court this morning, my goodness I felt sick walking in there, I have never in my life been into a court before, and it didn't help that the alarm went of when I walked through it, scary but appartly they always do, it's amazing what you don't know sometimes! but now I am home and have had a cuppa, I am feeling a little better about getting my life sorted.
It's going to take me a little while to raise the money but I have a £200 in premium bonds which I will have to cash in to help pay for the charges, then somehow find the rest.

Thank you all for putting my mind at rest, I certainly don't have a picasso under the bed lol mores the pitty, mind you have just moved recently and haven't been in the roof yet, maybe I should look lol.

And the fact that my car is safe too is a weight off as I cant walk very far with my illness, so thank you all, I am sure I will be back again soon asking more and more questions, it does seem like a mine field, but I am getting to the otherside without getting blown up!!

TroubledSoul_3

Sorry, thanks Femri, at least thats one less thing to worry about and I will still be able to get my money to live on in the normal way.

kerryboo

Hi troubledsoul, just a quickie if you receive benefits you may find that you will be exempt from paying the £150 court fee but you will have to pay the OR fee of £335 i receive child tax credit and i was exempt again someone may know the link where you can find this out or just ask at court thats what i done, hope it all goes well

TroubledSoul_3

Thanks Kerryboo, When I went to the court to collect the forms they said I didn't have to pay the £150 and gave me a form to fill out, and when I book my court date I have to take proof of my benefits dated within the last month, but I have found £240 so far now, just got to keep penny pinching a little longer, I am aiming for the end of August, just before my birthday lol, would be nice to turn 34 with a decent nights sleep!!

uther_2

I filed my Br forms ON my Birthday! If you don't have a recent benefit letter phone up the benefits office for a 'proof of benefits' letter,thats what we did.

tigerfeet2006

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