Huntington's Disease now a court claim form!

belisha-beacon

lonestarfan wrote: »

Has anyone looked into getting power of attorney for him - it's expensive but could help you although it must be done before he becomes so unwell that he can't give consent.

Power of attorney does not have to be an expensive process - technically it's £110 to register one but it's free for people on a whole list of benefits, or £55 if the person who is ill earns less than £12,000 a year. Info here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/power-of-attorney-fees

I know you said you probably don't need to apply for one but I really would recommend it. There are two types - one for money, and one for health and welfare. More than one person can act as attorney for the same person, either having to approve each other's decisions or able to act independently (depending on the preferences of the person who is ill).

We had all sorts of problems which we hadn't anticipated because we didn't get one for our mum early enough. If he needs to go into care at any point, for example, and can't sign the forms, it could be an obstacle to him getting into one unless there is someone with power of attorney over his health needs. Or, if he wants to be a joint tenant in any future home this might not be possible if he becomes unable to sign documents. And his girlfriend may be happy doing all the budgeting etc but if there is ever a point when anything needs to be paid out of his account then she might need power of attorney to enable her to do that.

National_Debtline

Hi Robert

robert_harper_2000 wrote: »

My brother had credit card debts. He was told he had Huntington's disease and lost his job and went into council accommodation. He is now in no state to deal with his debts and has trouble speaking. He received a court claim form for £2357.09 and the stress is upsetting him terribly. What can I do to help him with this form. He has no way of paying it and is on disability benefits.

I know he should have sorted out a bankruptcy or something. But he had a lot to deal with and still does. I want to deal with this for him but I don't have the £2k to clear it.

I would appreciate all constructive advice. Thanks

Sorry to hear about your brother's difficulties.

If the landlord is seeking to reclaim the property in order to sell it, then they will normally be entitled to do so with little fuss. It is vital therefore that your brother/his partner contact the council as soon as possible to make sure their housing department are aware and can put them on the list to be rehoused elsewhere. The nature of his illness is likely to mean that they are given higher priority than would otherwise be the case. Well worth a call to our friends at Shelter www.shelter.org.uk though.

I would reiterate what others have said about the debts not being the most important thing here - the court claim included. It is very unlikely that the claim will get to the stage of bailiffs being instructed (who would not have any powers to force entry or seize third party belongings in any case).

There should be plenty of proportionate ways to deal with these creditors, including offering nil payments, asking for write-offs, bankruptcy and Debt Relief Orders. Rather than explain all of them here, take a look at the following info:

https://www.nationaldebtline.org/EW/information/10%20ways%20to%20clear%20your%20debt/Pages/default.aspx

The main thing for now is to try and lift as much stress off your brother's back as possible, and it sounds like you are doing a very good job of that.

Dennis
@natdebtline