Left with my ex's debt in my name how to move forward??

Dropped_in_the_poo

Hi, I'll keep as short as possible, Basically I have credit cards in my name which where taken out on behalf of my estranged husband. I know this was foolish but we had been together a lot of yrs at the time, now I have been left with just over 14K in debt & have 3 kids to raise with only JSA & tax credits coming in, He is lovingly giving me £40 a wk to raise our kids. I have been through Step change who r saying I have to much disposable income for the Debt Relief order & want me to go on debt management plan at £50 per month which to be fair I will struggle with, but they are quoting 23 1/2 yrs to clear my debts, they have also advised that going bankrupt isn't really the best route forward as the receiver may still ask for £200 a month for 3yrs after paying them £700 to go bankrupt. To be fair I would have to borrow the money to go bankrupt !!!!!!!! My debts have currently gone unpaid for a yr after my ex who we had a joint debt management programme together just stopped paying but didn't bother to tell me. Feeling so lost & desperate at the moment. Any help would be appreciated please. Thanks in advance :-)

Tixy

Hi and welcome to the forum

This sounds odd.

If they are saying a DMP would only be repayments of £50 a month then that would suggest that 1) you may well qualify for a DRO and 2) that it is unlikely that you'd be required to pay £200 a month if you went bankrupt, more likely that your IPA would be around the £50 mark.

I would get a second opinion from another charity and run through your figures with them as well (I'd recommend national debtline) or speak to step change again and get them to explain the reason for the £200 figure etc.

A 23year DMP would be crazy in my opinion (unless you are expecting your finances to increase significantly in the next few years).

sourcrates

Hi,
Thing I always ask first is how old are the credit card accounts ?

Have you sent CCA requests to any of them to see if they have the correct paperwork ?

In a nutshell, no paperwork means a debt, most likley can't be enforced through the courts.

More than one way to skin a cat !!!!

Dropped_in_the_poo

Hi thanks for the responses, the debts are enforceable as they were paid 4 6yrs in a terrible debt management plan with Grassroots, so they have all the acc numbers etc. Think I may try another firm & rejig my finances as it is very close to the threshold. I just find 23yr as crazy, my finances aren't set to change anytime soon as I'm back at college studying.

thewhiteavenger

Debt Relief Order

with someone other than Stepchange

Have you tried your local CAB?

Dropped_in_the_poo

Hi, thanks for the reply, I haven't tried anywhere other than step change as they were recommended by a friend. I've never personally done this before, as we had accounts with Cartel & that went belly up, so they recommended grassroots unknown to us they where the same company! Been messed around for 8yrs plus so far, so another 23yrs is sole destroying :-(

Tixy

Any place on this list is a good place to seek advice
IMPORTANT - Where to seek professional impartial advice about your debts.

National_Debtline

Hi there,

Tixy wrote: »

This sounds odd.

If they are saying a DMP would only be repayments of £50 a month then that would suggest that 1) you may well qualify for a DRO and 2) that it is unlikely that you'd be required to pay £200 a month if you went bankrupt, more likely that your IPA would be around the £50 mark.

I would get a second opinion from another charity and run through your figures with them as well (I'd recommend national debtline) or speak to step change again and get them to explain the reason for the £200 figure etc.

I agree with Tixy in the points that they have raised above. I think having another independent assessment of your budget plan would help you to weigh up your options. If you would struggle to pay £50pcm into a DMP then your budget would appear to suit a DRO more than a repayment option (especially if you are not expecting your financial circumstances to improve in the next few years).

Assuming that you meet the other rules for a DRO – have less than £15,000 worth of debt and no assets worth more than £300, with the exception of a car that can be worth £1000, then I think a DRO could be a viable option for you. We have a factsheet about DRO’s that may help: - https://www.nationaldebtline.org/EW/factsheets/Pages/37 EW Debt relief orders (DROs)/Default.aspx

I hope this helps you plan your next steps,

Laura
@natdebtline