IVA/Home Insurance/Car Insurance

twigletsmum

Hi all, I’ve been a lurker on the board for some time now and thought it was about time I contributed and ask some advice considering I’ve seen some amazing advice being given out on this forum to others! Thought I’d give you all a bit of history first so you know where we’re at!

My husband and I entered an IVA in March 2013. It ‘ticked akong’ Nicely for 3.5 years with us increasing our our paynebts each year, including a significant (for us) increase when the HP on my husbands car ended.

Unfortunately, after 3.5 years, I had to give up work. One of our son’s has special educational needs and I was continually being called into school until Reg school decided he would be better going to a different school as they couldn’t manage his needs. This resulted in him attending another 3 different schools with me having to be on hand at a drop of a hat to to calm him down and attend regular meetings as well as his consultant appointments. In the end, I had to give up work and become his carer as he is in and out of school.

We initially took a 3 month payments break from the IVA which was extended to 6 months whilst we filed a change of circumstance with our IP. This in itself became a lengthy progress, I kept phoning for updates (from feb this year) and it seemed that nothing was being done, I had to resend all the info over 3 times by email. I wasn’t paying anything, just the odd token payment, they couldn’t set a DD as it was still showing the high amount. Anyway, in August, they eventually rang me but it was to chase me for payment as of course my account was in arrears. Explained (again) what was happening and I was put through to the ‘breach team’ when I honestly thought they were going to tell me thet I was going to be forced into redundancy I was petrified as we literally had no money and I was devastated that our IVA was failing. Anyway, the lady was amazing, I explained everything and she could see how often I was phoning so knew we weren’t ignoring the problem. She then saw we’d been paying for 3.5 years and had paid a total of £9500 (debt was in region of £18k), she advised the reason we hadn’t heard anything from the change if circumstance was through an assessment of our I&E, we only had a disposable income of £35 a month 😢. At this point, she suggested a variation meeting was called with creditors to see if they would accept funds paid to date as a settlement. I was shocked, didn’t even know this was possible but also didn’t want to get my hopes up! This was at the end of August. I got a letter the 1st week in September to advise the meeting had been called for 4th October (last week), and I was relieved when they called me to say that my creditors have accepted the proposal :j. So that means we are going to be finally free of it! Need to wait for completion which I’m told will take 3-6 months.
Unfortunately throughout this nightmare the last year, we’ve got ourselves in a bit of a mess with gas/electricity and the company have been amazing to be fair, my son is classed as disabled and they’ve never once suggested they’ll cut off our services. I’ve contacted them and now set up a repayment plan which is a huge weight lifted of our shoulders!
And after that essay - I’ll get on with asking the advise I came on here for! It’s great that the IVA is finished and such s relief, but I really need to save money in other areas. I’ve not changed my home insurance provider in about 10 years or my car insurance all the time I’ve had the IVA! Historically, as insurance is a form of credit, do people have difficulties changing insurance companies when they are listed as being in an IVA? I’ve done some comparisons on insurances and didbt realise just how much I paid over the odds it seems! We pay £38 a month on Home insurance (contents only), we had a claim on carpet a year ago and one due to a storm 3 years ago where we lots all electricity in the morning of Christmas Eve and didn’t get it back until day after Boxing Day so claimed for our ruined food! These are the only 2 claims we’ve ever made in 10+ years (probably a lot longer actually!) and my car insurance is £65 a month for a zafira and I’ve got 10 years no claims. Sorry it’s so long winded!

sourcrates

Sorry, without reading that wall of writing , what’s your question ?

adyj73

Sourcrates - I think this was the question but was very well hidden

do people have difficulties changing insurance companies when they are listed as being in an IVA?

Anyway I never had any issues changing my insurance providers every year of my IVA. Get on meercats and start saving

Lou321

Hi , I had to take out car insurance for the first time whilst in an IVA and had to get a member of my family to be guarantor. This is the only experience I have had.