Dro questions

fatbelly

adzam33 wrote: »

1. Will it be ok to pay the £90 at the post office on Monday then on Tuesday get my up to date balances and phone stepchange then or have I got to do them on the same day.

2. One lady I spoke to at stepchange a few weeks back mentioned my water rates saying they had to be included now on the documents they've sent today there Is no mention of the water rates, so what should I do leave it as is or mention it when I ring them with my up to date balances.

3. I know at the end of the day the insolvency service have the final say but surely stepchange wouldn't ask me to pay the £90 if they thought there would be a problem with it, I mean at stepchanges end. I dont want to pay the £90 ring stepchange up and they say ohh sorry we've made a mistake.

4. If all goes well and I ring stepchange up on Tuesday with the info they need how long does it take after that to get approved.

Thanks.

1. Yes. Your £90 just stays there until they submit the application. They talk about a 6-month limit but it's never been implemented.

2. Do you pay for your water on a metered basis and are you up to date? If yes and yes then there is no debt to include. Other than that I'd put it in but be prepared for an argument with the water company.

3. I can't see any reason why you do not qualify for a DRO - seems like they agree.

4. Once they submit the application it's 2 working days but I can't predict when stepchange would do that. I do it while the client is on the phone during the final phone call, immediately after the formal declarations, and don't really understand why that is not standard practice for all intermediaries.

adzam33

As always thank you sourcrates and fatbelly.

Fatbelly I'm not on a water meter, get my bill in yearly then pay monthly and all payments are up to date. When I ring stepchange on Tuesday I will mention it to them. I'm not fussed whether its included or not because I dont see it as a debt I see it as a bill if that makes sense.Think I might have thought different if I did owe money on my water rates.

I think because the water rates are showing on my credit report that's why stepchange need to include it.

Many thanks for your help again.

fatbelly

I did post about this a few years ago and found the thread

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/5410708/water-debts-in-a-dro-interesting-take-from-cab

Doing a DRO in Feb with payments up to date, even on rateable billing, is not going to leave much debt for them to argue about. I'd put it in - whatever is showing as the balance on their website.

adzam33

Thanks fatbelly.

I've just logged onto my water rates account and it says outstanding balance £673.82, near had a heart attack! It then says this is for information purpose only. It then goes onto breakdown the balance from 1st February 2020 until 1st March 2021 which works out correct £48.13 x 14 months from Feb 2020 until March 2021 is £673.82.

Was in a bit of a panic so checked my credit report and it states water rates outstanding balance £96.26, which is correct, February's payment which will come out the bank on Monday and just left with March's payment, then it starts all over again in April.

So when I ring stepchange on Tuesday and mention the water rates I would be right in saying the outstanding balance for this year is £48.13 just March's payment.

Hope all that makes sense.

fatbelly

adzam33 wrote: »

Thanks fatbelly.

I've just logged onto my water rates account and it says outstanding balance £673.82, near had a heart attack! It then says this is for information purpose only. It then goes onto breakdown the balance from 1st February 2020 until 1st March 2021 which works out correct £48.13 x 14 months from Feb 2020 until March 2021 is £673.82.

Was in a bit of a panic so checked my credit report and it states water rates outstanding balance £96.26, which is correct, February's payment which will come out the bank on Monday and just left with March's payment, then it starts all over again in April.

So when I ring stepchange on Tuesday and mention the water rates I would be right in saying the outstanding balance for this year is £48.13 just March's payment.

Hope all that makes sense.

I think £48.13 would be correct.

I am surprised they have already added the 20/21 charge to your account online.

If you want to be difficult, you wait till 1 April, put £673.82 into the DRO and threaten them with a court case if they want to argue.

Just put £48.13 in.

Edit: Are you sure you wouldn't pay less on a meter?

adzam33

Ohh how I would love to wait till April and put the full amount in! My nerves are shot to pieces as it is, dont think i could take the stress! Think I will just go with the £48.13.

I did enquire about a water meter a while back and they said it would cost me more than i am paying now, might enquire again when all this is sorted.

Will let you know how things go on Tuesday.

adzam33

I paid the £90 on Monday at the post office.

Yesterday I was going to get my up to date balances but I had a bit if a meltdown! Everytime I started to ring the credit card companies I ended up putting the phone down, I just couldn't do it! Silly mooo!

Felt better this morning so took the bull by the horns and rang them, they were all perfectly nice and polite and gave me the balances apart from Tesco. The woman I spoke to wouldn't let me get a word in edgeways she was just going on about the payments I'd missed and my card had been cancelled, how it would affect my credit score etc.

In the end I said listen can I please just have my balance as of today, she eventually gave it to me and I said thank you and put the phone down, she was still trying to talk to me then!

I then phoned stepchange and gave them the balances, I also mentioned my water rates and he said because I wasn't in any arrears we will just leave it as it is. He then said as soon as we've finished the phone call he would submit the application to the insolvency service and I would hear in about 10 days.

He then went on to state that 99% of the dros get approved and I thought ohhhhh God dont let me be in the 1% that dont.

Just a waiting game now, will be on edge until I hear anything.

Will let you know how I get on.

sourcrates

As long as Stepchange have done their job correctly, dotted the I`s, crossed the T`s, and everything you have said is truthful, then it will be approved, no problem, they only get rejected if you have lied about either how much you owe, or some other problem becomes apparent, don`t worry, check the insolvency register regularly, as it will show on there first :

https://www.insolvencydirect.bis.gov.uk/eiir/IIRRegisterNameInput.asp?option=NAME&court=ALL

adzam33

Thanks sourcrates.

Stepchange did say mine was a pretty straightforward case, apart from the blip about the budget which got sorted.

I will start checking the insolvency register from Monday.

mazda333

I had to open a new account, couldn't log in with my other one.

The deed is done!  I've just checked the 'list if shame', the insolvency register and I'm on it.  Dont know whether to celebrate or commiserate, celebrate because of the pure relief I feel, commiserate because of the pure shame I feel  getting myself into this situation in the first place.  But what's done is done hopefully onwards and upwards from now on, a big lesson learnt.

And what can I say about fatbelly and sourcrates, the two voices if reason, who were always here to help me when I had a wobble.  A massive thank you to both of you.  It's been quite a cosy thread hasn't it, just the three of us lol.

Once again thank you fatbelly and sourcrates xxx