Default on Credit File with Wonga - July 2020

hannahelawrence

Hi All
This is my first time posting so please bare with me. 
i was wondering if someone could help me.
Me and my partner are trying to get a mortgage for a Shared Ownership house, but my partner has a default on his credit file that needs paying off before a lender will consider us. The default is with Wonga that came on (start date) 08/10/2016 and went into default on 25/02/2017. We have tried to ring Wonga in the last 2 weeks to try and settle the debt fully but the lines just going dead and there customer care team are now gone. I have then contacted the administrators who have taken over Wonga since  and they are saying they are not taking any payments now and there is nothing more i can do for the default, it will have to sit as unsettled on his credit file. Grant Thorton seem to be the people who are looking after everything now, and are reporting the unsettled debt to Equifax, but surely if they can report the debt there must be a way to settle it right? i have challenged them on this and are saying that's how it is and they are closing end of the month so there wont be anyone to talk to. Now my partner has paid some of the debt off before Wonga went into administration anyway, we were making monthly payments from £900 down to £535, we have a letter confirming this, but they are still reporting the debt as £900 so this is also wrong. I have an email confirming i have tried to settle the debt but they are not accepting payment, lenders still wont consider us. My mortgage advisor is saying that they are not allowed to report the default unless there is a way to settle it.
So next step we contacted Equifax directly,  who are currently in the process of contacting Wonga/Grant Thorton on our behalf to see if we can get it partially settled or change the debt amount but they didn't seem to really know what to do either, they have said it takes up to 21 days to get a decision, but i was wondering if anyone else knew anything. We can't surely be the only ones in this position. I really don't want to have to wait another 2.5 years t for it to come of the credit file to buy a house when i want to pay the debt in full. I can't be accepted alone, and have been accepted as affordable for the house we want, we just cant get the lender.
HELP!

adamp87

The damage of the default in 2017 has already been done. Settling it will only reduce the affect a little. There are plenty of posters on here who’ve had defaults & obtained mortgages. 

Have Grant Thornton purchased the debt? If so there’s no point speaking to Wonga. I’d be asking Grant Thornton for the CCA agreement first to check they can provide the evidence the debt is legal & yours.

jefaz07

It may also be worth putting in a complaint for unaffordable lending. 

While they’re in admin I believe the administrators have to look at the loan as the FOS would and if you win they will remove any negative recorded info. (Someone may say I have it wrong)
There is a dedicated website called ‘debt camel’ where you’d find more info I’d guess. 

Could be a way to go for no risk? 

PaulW922

adamp87 said:

Have Grant Thornton purchased the debt? If so there’s no point speaking to Wonga. I’d be asking Grant Thornton for the CCA agreement first to check they can provide the evidence the debt is legal & yours.

No they are the administrators not a debt purchaser 

adamp87

PaulW922 said:

adamp87 said:

Have Grant Thornton purchased the debt? If so there’s no point speaking to Wonga. I’d be asking Grant Thornton for the CCA agreement first to check they can provide the evidence the debt is legal & yours.

No they are the administrators not a debt purchaser 

Worth sending the CCA then even so

PaulW922

adamp87 said:

PaulW922 said:

adamp87 said:

Have Grant Thornton purchased the debt? If so there’s no point speaking to Wonga. I’d be asking Grant Thornton for the CCA agreement first to check they can provide the evidence the debt is legal & yours.

No they are the administrators not a debt purchaser 

Worth sending the CCA then even so

Yes I agree in that Wonga is now 'them' - I think the request should be address to 'GT acing as administrators of Wonga'

LordSomebody

Strictly speaking, it should be addressed to the individuals acting as administrators. They are personal appointments, not corporate ones, and so where they work (in this case Grant Thornton) is irrelevant.

hannahelawrence

Thank you all, i have been in touch with Grant Thornton and they are saying that there is nothing more they are able to do, they wont allow us to settle the debt and my partner did receive some sort of refund a while back from wonga based on the % of the debt. They won't guide us to whom we should now speak to, and are also unwilling to reply to my emails now. We have called the FOS and others who have all said the only people that can help us are Equifax. We are still waiting on them to come back to us but if they cant help us i'm not sure what else to do. The mortgage lenders for shared ownership I believe there are only about 5 have said for us to go ahead the default needs to be sitting as settled, otherwise they wont continue with us.