DRO change in circumstances within 12 months for OH

greyrainbow

I am glad to have found this forum as have done lots of reading and feel somewhat different than last week where I was on the verge of running away. I have been advised by Step Change and another advisor that they think a debit relief order is the best thing for my circumstances.
I do wonder that whilst my situation financially will not change at all because of chronic illness, I wondered if my husband was to have an increase in money during the 12 months, how would this affect my DRO? The debt is my own and not linked to my husband at all. 
Thank you!

sourcrates

Strictly speaking, his wage will not count, however if you are a couple, then it’s usual practice to use a household income for budget purposes.
So it’s assumed certain bills will be shared, so your budget must reflect that, you should have no more than £50 left after all household bills are paid, do not include debt repayments, you have to meet the above criteria before any debt repayments.

If income goes up, usually so does expenditure, they tend to cancel each other out, unless it’s a really big increase, it need not be reported.

greyrainbow

Thank you, sourcrates. 
After our budget we have less than £20. 
Unfortunately our savings have now gone due to gambling and increase in debt from spending/interest, and my family (husband included) have only found out since last week. Everyone is very supportive somehow, but the DRO seems like a very good step in the right direction because I don't think it will take long for everything to go wrong payment wise now there's no 'buffer'. Foolish, I wise I had done something sooner because it's really affected my health too.

sourcrates

Don’t beat yourself up too much about it, anyone can become a victim of circumstance, this year in particular has been a real eye opener for many, don’t fret about creditors chasing payment, they go through a standard collection process, which takes a good long while, few weeks delay just now with DRO’s I’m led to believe, but once it’s approved you’ll be fine.

greyrainbow

Thank you so much - I really appreciate that