How Long Before I hear back from StepChange?

iceandfire1

EssexHebridean said:

In that case it may well be that a lot of the advice and suggestions given here may not apply to you unfortunately. Definitely worth checking the law around whether the boiler servicing should still be a LL expense though. 

It says on our rent contract, and we didn't notice it when we signed the contract. What does LL expense mean? (thank you)

I am also worried that if I get into a DMP and have defaults in my file, that we would find it hard to find a new house to rent.

ManyWays

I am also worried that if I get into a DMP and have defaults in my file, that we would find it hard to find a new house to rent.
I think you should talk to your local Citizens Advice as no-one here is likely to know and debt procedures, options and courts are different. 

sourcrates

The Channel Islands do not operate under UK law, they are crown dependencies, but are self governing, so do things there own way, one example is that the limitation period there is 10 years, and the time limit to enforce judgements is also 10 years.

From what I can gather, debt management is still an option over there, although I am unsure if any of the UK debt charities will help you, you must physically live within the UK borders in order to use them, it doesn't make it clear if that includes the channel islands or not.

Citizens advice have a special "channel Islands" advice service though, it can be found here:

Homepage | Citizens Advice Jersey

iceandfire1

All my bank accounts are UK accounts ( HSBC, Monzo, Amex) because I used to live there before moving to Jersey. The StepChange website says they can assist me if I have at least one UK bank account.

RAS

iceandfire1, thanks.

That could be good news as it may mean that the standard UK rules about debt collection apply to those accounts. You really do need to clarify this with Stepchange.

It's unlikely to happen, but you also need to understand whether the creditors would use UK, presumably English/Welsh courts or take action in Jersey if they did decide to enforce the debt? 

Don't at this stage commit to anything. It may still be best to let the accounts default. 

And contrary to normal Stepchange and DFW suggestions, it may be worth trying to get Monzo cleared so you can use it as your normal account and still be a UK account holder.

Amex, by the way, tend to default pretty quickly and you'd need to make a regular payment offer promptly.

iceandfire1

I currently have Wise as well. This is what I'm using now. Is that ok too? Temporarily.

I also applied for a local bank account here for my salary, etc. 

EssexHebridean

iceandfire1 said:

EssexHebridean said:

In that case it may well be that a lot of the advice and suggestions given here may not apply to you unfortunately. Definitely worth checking the law around whether the boiler servicing should still be a LL expense though. 

It says on our rent contract, and we didn't notice it when we signed the contract. What does LL expense mean? (thank you)

I am also worried that if I get into a DMP and have defaults in my file, that we would find it hard to find a new house to rent.

LL = the abbreviation we use here for Landlord - so Landlord Expense. 

I think making a Citizens Advice appointment is excellent advice for you - the issue we have is simply not knowing how things differ, so while there are some similarities, there are also some key differences. A good example is around DROs - here we have a Debt Relief Order, there it is a Debt Remission Order. Here it requires you to have £75 or less per month left after priority bills and key expenses, there it’s £100. Small differences but important nonetheless.

On the supermarket front the Co-Op stores you have there are not part of the co-op we have here I don’t think - but hopefully they may well operate in a similar way. One of the key issues stores on islands have is that they never want to have to ship waste food away, so an excellent starting point for cutting food bills can be to work out when the reductions are made for stuff approaching the end of its date and pounce at the right time. You also have a variant of Iceland there I think? That might be a godsend if you don’t already use it as their deals can be extremely good - assuming you have a freezer? 

RAS

I don't know Wise. 

You obviously need some advice about the jurisdiction that will be relevant to each creditor. Until you've got that, it's difficult to advise on how to manage your accounts.

Doesn't mean that you can't benefit from some of the more hard core moneysaving tricks people here use. 

1 Meal plan. Even if not every day, most days. On a three week rotation to start with (you'll get more creative with experience). Then write out the shopping lists for each week and work out which supermarket offers the best deals. Don't exclude the budget ranges in more expensive supermarkets. A recent poster pointed out that Waitrose 4-packs of budget baked beans cost little more than budget supermarkets own brand and she likes them, so uses them. Cost those shopping lists.

2 If either of you travel from work or work within sniffing distance of a supermarket, find out when they reduce their goods. Be prepared to postpone tonight's planned supper. Fish might need using tonight, but most meat can be cooked tonight and used a couple of days later, or frozen. Larger joints going CHEAP can be sliced into smaller portions and cooked or frozen. Take fruit and veggies out of plastic bags and ignore leaf salads, buy whole lettuce.

3 Batch cook. A pack of mince can be turned into sauce that'll convert to ragu, chilli, cottage pie, etc. Root veggies can be roasted, eaten, used in pasta sauces, or blitzed into soup. Obviously, works with a freezer and use up over the three week cycle, not  this week.

4 Audit clothing. Identify where you have real needs, like the shirt that can pull several outfits together. Beyond that buy knickers, necessary shoes and socks only for a couple of years. And given some of your neighbours are well-heeled, check out the local charity shops. It's the posher areas that have the best cast offs. Your wife might want to buy one shirt or T-shirt in this summer's colour as long as it works with her existing clothes.  And check out buying T-shirts one size larger as they often look more expensive.

Others will have other ideas

iceandfire1

Thank you for all your tips and advise. I am currently thinking about moving back to the UK instead because I am not comfortable with the way things are done in Jersey. My only concern though is if I move and I have defaults, will I still be able to rent a home for myself and my family? 

RAS

Estate agents can only see CCJs and view the insolvency register.

They will ask for some evidence of affordability, so 3 months of bank statements with regular income and not a lot of debt payment could be helpful.