Court on the 16th April, Help

behappysmile

Thanks to all the info on here i decided to file for Bankruptcy, scary.
I phoned my local county court and was given a date (16th April).
One of the things that is worrying me, is that i've been told to just bring the forms and money and nothing else, i'm getting everything together and wondeed if i should be taking al my bank statements and letters.
I was also told that I would go in and see the judge and then they would put me on the phone with an OR.
:eek:

ClaireLR

Hello there!

First thing is don't be scared, you're taking positive steps to putting your life back on track and you feel proud of yourself for facing up to things, it's more than some people do.

Court - yes you do just need the money and 3 copies of your forms. I think the BR fee has gone up to £345 and the OR fee is £150 (not sure if this has gone up) but you can be exempted from the OR fee if you claim certain benefits - someone who knows more about this will be along shortly.

You may or may not go in to see the judge, it depends on how busy they are. If you do it's nothing to worry about, they just want to check that you have taken professional advice (have you?) and that you know the implications of what you're doing. They will then stamp the form and your then bankrupt.

Then you speak to the OR. On the day it will be a short conversation followed by a longer meeting a few weeks later. They only ask you a few things and confirm your details. They may tell you over the phone when your interview will take place. You do not need to take statements or anything like that with you, but the OR might request them later; dont worry if you dont have these as the OR can get copies. As it was I sorted all of mine out and they have never even left my flat and I've been BR for 9 months now!

If there's anything else you need to know come back and post again!

dane-katie

Sorry, to butt in your post, but i cant believe thats all there is im going to get advise about going bankrupt after this website has given me the confidence to do this myself, good luck with the bankruptcy and i wish you all the luck!!!

behappysmile

Thanks, I'm trying not to worry and I must admit that everyone I've talked to at the court have been really nice. Court gave me figure of £485 but i'll make sure I have a bit extra just incase.
I was going for an IVA a few months back with the help of CCCS but did'nt as my circumtances changed, we did talk about going Bankrupt at the time to, so i'm hoping that this is enough advise as far as the court id concerned.

ClaireLR

Hi dane-katie.

The best thing to do is to call CCCS, national debtline or one of the other charities to see what they advise. If you do declare bankruptcy then the judge will ask if you have taken professional advice, and if you haven't then they can refuse you, so it's really important that you do that. If thats what they advise then pop back here for help completing the forms/SOA etc.

One thing I will say is it's not as easy as it may sound, it's stressful at times and it's not something to take lightly - it stays on your credit file for 6 years and can result in an IPA, which means its not the "clean slate" some people think it is.

Like I said, get some professional advice first

behappysmile

No problem hope it helps, once i decided to do it i've felt a little better.
My OH is going to come to court with me, someone to hold my hand if you like as i've never had to do anything like this before and am a bit scarred , but everyone on here who's been says theres nothing to worry about, so go for it.
If I can anyone can lol

ClaireLR

behappysmile

You might want to just give them another quick call, there might be other things you can do. But if they advise bankruptcy then my advice would be to go for it, some people carry on struggling for weeks or months after they've been told BR is their only option because they can't face up to things but the sooner you get it done the sooner you will start to feel better.

ClaireLR

behappysmile - do you and OH have any joint debts?

dane-katie

Thanks ClaireLR yeah im going to look in to this further as i want to get as much information as possible and see if there is any other option but to be honest i dont think there will be, just be glad when the nightmere is over

Goodluck behappysmile, luck forward to a debt free future!!!

behappysmile

No joint debt, he's just there for moral support.
Thanks i'll give them another call. I know the only options before were IVA or Bankruptcy and I couldn't face it then, but things are worse now.

behappysmile

Thanks ClaireLR it's good to know other people are out there.
Thanks dane-katie good luck to you too.