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Looking for a safe loan to use?

17 replies

christmasmagic · 23/11/2022 11:11

Hello! I’m desperately looking for a temporary loan that is legit and safe! I daren’t use any random page incase it’s a scam. Wonga loans is no longer a thing. Please can someone recommend a loan that they’ve used and one that’s likely to accept poor credit 😩🙏🏼

Me and my partner have fell behind in council tax it has been reported to the courts so now we owe £260 within three days and they won’t accept instalments and failure to paying this we will have to pay up over a grand of money… it’s our own fault however we need to get it sorted ASAP 😩

OP posts:
Neilsfavouritechilli · 23/11/2022 11:16

Your local credit union may be able to help. You can search for them online.

bloodyeverlastinghell · 23/11/2022 11:21

Honestly I'd attempt to juggle existing credit, pay the £260, cancel dd for whatever else and try and pay it back/ reduce it next month. Get a cc interest free for a few months and put groceries/ daily spending on that to free up cashflow. Tighten your belts and pay everything off.

Pawn shop/ cex and sell off jewellry/ console/ games/phone (you can get a cheap phone) could get you money today.

Twizbe · 23/11/2022 11:23

Find your local credit union. That or talk to citizens advice

hotelpink · 23/11/2022 11:24

Get the cab or something to help here. They are not taking people to court for £260. What has happened with payments since the missed ones? You must be making them if the debt hasn't mounted over the time they have been pursuing it.

Why have you let it get so far without seeking help? It's ok to ask for help, please do.

Also, more crucially do not borrow money.

OneRingToRuleThemAll · 23/11/2022 11:27

I used to work in Council Tax. They take it to court to secure a liability order so they can take recovery action if you default on a payment plan. You can still make a plan, just send in an income and expenditure form with 3 months bank statements and an offer of payment and go from there.

Don't take a high interest loan to pay the bill.

Hooverphobe · 23/11/2022 11:30

Fgs. People struggling don’t GET 0% interest free cards.

are you claiming UC OP? If yes, they’d be a good bet as it’s interest free and would be in your account in 48 hrs.

DenholmElliot11 · 23/11/2022 11:33

I think provident still do loans

MyKitchenRules · 23/11/2022 11:36

www.findyourcreditunion.co.uk/

There are over 380 listed here. Please use a credit union. They also help with savings and a basic life insurance

DelilahBucket · 23/11/2022 11:39

Have you sought advice from any professional body like the Citizen's Advice Bureau? You might have left it too late to get to speak to someone there now but I would be trying NOW!
Burying your head in the sand with matters like this only makes things worse and you will not get a loan if you cannot afford your current outgoings. If the extra court costs get added on and you still don't pay, you can go to prison. This is serious, and you need to deal with it properly. If you cannot get Citizens Advice to help at such short notice, I would also be skipping other payments in order to make this one. Council Tax is not one of the bills that should be left unpaid and this is why.
If you have other debts you are juggling you can also speak to the likes of Step Change for help.

marmaladepop · 23/11/2022 11:43

OneRingToRuleThemAll · 23/11/2022 11:27

I used to work in Council Tax. They take it to court to secure a liability order so they can take recovery action if you default on a payment plan. You can still make a plan, just send in an income and expenditure form with 3 months bank statements and an offer of payment and go from there.

Don't take a high interest loan to pay the bill.

This. I had to go through this procedure as nearly lost my business during Covid. It's just a procedure - I agreed to pay £10 per month. All sorted.

hotelpink · 23/11/2022 12:11

DenholmElliot11 · 23/11/2022 11:33

I think provident still do loans

That's the least helpful piece of advice anyone could possibly give here.

NoSquirrels · 23/11/2022 12:16

OneRingToRuleThemAll · 23/11/2022 11:27

I used to work in Council Tax. They take it to court to secure a liability order so they can take recovery action if you default on a payment plan. You can still make a plan, just send in an income and expenditure form with 3 months bank statements and an offer of payment and go from there.

Don't take a high interest loan to pay the bill.

Listen to this and make sure you understand exactly what the position is. Get help from CAB or go down to your local council offices if need be. Do not get a loan out.

Kagusta · 23/11/2022 12:26

@christmasmagic Read what OneRing has said. You do not need a loan, you just need to understand the process of ctax.

At this stage in council tax proceedings you have had the opportunity to pay and haven't so the full balance for the year is due. BUT it does not go to a county court, so no CCJ it goes to a different court (magistrates I think) and the council is granted a liability order which literally says you are liable for the council tax and this is the bit they want because that grants them certain powers. I used to work in council tax. We would have hundreds at once, the judge says yes, they get rubber stamped. No one "gets their day in court" unless they can prove they are not liable for the bill.

Once the council have got a liability order, then they will make a payment arrangement with you. In the meantime, pay what you can toward the bill. Do not take out a loan to cover anything. Honestly, just ring up once it has gone to court and then make a payment arrangement. At the council I worked at we would make a payment arrangement now but still subject to getting that liability order. I was completely lovely to everybody, you don't get money out of people being an arsehole. We understand people either fuck up or forget.

Start working out what you can afford to pay. Ideally they want it in before 31st March because your new and increased council tax bill will be produced for the next financial year. They might ask for an income and expenditure form and just be aware that this liability order gives them the right to collect the money directly from your salary at a fixed and eye watering percent. I am sure that with the cost of living crisis they are probably being more lenient in arrangement payment plans but always know they have that in their back pocket. Information on that can be found googling attachment of earnings and your council. It is set by central government. Never forget that council tax is a tax, collected locally. They don't piss around. The reminders and final notices are also set by central government, every council works on roughly the same guidelines.

You are not alone, even in times of a great economy, people struggle. If you ever can't make a council tax payment in future, pay something, anything you can toward it and contact them to tell them. We can reset and hold stuff ie letters but you have to contact them. Council tax is collected over 10 months to give us 2 months to get the rest of the outstanding balance in to pay for the services it covers. I hope that helps you.

MrsMoastyToasty · 23/11/2022 12:39

Get an appointment with CAB or a FREE advice agency.

They will negotiate a repayment plan with council tax that is affordable.
Be prepared to be asked about ALL your financial commitments and income.

christmasmagic · 23/11/2022 18:06

Thank you all for your advice, I've spoken to the council today... panic over! She said to just try and pay as much as I can before January... then I'll set up monthly payments. It's our own fault things have got so bad but it's just so easy when times are tough to just keep missing payments until before you know it, it's mounted into a huge debt 😩

OP posts:
BarbaraofSeville · 24/11/2022 07:34

Quite often with council tax they won't take action if you can stick to a payment plan to pay by the end of the year. So if you're on 10 monthly payments, if you reorganise to pay some in February and March, instead of having the free months, that might work, and might help you budget easier going forward if you stick to 12 monthly payments.

However, have you looked at all your budget, checked benefit entitlement etc? Council tax is a priority debt, which means it must be paid first, as penalties are harsh if you don't pay.

Might be worth reviewing all of your incomings and outgoings to see where you are with everything and if there is scope to improve things - if you can claim benefits or grants or reduce or cut out other expenses it could help you balance the books.

Also if you have unsecured debt, and don't have enough to pay this after essential bills, food, travel to work etc, that's a sign that you might need more formal help. Have a look at Moneysaving Expert and do everything that is relevant to your circumstances.

www.moneysavingexpert.com/budgeting-debt-help/

userxx · 24/11/2022 08:11

christmasmagic · 23/11/2022 18:06

Thank you all for your advice, I've spoken to the council today... panic over! She said to just try and pay as much as I can before January... then I'll set up monthly payments. It's our own fault things have got so bad but it's just so easy when times are tough to just keep missing payments until before you know it, it's mounted into a huge debt 😩

Glad you've got it sorted, don't be too hard on yourself, times are really tough!

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