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Original poster

Too Poor for debt counsellor...bankrupcy???????????

67 replies

Nemo1977 · 16/09/2005 19:08

hi
Well title says it really. Dh and I have got financial problems due to me having had to give up work 2 yrs ago. We have tried to sort out bills and have been in contact with one of those debt counselling companies who have said because we dont have enough disposable income to our names we are actually too poor to have the debt counselling. We are desperately trying to sort something out before db is due in dec. They dont take things into account like we only spend £50 a week on shopping as according to them for a week it should be £30 per adult and £20 for ds who is 2 next month. It looks like our only option may be bankrupcy but that means we would loose our home too. I just really dont know where to go from here.

OP posts:
expatinscotland · 16/09/2005 19:27

Don't have anything to add except the suggestion to see the CAB.

We don't own a home or any other assets - we're just the keeper of DH's parents' car b/c his dad is the registered carer of his sister and drives a mobility car.

DH had to get a job, though, evenings and weekends to make up for no tax credit.

Any chance of your DH drumming up more work?

Original poster
Nemo1977 · 16/09/2005 19:29

crazymama believe me in the past year we have overly cut back. There is not a lot we buy that isnt a necessity hence seriously reduced budget we have no luxuries..unless you cant buying ds a magazine when he has completed his reward chart

OP posts:
Original poster
Nemo1977 · 16/09/2005 19:30

expat dh works 13hr days already and we hardly see him...

suppose another luxury is the internet but i dont really go out and see people

OP posts:
noddyholder · 16/09/2005 19:31

could you move to a flat or cheaper house til things get easier and you can go back to work We had to sell our house a few yrs ago as I was ill and dp had to stay home We sold our house and bought a flat and it took 4 yrs to recover to where we could buy another house but the peace of mind was priceless

NomDePlume · 16/09/2005 19:31

Get yourselves down to the CAB armed with all the info on how much you owe, to whom and what your outgoings and incomings are.

SleepySuzy · 16/09/2005 19:33

Agree with NomDePlume. Been there. Done that. Got the t-shirt. (have also used cccs, they are both excellent)

misdee · 16/09/2005 19:33

i was goingto suggest that. we had a lot of unsecured debt, and we sold out flat to pay them off. we paid rent 6months up front for a house from the sale of the flat.

Original poster
Nemo1977 · 16/09/2005 19:33

noddy the house we have at the min only cost us £60,000 as it was sold to us by friends of dh parents. So the mortgage is £400 a month compared to the £450 we were paying in rent three years ago. It is only a small 3 bed semi and we have another baby on the way

OP posts:
misdee · 16/09/2005 19:35

CAB!

Original poster
Nemo1977 · 16/09/2005 19:35

dh will phone cccs on mon.
Also just found a thing in our mortgage that says we are entitled to £625 a month if I have been disabled for 12mths continuous...I get DLA for severe anxiety and depression is that likely to class as disabled?

OP posts:
expatinscotland · 16/09/2005 19:36

The one advantage to renting is that you may qualify for housing benefit, which isn't available for mortgage holders.

We rent a small two-bed and have another baby on the way, but it's all we can afford for now . . .

SleepySuzy · 16/09/2005 19:36

Yes, there is somewhere else you can go, let me check...

jessicaandbumpsmummy · 16/09/2005 19:37

We use a debt management company, and from paying over £1000 a month in debt, we are now paying £400.00 - yes i know i pay this company to do what they do, but god, they made our lives so much easier and have frozen the interest on a lot of our debts.

Really depends if the amount of debt you have is worth paying for a company to do it for you. We have over 21k of debt so for us it is more than worth it!

misdee · 16/09/2005 19:37

think it depends on whtehr or not you had the condition before the mortage was taken out, and if they say that mental conditions are included. contact the CAB to discuss it all.

expatinscotland · 16/09/2005 19:37

CAB all the way.

As for the money, you'll have to read the fine print as to what they consider a disability.

SleepySuzy · 16/09/2005 19:38

Where do you live?

Original poster
Nemo1977 · 16/09/2005 19:38

I didnt have the depression prior to mortgage it is somethign that started about 18mths ago

OP posts:
Original poster
Nemo1977 · 16/09/2005 19:39

Liverpool

OP posts:
misdee · 16/09/2005 19:40

was it pregnancy induced/PND at all? vos they may discount it. its always worth askign for the forms anyway and filling them in.

Original poster
Nemo1977 · 16/09/2005 19:43

sort of misdee

OP posts:
misdee · 16/09/2005 19:45

contact mortage company and ask for forms. may as well give it a shot. have you asked for a mortage holiday at all? they can give you 3montsh generally to let u clear some other debts.

Original poster
Nemo1977 · 16/09/2005 19:49

Thanks all for the advice...will definetly be using it.

OP posts:
foxinsocks · 16/09/2005 19:52

First of all would second everyone who says CAB!

Which bills are you having difficulty paying?

By the sounds of it you can afford the mortgage?

Original poster
Nemo1977 · 16/09/2005 20:00

we can pay mortgage but its other bills like credit cards, loans etc taken out pre ds and my being medically retired

OP posts:
tabitha · 16/09/2005 20:01

Nemo,

I'm another one who can recommend CCCS. I thought they were really, really good and the woman counsellor we spoke to really knew her stuff. Unfortunately, unlike others hee, I had bad exerience when I went to the CAB for help with debts a few years ago. Spoke to a very nice elderly woman who unfortunately didn't have a clue! I hope that this is not a true picture of what they are like.
Only problem with CCCS is that because they're so busy (so many people in debt) we had to wait quite a while for an appointment, however I think it you explain the urgency of your situation, they may able to treat you as a priority.
In the meantime, why not look at this site . You might find something useful on it.
Good luck.

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