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[AnnaCMumsnet]

Hello,

Mumsnet and StepChange Debt Charity are teaming up once again to provide a free online debt help clinic all week. They’ll be offering information and advice on all aspects of personal debt.

StepChange is the largest debt charity in the UK. They’ve recently launched the Covid Payment Plan (CVPP) to support people who’ve been directly affected by the pandemic. They also offer a range of debt solutions and have helped over five million people over the last 27 years.

As part of Talk Money Week 2020, StepChange want to help Mumsnetters with any debt or money worries they’re experiencing. So if you’re:

Getting letters from the bank
Struggling due to furlough or a payment holiday coming to an end
Being threatened with court action
Generally worried about getting into debt or your finances becoming difficult to manage

Please post a question and they’ll do our very best to help!

The clinic will take place on this thread from Monday 9th November, all week. A debt advisor will do their best to provide all answers during the week but, at the latest, by the end of the
following week.

Unsure whether or not you need debt advice? There’s a free, anonymous and easy to use tool on the StepChange homepage. It can quickly tell you if you’d benefit from free and confidential debt advice.

Important: The advice provided to an individual poster is based only on the information provided by that poster. Advice on this thread is also particular to the individual who has asked for it and is likely to be specific to that person’s situation. A poster may have provided further relevant information by private message which will not appear on this thread.

FCA regulations mean that StepChange is unable to give full debt advice or recommend any debt solutions through the Mumsnet forum. If they feel you’d help from getting a full debt advice session, they’ll mention that in the reply.

Additionally, StepChange can’t give advice on self-employed or business debts. For more help with these, you can talk to fellow charity Business Debtline.

You can also find StepChange on Facebook and Twitter.

Best wishes

MNHQ and StepChange 🧡💜

Hi everyone, Rachel here 😊

Our debt advisors are looking forward to answering your questions. It can be really difficult to talk about debt, but please know you’re not alone and we’ll do all we can to help!

In the meantime, you can quickly find out if it would be a good idea for you to get debt advice by visiting our website: www.stepchange.org/

Best wishes

Rachel and the team at StepChange Debt Charity

Eeek.

I have been burying my head in the sand but we are in serious problems having both lost our jobs due to COVID.

We have defaulted on car finance x 2, owe money to HMRC (self employed) and probably won't be able to pay our corporate tax bill.

We have however kept up with mortgage (albeit with mortgage holiday), utilities, council tax.

Our income now is VERY inconsistent as we have both started new businesses (no jobs in either of our sectors).

Is there a way out for us?

Obviously I need to speak to business debtline but if we keep up to date with the mortgage, do you think we will be able to work something out with the rest?

If a creditor (e.g. HMRC) call in the debt I owe them personally (personal tax) does that automatically mean I go bankrupt and lose our home or will they be open to a (very) extended payback scheme?

We don't have much equity in the house as it was only 10% deposit 2.5 yrs ago...

PS... After typing this I've tried to start a chat with one of your online advisors but when I click 'start chat' nothing happens. It's the same on both my iPhone and Mac. All of the fields are completed.

Just wanted to post to say that Stepchange have completely changed my life. They are amazing and the advisors are lovely. Please, if you're unsure, just talk to them. 😊

What kind of advice can you give?

I have ADHD and have let my bills get on top of me, I suspect I may also be depressed. I started to let things go around the time I suffered a bereavement. It wasn't just that though.

I rarely open letters these days. I'm in debt to 3 credit card companies. I think they're being paid off but I'm not 100% sure. My water bill isn't being paid, I just need to call them to sort it, there's a big bill there, but I never get round to it and the bill gets bigger.

I was being chased for a water bill from my old flat that isn't even mine as we'd moved out. I sent them proof that I didn't live there then, but they didn't like it as my landlord was a person not an agency. I don't know what else I can do. They've gone quiet which worries me.

I owe some tax (under £1k I think) and I have paid some of it off.

I just don't know where I am with any of it. I did call Step Change ages ago and they seemed really useful but they wanted me to do a detailed budget and anyone who knows about ADHD won't be surprised to hear that this is something that just didn't happen.

I used to have a perfect credit score only about 4 years ago. Now, I have no idea where I am with it all.

Do you know anyone who can help people having ADHD burnout or whatever it is that's stopping me get on top of all this? I need to deal with it but I don't know where or how to start.

Ok so I've never asked for advice about this before, even my husband doesn't know..

Years ago, I'm talking probably 20 years I got a loan from an advert in the back of one of my Mums catalogues it was from a company call Gus Finance. The loan was for around £5K but I think with the interest it was about £19k to pay 😫 I was only 19/20 so didn't care about the interest just getting the money. Anyway I defaulted and didn't pay for a while but then they tracked me down and I ended up with a payment plan, it started off £10 a month and gradually increased now (yes I'm still paying it) I pay £70 a month which is a real struggle.

My husband paid off a lot of my debts when we married but for some reason this one I kept secret and now it's gone on too long for me to tell him but finding this £70 a month is killing me.

Gus Finance are no longer around but it was given to Moorcroft debt recovery so I pay them. It's in my old name and doesn't show up on any credit checks.. I still have £6K to pay according to my Moorcroft account.

Can anyone help?

Thank you.

Sorry just to add I'm only asking now because my husbands business is going down the pan due to Covid and there's going to come a time next year when I can't pay Moorcroft which terrifies me.

Hi there @wheresmymojo, thank you for your question.

It certainly sounds like you would benefit from some free and confidential debt advice. I'm sorry to hear that you and your partner have been impacted financially by the pandemic.

It's good to know that you've kept on top of a number of priority bills, and that you've been granted a mortgage holiday. Your mortgage is one of your most important bills, so keep communicating with your lender over the months ahead.

As you are self-employed, I wpould urge you to speak to Business Debtline about your situation. They can take a look at everything you're dealing with - business and personal - and help you put together a plan of action. They'll be able to advise you on the HMRC debt you're dealing with as well. They have webchat available mon-fri, as well as an online budgeting tool. The tool can help you explore various debt solutions, and you can present your budget to your mortgage provider to show them what you're dealing with at the moment.

In these situations, it can feel like the problems you're facing are beyond remedy, but supprt is available and many, many people are experiencing difficulties like the ones you've described. If you contact Business Debtline, they'll do all they can to help you and give you some certainty in regards to your debts and bills.

Best wishes

Rachel

Thank you for your lovely comment @WeKnowFrogsGoShaLaLaLaLa, we're so glad we could help 😊

Hi there @longwigglylines, thank you for posting.

Firstly, I'm so sorry to hear about the bereavement you suffered. When we lose a loved one, it can be very emotionally taxing and this can make it very difficult to keep other things on track.

You mentioned that you currently owe some tax. It's good to hear that you've made some payments towards your balance. If you're still self-employed, Business Debtline can take a look at your situation and help you tackle the Tax debt you've mentioned. They can also look at debt solutions that may be suitable for you. Business Debtline have webchat available Mon-Fri: www.businessdebtline.org/

If you're no longer self-employed, I highly recommend you get in touch with us to see how we can help you. We have a support team who can help you put together a personal action plan at your own pace. When you call us, please mention to the advisor that you have ADHD and they will make sure you get the support you need. While we do need to consider your budget when looking at debt solutions, the support team will work with you at your own pace. For example, if you need to do your budget in manageable segments over several appointments, this is fine. We can also look at referring to the CAB for a face-to-face appointment if this is the best course of action for you. You may also find that our online service is easier to use since you last contacted us. Visit our home page to find out more: www.stepchange.org/

I'm glad you posted about the issues you're facing. Remember, we help thousands of people every year, so rest assured we'll do our very best to help you get things back on track.

Best wishes

Rachel

Hi Rachel,

See username - long standing money advisor here.

Can you please clarify if the options you'll be giving are for posters based in England only or if you'll be checking what area of the U.K. a poster lives in (I think SC cover UK wide in terms of training and advice), to give relevant advice?

Place marking

Hello,

I've gone from being a "don't believe in credit" person to having about £6000 worth of debt in the form of store accounts and credit cards. I'm on a low income with dependent children and paying off these debts is setting me back about £500 a month! To make matters worse there seems to be endless things they suddenly need, like shoes that cost £60 a go, 6 weeks into the new school year - and of course these purchases have to go on the credit cards - it's a vicious circle. I'd love to be free of these debts. Please help.

Hi there @debtadviceflowerofscotland, thanks for your question and the support you've provided to members of the Mumsnet forum :)

The information and advice given here is relevant across the UK. However, if there's a situation where a person is dealing with something that's potentially region-specific e.g. bailiffs in England/Wales vs. sheriffs in Scotland, we'll of course address the difference in the reply.

Best wishes

Rachel

Hi there @JustDavesWife, thank you for posting.

The situation you've described is incredibly common. Many people have lingering debt from when they were younger and a bit 'green' to how money and debt works. Not feeling like you can tell your partner about this debt is likely causing you a lot of worry and unease. :( I'm really glad you've stopped by this thread as I believe we help you deal with this problem.

Based on what you've told us, I think it would be a really good idea to try our online debt advice tool and see what kind of options are available to you. It'll help you put together a budget based on your income, and what you contribute to household bills and living costs. You'll also need to include all debts you may be dealing with so we can give you the best possible advice. You can access free online debt advice from our homepage: www.stepchange.org/

I just want to check, has the creditor taken any kind of court action? if the debt has gone to court at any point, it will be treated as a priority alongside your living costs. I've included a link to our debt collection guide for more information: www.stepchange.org/debt-info/debt-collection.aspx

We provide a confidential service, and we won't tell anyone that you've come to us for help. However, we've put together a guide to helping you talk to your loved ones about debts you're dealing with: www.stepchange.org/debt-info/talking-about-debt.aspx

Facing debt is hardly ever easy. Please know you're not alone and we'll support you however we can.

Best wishes

Rachel

@WeKnowFrogsGoShaLaLaLaLa

Just wanted to post to say that Stepchange have completely changed my life. They are amazing and the advisors are lovely. Please, if you're unsure, just talk to them. 😊

Same here. They got me through paying back substantial debt and were incredibly supportive. I'd recommend them absolutely.

Hi @RuffleCrow, thanks so much for posting.

The situation you've described sounds very stressful, but rest assured that we'll do our very best to help you.

The debts you're dealing with are known as non-priority debts, meaning that they're only entitled to what you can afford to pay them after you've covered your living expenses and priority bills.
I'd highly recommend you use our online debt advice service. It'll help you put together a budget so that we can understand what your living expenses are each month. It'll also help us determine the best debt solution for you based on your circumstances.

You can access our online debt advice service from our homepage: www.stepchange.org

Best wishes

Rachel

Hi
Husband has recently passed away, the mortgage was in his name, it was interest only. I put the deposit down however we are not on the registry as tenants in common or joint owners. I do have a restriction on there. There are 2 other restrictions and a charging order on the property. One of the restrictions is to a dissolved company. I am desperately trying to work out how to keep the family home for the children but don’t know how I can do this and pay the debts off.