Debt Management Questions
Frequent questions and answers about debt management in general. Please call us if your query is not answered here.
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How long does a Debt Management programme last ?
Until the debts are repaid in full. As your are making reduced payments, this will be longer than the terms of original credit agreements and may incur addition interest costs as the terms of the credit agreement is longer. However, normally interest charges are frozen when a debt becomes part of a debt management programme.As part of our initial consultation with you, we will provide you with an estimate of the likely time you will be on plan. Please understand that a debt management plan is not an overnight solution.
Must I stay on a debt management plan until all debts are repaid ?
No. You do not sign a contract with us, only a statement to allow us to contact your creditors on your behalf. Many of our clients join our debt management programme as temporary measure. For example, for a period of months when one member of the household is between jobs. Once household income returns to previous levels, you can return to paying your debts at the previous rate, directly to your creditors or make increased payments to us.You may cancel your debt management plan at any time without charge. All you need do is give us 2 weeks written notice. This does not incur any charges.
How much will my debt management payments be ?
It depends on your ability to pay based on your income and essential outgoings, not the total debt or current repayment levels. We agree with your creditors a reasonable amount you can afford allowing for some left over for emergencies. Minimum payments are £100 per month or £25 per week.Am i getting Unbiased advice ?
Yes. If your are not best served by Debt Management, we will advise accordingly. We offer advice on a range of alternative debt solutions, such as IVAs, Remortgages and Consolidation Loans, so we can offer impartial advice as to the your most appropriate course of action.Can i see that my creditors are being paid ?
You will continue to be sent statements from your creditors. This will show payments made by us on your behalf. You will be issued a statement every 3 monthly showing all transactions on your debt management account with us.Should i ignore contact from my creditors now you are managing credit repayments?
No, under guidelines issued by the Office of Fair Trading, we are not allowed to advise you do this. It may be the case the a particular debt management company is incompetent and not making correct payments. The creditors would need to be able to advise their client of this. Should they contact you, listen to what they have to say and politely tell them Abacus are now handling your finances are refer them to ourselves.Can you guarantee a reduction in payments ?
No. Stating we can guarantee a reduction in payments is not something we are allowed to do under guidelines issued by the Office of Fair Trading.It depends on your ability to pay and is at the discretion of your creditors. However, once we take a financial statement from your and explain the situation to your creditors, they will almost certainly agreed with our proposal.
Are you lending me money to pay off my debts?
No. We do not lend you money nor pay off your debts. A debt management repayment plan allows you repay your loan and credit card debts at an a affordable rate. If you do not make payments into the plan, we do not make payments to your creditors and they have every right to take legal action against you, not us.Do you need to do a credit check on me ?
No. We do not lend you any money, therefore we do not need to credit check you.Can I do debt management if I already have CCJ's against these debts ?
Yes. You can even use the plan to make payments against any existing CCJ's that you have. Just make sure that we know exactly what your current situation is when you talk to us before coming on plan.Do i need to have a full time job to do debt management ?
No. To be accepted, you only need to have a surplus of income above what you need to live on of at least £100 per month. This surpluss must less than needed to meet current credit and loan repayments.Does my spouse or partner need to know ?
We believe that it is always best to be honest with your partner. However, you only legally have to tell your partner if you have joint debts and/or you need your partner’s income to be taken into account to support the plan.Does the Payment Plan cover all of my debts ?
No. A debt repayment plan can only cover your unsecured debts and potenitally some other outstanding debts. See Debts included in Debt Management for details.Must creditors accept reduced payment offers ?
Legally, creditors don't have to accept offers of repayment below the contracted minimum. However, they know it is pointless demanding money from someone who simple can't afford it. In our experience they will accept reduced repayments where we are able to demonstrate your offer is reasonable and that you are committed to repay your debts by use of a debt management company such as ourselves.Will the plan affect my credit rating ?
Because coming on the plan will result in your not making contracted repayments on your unsecured debts, you should expect that your credit rating to be adversely affected. However, your credit rating may already be poor if you have arrears or a history of missed or late payments. Long term, the only way to fix bad credit is to repay your debts, which is what the debt management plan is design to achieve.Will I receive a Default Notice ?
By coming on plan with us, you will be in default on your original credit agreement and your creditor is therefore entitled to send you a Default Notice. Creditors send out Default Notices to protect their own legal position.Will the plan prevent my creditors taking further recovery action?
We cannot guarantee that your creditors will not take further action, including court action to recover debts from you but. If they do, we will help you respond so that any repayment that is required is within your ability to repay.What if my creditors continue to pursue me for payments ?
In the short term, while your debt repayment plan is being setup, your creditors may continue to take action to recover your debts. Do not ignore them. Deal with calls politely, informing creditors that you have appointed ourselves to act on your behalf. Please forward any letters to us to deal with on your behalf. Generally speaking, creditors are normally synthetic to those in difficulties and doing they up most to maintain reduced payments by using a debt management company.What if my circumstances change ?
Because a Debt Management Plan is an informal arrangement, it is easy to change it as your personal circumstances change, and even to replace it with an alternative arrangement if that becomes more appropriate at a later date.One of my creditors say they will take me to court if I use a debt management company?
Creditor can't legally refuse payments via a debt management company and then take you to court for non-payment. In reality, your bank and other creditors will soon turn their attention to chasing those currently paying nothing, rather than people clearly with difficulties, but make every effort to repay what they can afford.Why does My bank says you have not contacted them, but you say you have?
Staff working for a debt collection agency or in the collections department of your bank or credit card company exist solely to get money out of you. Some will use underhand tactics to achieve this as their pay is performance related.Once they acknowledge we are dealing with the finances, they know they have to negotiate through us, so they attempt to delay this acknowledgement.
Some may claim they have not heard from us to give the impression we are not doing our job property in hope this makes you cancel the agreement with us. If this happens, try and get the name of the person you have been speaking to. Inform them that we are dealing with your affairs, contact us immediately and we will then issue a further copy of correspondence to them.