Everyone’s journey out of debt is different and there are various ways of taking charge of your debts.
The exact level of support you may need will depend on your individual situation.
We will provide you with:
• A review and discussion of your financial position.
• Options to deal with your financial position.
To provide these services we need you to:
• Be open and honest about your financial position.
• Complete the attached budget form as accurately as possible and return it to us.
We will use this form to complete a Financial Statement (as approved by the Financial Conduct Authority) and ask you to sign the completed statement as an accurate record of your financial position. Please:
• Include as much information and as many of the documents listed in “Documents to bring with you” as you can find.
• Advise us of any changes in your circumstances – both positive and negative.
• Understand that stopping contractual payments may cause further debt.
• Keep appointments with us. If you need to cancel or re-arrange please contact us.
• Agree not to take on any further debt or make your own arrangements with your creditors outside any payment plan.
How the process works
• When you return the documentation and the budget form an adviser will go through this with you and if you have provided sufficient information, we will draw up a financial statement.
• With your permission we will order an Experian report to check the accuracy of your debts.
• Together with you, we will discuss the options available and their impact. It will be your decision as to how you wish to proceed. We will provide you with copies of all correspondence sent to your creditors.
• If we or you write to the people you owe money to and let them know you are having difficulty, your credit rating may be affected. Your credit rating will also be affected if in due course your payments are reduced or stopped. In both cases, this information will remain on your credit record for up to six years and this could make running a business, getting a mortgage, renting somewhere to live, or getting credit, more difficult.
• Whenever we give advice about your debts, we will treat 'Priority Debts' differently to other types of debt and will always advise that these types of debts are repaid first, even if that means that other types of debt cannot be repaid as fast/at the same time. Priority Debts are things like Rent/Mortgage, Council Tax, Utilities, Court Fines, Tax debts, Benefit Overpayments, and Fines.
• Ongoing Payments for your essential bills. Even if you have arrears, it is important that you continue to make payments.
We will support you until you are debt free, however long it takes, if you work with us and stick to the plan of action we draw up with you.