Debt and Money Problems

We all have money problems. Most of the time we can deal with them, but sometimes they become so serious that they have a paralysing effect. That is when we should recognise that we cannot deal with them any more. Banks and creditors aren't always helpful either. Miss one payment and a £39 penalty is added to your account. It gets out of hand. Often it is not our fault. Interest rates can increase (they were as high as 15% once), or you lose your job, or are put on short time. You may have to balance meeting the needs of your children or an elderly relative against the risks involved in borrowing more than you are comfortable with. If you find your money problems are out of hand, I may be able to help.

Initial advice is always free. It may be that I cannot help (most times I can) or you may be able to get better or cheaper help elsewhere, in which case I will point you in the right direction. If I think I can help, I will first of all check to see if you are entitled to legal aid, and if this is the case get you on legal aid as soon as possible. See my page on legal aid for details. If you are not entitled to legal aid I will, for a fixed fee of £20, send you a written note of how I think I can help you, and an indication of what it will cost, and you can decide what to do.
If you don't own your own house, bankruptcy is now a real option. Once you are made bankrupt, then your debts - provided you have obeyed all the rules - are wiped out after a year. Instead of going to court as before, you now make an application to the Accountant in Bankruptcy.
If you own your own house, a different set of rules applies, because you don't want to lose your house. There are a number of options and I can go over them with you if required.