Money Advice Direct
FREEPHONE 0800 074 6918
Please note that Money Advice Direct Debt Advice Service is a national organisation covering the entire UK. Please note that the service operates from offices in London and a national telephone advice centre in the north of England. The service does not operate a physical office or a seperate team in each of the city and regions listed on this page.
Leeds is located on the River Aire in West Yorkshire, England. It is the urban core and administrative centre of the wider metropolitan borough of the City of Leeds. The county borough of Leeds was awarded city status in 1893, but in 1974 this status was transferred to the larger new metropolitan borough named 'City of Leeds'. Thus Leeds, although commonly referred to as a 'city', does not have this legal status unless the wider area is being discussed.
According to the debt advice team at Money Advice Direct, one in 10 adults in Leeds has serious debt problems.
Many have considered declaring themselves bankrupt or taking out an Individual Voluntary Arrangement to help clear their debts. The advice team feels that many of those had made basic financial mistakes that compounded their initial overspending.
A recent survey of consumers contacting Money Advice Direct from Leeds showed that 10% of people in debt had taken out a credit card to pay off another credit card, while a further one in 10% had missed payments on credit cards, store cards or mortgages.
Other common errors included taking out a lengthy consolidation loan with a high interest rate to clear existing debts.
The research sums up with the fact that there is a serious lack of understanding of the long-term consequences of these actions and how it can affect a person’s credit-rating – ultimately impacting their financial future.
According to figures released by Money Advice Direct , £30,000 is the average amount people from the Leeds are in debt with. Out of these people many went into bankruptcy or entered into an Individual Voluntary Arrangement (IVA) in the quarter an increase of five percent compared to the same quarter of the previous year.
The advice team predicts that this will be the first of a series of quarterly increases as the economic downturn gathers pace, leading to record levels of personal insolvencies this year, despite the dramatic cut in base rates.
More consumers with mortgages and additional unsecured debt are turning to IVAs to help them reschedule their credit card and loan repayments to relieve the pressure and enable them to pay their mortgage to keep a home for their family. Money Advice Direct IVA teams expects to see IVAs increase in the year ahead.
People struggling with debt should only consider an Individual Voluntary Arrangement as a last resort. IVAs are not the easy option portrayed on television adverts.Under an IVA creditors agree to freeze interest on debts in exchange for a set amount repaid each month, usually for around five years. It is often times very difficult to get all your creditors to agree upon a repayment plan, however, if you are trying to enter into an IVA you do not need all of your creditors to agree. Under the terms of an IVA all you need to have to have your repayment proposal accepted is 75 percent of your creditors approval. with that number secured it simply does not matter if a creditor voted against it or in certain cases refrained from voting altogether because they are legally obligated to accept the repayment plan if a 75 percent majority voted for the plan. Read more in IVA here. If you do decide on an IVA as a method of dealing with your debts, you complete the IVA application.
Bankruptcy as a solution to clear debts in Leeds, West Yorkshire
Bankruptcies in Leeds have increased year on year. Bankruptcy is a court order that you can apply for if you're in debt. It may be the best way for you to free yourself from excessive debts that you simply cannot pay by sharing out any assets you have among your creditors.
Someone you owe money to could also make you bankrupt, even if you don't apply for it through your own choice.
There are two main ways to go bankrupt for personal debt:
Case study of a Client from Leeds with £68,000 of personal debt
The seemingly never-ending rise in the number of UK personal insolvencies in Leeds continues apace, sustained by the side-effects of the buy-now-pay-later generation. One particular case was from Melvyn Taktai, 38 from Kippax in Leeds. Including personal debts, the 38-year-old owed £68,000 and entered into an individual voluntary agreement via Money Advice Direct,18 months ago.
After agreeing a repayment, he paid £453 pounds a month over a five year period. This wiped of 60% of his unsecured debt. He didn't want to go down the bankruptcy route, since he owned a house and had a family to support. Melvyn said that, “Debt can happen to anybody. We all have credit cards and takne loans. Yes, part of it was my fault but I also think the people to blame are banks and credit card companies. They're desperate to lend money and it leads to irresponsible lending.”
Please note that for consumers considering an Individual Voluntary Arrangement (IVA) or Protected Trust Deed (PTD); that only unsecured debts are to be included e.g credit cards, unsecured loans and bank overdrafts. Please note that at the end of the period those debts that are not included such as secured debts, Government fines and child support payments will remain to be outstanding.
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Often people think they have nowhere to else to turn and they fall victim to a personal debt crisis. The UK Insolvency advice those with struggling with debt is to pick up the phone and call 0800 074 6918 or apply for debt advice online.
Please note that the Bankruptcy-Insolvency.co.uk Debt Service is a national organisation covering the entire UK. Please note that the service operates from offices in London and a national telephone advice centre in the north of England. The service does not operate a physical office or a seperate team in each of the city and regions listed on this page.
This is a list of offical cities within the United Kingdom covered by Money Advice Direct.
List of counties covered by Money Advice Direct