Money Advice Direct
FREEPHONE 0800 074 6918
We receive a lot of calls and emails from the public asking; "What happens if my IVA fails?".
If an IVA fails the IVA supervisor will issue a certificate of non compliance stating that the IVA has failed and reasons for the fail.
The IVA may state the supervisor must petitioner for debtors bankruptcy or it may just state that the person is back to square one. If this is the case the debtor cab either consider at a debt management plan, an Informal arrangement or even wait a few months and then try an IVA again.
If an IVA fails, then the actual IVA proposal will need to be referred to so that the 'IVA fail' procedure can be verified. Almost all IVA proposals now include a failure clause if you get over 2-3 months in arrears with payments.
Once an IVA has failed and all the creditors have been informed of this fact, the debtor would either have to start a new IVA with another 5-year payment period or come up with an alternative method of resolving your situation such as; Bankruptcy or Debt Management Plan.
If an IVA fails there is a risk that either the Creditors or the Insolvency Practitioner will petition for your Bankruptcy. Normally sufficient funds will have been put aside by the Insolvency Practitioner to petition for Bankruptcy should the need arise. If a bankruptcy petition is presented, then any assets you may have could be at risk, as could your job. It is essential that you seek advice should this happen.
In most cases when an IVA fails it will be because the debtor has stopped making repayments, but insolvency practitioners sometimes pressure clients into unrealistic deals in the first place. In some cases we have seen people being put on IVA plans that are simply too strained and they can't make the repayments.
A creditor may say that they will only accept a certain amount and the insolvency practitioner will push the debtor to meet that target. Should the IVA fail the debtor can still be made bankrupt. If this happens, the costs of the IVA will be added to the debts.
If you have would like know what happens if your IVA fails please complete the following form or telephone 0800 074 6918.