Money Advice Direct
FREEPHONE 0800 074 6918
We receive a lot of calls and emails from the public asking; "Will the IVA prevent my creditors taking further recovery action?".
The main advantage of an IVA is that it offers full protection from your creditors taking recovery action. The government introduced the IVA as part of the 1986 Insolvency Act to offer protection under the law to people in serious debt.
In order to legally protect you from your creditors or stop them taking recovery action whilst the IVA is being set up, a form of legal protection called an "interim order" is granted. This is a process which enables full protection from your creditors from taking recovery or legal action.
An IVA is an alternative to bankruptcy. It is a contract between you and your creditors. In order for your IVA to start the creditors must be very flexible, creditors will reasonably expect their prospects of recovering money to be at least as good as in a bankruptcy. They will also expect the IVA to contain the options available if the IVA does not get off to a good start.
Your proposal will be voted on by your creditors at a creditors’ meeting . Generally, if over 75% by value of your creditors who are represented at the meeting (in person or by proxy) vote in favour, the IVA will be implemented. Creditors may put forward changes to the proposal, but they cannot impose them on you – you can decide whether or not to accept them.
You are not legally required to attend the creditors’ meeting, but in practice you should be there. Otherwise it will be impossible to agree any changes to the proposal. If last-minute changes are proposed, you should feel free to ask for reasonable time to think about them. If necessary, seek your IP’s private advice outside the meeting about what is being proposed.
If you would to know if an IVA will prevent the creditors taking further recovery action or just discuss an IVA in general please complete the following form or telephone freephone 0800 074 6918.