With personal debt at an all-time high in the UK, it is more than likely that you will have unsecured debts from credit cards, hire purchase, overdrafts and other forms of borrowing. If you are finding that your debts are becoming unmanageable, there are various forms of credit debt relief available to help you out of this difficult situation. You should always start by writing down all the companies that you owe money to, and working out which debts should be included in your credit debt relief solution. Prioritise the debts where payments are due immediately, and if there are a number of repayments due, you can further prioritise by working out which of these carry a higher interest rate.
Once you have established which debts need immediate attention, you should get in touch with your creditors directly. Explain to them that you are having trouble with your repayments, and ask them whether they would be willing to offer credit debt relief help by reducing your interest payments or waiving any additional fees that they have charged you. As long as you show them that you are willing to try and clear your debts by paying a certain amount each week (work out how much of your current disposable income you could pay), they should be cooperative and give you some breathing room. Remember that it is worthwhile for the creditors to support you in your credit debt relief efforts, because if you found yourself in serious debt trouble further down the line, they might end up having to write off some of the debt.
Approaching the Debt Dragons
Chris Tapp, Credit Action
Have heaps of debt, and want to get it organised. Wary of loan sharks, but i don't know where to start. Thanks.
Make your Money go Further in 2010
Jasmine Birtles, Founder, MoneyMagpie.com