Hello, My Housing Association has informed me that they are applying for a warrant of possession due to the continuous climbing of my rent arrears. The current arrears is at £3485 (I know it's high). It got this high because of issues with Housing Benefit (it got stopped). This was a big hit and I wasn't sure how to deal with this. I was not immediately aware it was stopped. I'm only now just recovering from that and will be able to make monthly rent payments again to compensate for the lack of Housing Benefit. I'm a full-time student and the University have given me some part-time jobs to do that would aid in me paying the rent (I've told them my situation). My Son and Daughter have also found jobs, so they'll be able to help out as well. Now, I've tried to get my Housing Association to not apply for a warrant by offering them a payment plan. However, they are not going for it and just keep saying how the rent climbed continuously from February 2018 and they cannot wait until I'm able to clear it off in full. They want the full amount now. My plan was to pay what I could now (about £100-150 over the next couple weeks) and get my children to cover some more in a month's time and month's thereafter (when they actually get paid) and in September 2018, use some of my student loan to clear the remaining debt (it's enough to pay for it and leave me with something) In September, it will drop to 0 due to the large lump sum. Does this sound reasonable? I don't have the money in full now, but I will eventually. I'll also be able to prevent further dropping into arrears after clearing it due to a change in circumstances (for the better). All I needed was to find something to replace Housing Benefit which I now have. Since I can't get the HA to drop the warrant, I've read I'll need to try go through the courts instead. How are they with suspending evictions? Do they favour Housing Associations more than the tenant? Does my proposed plan sound reasonable enough to convince a judge that I should not be evicted? The reason they are able to apply for a warrant quickly is because I've had issues in the past with them but it got sorted provided I stuck to the agreement back then and paid off the arrears. I paid that off and my account went into credit for some time. It's only since February that it took a downturn and caused the arrears to climb out of control. I know it took time to act but I'm acting now and I'm able to clear it soon. I do not have the notice yet. I don't currently know when I have to be out. I'm just panicking and trying to take action now before it's too late. How long do these notices take to get served and how long do they give you after you get it? I'm just worried sick about losing my home and what hurts me more is knowing I'll have enough money to clear it off soon. Time is pretty much against me right now.

I (and my now ex-husband) had a house repossessed back in 1998. There was negative equity of around 25k. I made a full and final settlement offer of 2.5k which was accepted in July 1999. It was paid and I had a letter confirming the debt was settled. I cannot find this letter. 19 years later with no contact from them whatsoever, both Halifax and Moorcroft write me letters. Moorcroft have asked me to pay 18k. Am I right in thinking that as no contact has been made for more than 12 years, that I do not have to pay? As iy was full and final anyway, surely yhay counts for something? Would Halifax have records which would have a copy of correspondence from back then?

Going through the process of remortgaging my old house, and a question has come up from the conveyancers about a charging order. The wording from the land registry is: "Equitable charge created by an order nisi of the Luton County Court dated 22 July 1996 in favour of American Express Europe Limited." I have a vague memory of once having an American Express card, it obviously must be that though a Companies House search for the company name has it ceasing to exist on the 12th June 1996, probably is the American Express and they just changed their name. Otherwise, I have no more information to go on. After a lot of searching and reading up on this site it must have been in respect of a CCJ that had been granted at some point, but in the intervening 21 years if there was any paperwork, it has long since vanished. The conveyancers say that they need to contact the placers of the charge and ask them if they are happy deferring payment of that charge, but will check with their 'technical team'. Any advice on how to proceed? Thanks!

I wondered if I can seek advice? Iv had an RBS since 2001 and kept it in good order, however in 2011/2012 I had 1 missed direct debit and this is now how the account stands on my credit file Date of default 31/10/2012 Default balance £ 721 I wrote to the bank in 2012 and also wrote to Financial ombudsman but I only ever received 1 letter back from the bank to say that these charges had not been unfairly charged. Recently the same thing has happened to my partner. He was with Santander and the only thing that ever came out of his account was iTunes, For the sake of £3.41 his Santander account now stands at £600 overdrawn and is still increasing.. .. we need help, we need to know what we can do and if I can still do anything with RBS now that the account hasn't been used for 3 years? These accounts are stopping us from getting a mortgage... does this mean we can claim compensation for the damage? I have read a lot of articles but still unsure what my rights are.

I spoke to the team at knowhow in sheffield today on the issue of my broken laptop. To cut a long story short I spoke to an operative who was in effect acting as a go between, relaying info to her manager then back to me. An issue came up regarding collection of the product and I asked to speak directly with her manager. A man came on the phone and announced himself as "chris". He then proceeded to be very rude, talking over me, being extremely agressive and bombastic, he would not listen to my case and just kept repeating the same phrase over and over again in a very irritating way which I believe to be deliberate to inflame me. I however remained calm and objective despite his nasty behaviour. I asked to complain about him and he refused to put me on to someone with whom icould make a complaint. I really feel this man should be repremanded for his behaviour and would like an apology at least. What can I do about this?

Hello, My girlfriend took out a phone contract with O2 and lent the phone to a friend as her father bought her another (long story) the friend then stole the phone and sold it (police couldnt do anything as the phone was lent ) And it had just gone over the 2 weeks so the contract couldn't be cancelled. My girlfriend then lost her job so couldn't afford to pay the phone contract, and is still unemployed with no income. She received multiple texts and phone calls of fredrickson which she ignored, they then sent a letter demanding payment which she didn't reply to again as she's under a lot of stress as it is! today she received another stating 'letter before action - there remains an outstanding balance on this account a nd legal action is now being considered. Should it be necessary to instruct solicitors to issue proceedings in the county court, further additional amounts will be claimed which may increase the balance outstanding outstanding now £867.75 new if proceedings issued £992.75. it then goes on about Bailiffs may be instructed. i am only part time and have a low income and she is now unemployed and lives with her parents. There is no way we can afford to pay this and she is stressing out and crying because of this situation. Is there anything we can do ? Please can someone help us!! I'm 18 and she is 20, neither of us own our homes and if her dad finds out hell kill her! What can we do we are extremely worried Thank you

Hi all I am an only child with elderly parents. My mum has depression, i have quite bad anxiety & my dad has just had a heart attack & is in hospital awaiting Angiogram & after either a stent or surgery. A very worrying time that is affecting my mum's depression & my anxiety. We all kind of care for each other at normal times & i help out a lot, but am not an official carer. This morning i've received ESA50, perfect timing hey! So now i've got the added stress of filling that form in. I have filled it, or similar in before & not had to have a medical assessment as i guess by sending in a letter from my gp & proof of medications, they saw that as sufficient. I just have a few questions. 1. Have others sent in Dr's letters & not had to go for assessments, what is the best way. 2. Does Honey Bee's sticky about ESA50 contain a template to follow. Because my illness is classed at Mental, i'm unsure what to write. 3. I am currently staying with my mum until we know more about my dad's situation, but i have a flat & when things are more on a level i spend half my time there & half with family. I'm unsure as to which one i should use as my address. My flat is part of my rehabilitation but all my correspondence goes to my family home. The benefits people know about this as my ESA adviser told them. I have also attended the interviews at mandatory JC+ Anxiety is awkward because there is no given day that i can say that i will be ok, so the part about days i cannot attend i don't know!! Any help appreciated Gaz

So the latest [problem] from the fantastic team at Currys PC World Knowhow. I phoned the team on 17th September. Told them that my cat had knocked my laptop out of the windowsill and damged one corner resulting in a dead HDMI port and audio wasn't working. I was told to take it into store and it would take around 5 days. I took it to the store, told the guy there same thing and he checked the damage and said it would be no problem. I then left it til 20th and called the team to see what progress was being made. They told me it had not been picked up and was not going to be until 23rd sept. I chased it the following Saturday, and was told it had all been repaired and was coming back to store by the Monday 30th oct. Then on the sunday I get an answerphone message to say the laptop was awaiting parts and would not be delivered on time. Called back and one of the team told me that it had been damaged when they were putting it back together. Admitted it was their fault. I then called several time s over the next week, and got told several different stories. On Tuesday 8th October it was 21 days, was told by the team and the store I was elegible for a write off and a new laptop of same spec. It was a good laptop so was happy at that. on the 11th I got a call to say the write off was being processed but they would only go to the value of what I paid for it, and there was nothing in the store at that spec for that price. Wasn't too happy at this, but said ok just to get a laptop and had the view that I could upgrade it. An hour later I got another answerphone message to say the write off was rejected by head office. Called back and was informed it had gone to head office and the damage was inconsistent with the fall and they had 2 different stories of the event so were rejecting it, and my laptop would be back at the store by the Monday. Monday comes, and there is no laptop in store, so called again, it was being reassessed, and got the news that the store had written down that it had fell down the stairs, and there was a crack in the mouse rest and a bulge in the case. I went back to store and spoke to the guy that booked it in. He confirmed the damage was not there when he sent it off and that the story was not the one I told. He called the team and confirmed this. I then called on Tuesday and spoke to the engineers. They admitted they had caused the damage, and assured me, with manager backing it would be written off by Friday and I would have a new laptop. I then called back on Friday and was told due to excessive workload it hadn't been dealt with. I then refused to get off the phone until I spoke to a manager and as a result was promised a call from the write off team by close of business. I got a call from Shaun from claim investigations, and was told that the laptop would get repaired but was not going to be replaced. He was extremely arrogant and told me there was nothing I could do. they would reapir the damage they had done as that is their legal obligation, but could not tell me how long it would take. I questioned the 21 day agreement and was told as per terms and conditions, I can request a replacement after 21 days, but they do not have to give one. So it is now day 35 without my laptop, I have no idea how long it is going to take, and I have been told tough, there is nothing I can do but wait. Knowhow?? know nothing I think........

Okay, this is what happened - Apologies if it's a bit long! I phoned my GP Surgery to see about getting a prescription renewed and the Nurse said she would 'squash me in' to see a certain GP - ''....but he won't be pleased at having an extra one....'' (her words). So, the minute I walked through his door, I sensed he wasn't in a good mood (at having an extra patient maybe?) Boy was I right! I quickly spoke about my repeat prescription review - I didn't want to take up too much of his time and then when he said '' is there anything else...'' I mentioned that I might come to see him 'another time' to discuss HRT! as I believed the menopause might be making my existing problem worse. As soon as I mentioned the word 'HRT' it was like a Red Rag to a bull. It was at this point that his whole demeanor changed. He started reeling off all the Evils of HRT and how he has seen people DIE From It. He ranted on for a fair bit, as if he was trying to make me feel guilty for even talking about it. At this point, I 'politely' stated that I had done some research and was aware of the risks - Well, at this point he kept interrupting and became completely rude and said to me: 'There is no point in discussing this matter with you - I can see you have a Closed Mind''. I then said - ''Excuse me??? (did he actually just say what I think he said to me?) - What's wrong with a patient having an opinion?'' to which he then repeated : ''I see you have a closed mind!''...... Which is an insulting thing to say to anybody, let alone a patient! His whole attitude was very strange. I then just happened to mention that:- ''.....its a shame that so many women have to suffer something when there's help available'' not expecting him to prescribe anything for me - I was just stating calmly and politely MY thoughts..... ' (The previous GP at this practice used to encourage discussion/debate...) My Mistake! He seemed to take what I'd said personally.!!!... He THEN accused me of being SEXIST:shock:! His words :- ''I'm offended that you think that I don't understand women's problems - and I'm making a note of it!'' I sat there in a complete daze for a few seconds, (thinking -''what the heck is going on here?)..... Then I mumbled (think I was in shock) - ''well I can't think what I've said, but I'm sorry ........'' Him: ''Yes, I'm making a note of it.....'' At this point, I decided to leave. I 'shakily' stood up and, as I was walking towards the door - He said to me in a loud voice - ''I tell you what - Why don't I just write out a prescription for HRT - Would you like that? Would that make you happy?' Would it?'' ''I can do that you know - Do you want me to?'' This was said in a really aggressive and sarcastic tone! Well, at this point I'd had enough and I just stumbled (fled?) out the door. I got to my car and I was so angry and upset that I sat there for about 10 minutes, trying hard not to cry and trying to work out how a visit for a mere prescription review had turned out so badly! Once I'd calmed down, I thought - this isn't right, I'm going to make a complaint - so I went back and asked the receptionist how I go about making a complaint. She said to write a letter to the Practice. Okay, here is my dilemma..... I have just discovered that this GP is ALSO the Practice Manager! So, How is a patient supposed to complain about a GP if he's also the practice Manager? I'm also upset that he may have put a black mark/comments against my patient notes. Which if he has, I feel is grossly unfair. I feel as if I have now been labelled a 'problem patient'. When anybody who knows me, knows that I'm a very polite, caring, quiet person! I'm mainly concerned with getting rid of any derogatory comments in my notes. As for making a formal complaint about him - from his whole attitude towards me, I get the impression he could get quite nasty and it could make things worse...and he could write even more rubbish! So I might :- a) Either stick with the surgery and just try and avoid him at all costs - there are other (hopefully more sane) gp's there, or b) Change to another surgery (but hopefully without horrible comments in my notes). Any advice would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!

This could give someone a heart attack: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7N5OhNplEd4&feature=g-logo

I have been with Npower for several years now, I live in a three bedroom ex council terraced house with no gas supply so everything runs on electric. I have 2 meters, a standard rate meter and a low rate meter - this goes through a timeswitch. When I moved into the house, I had been on a prepayment meter for several years and then for a few years paying via direct debit, and I believe if I remember correctly that I had an opening credit balance when I first moved in. Since then the monthly direct debit charge has increased exponentially, unfortunately I dont have old bills to hand but I am currently paying £240 per month for my usage and according to Npower I have a debt of £600+ and rising. I have been negotiating for several years now every 3-6 months as the Npower computer sends me direct debit increases that have at times been over £400 a month - and I have to call and get them manually reduced to the measured usage (with no debt repayment) - and even whilst paying £240 a month my debt is steadily increasing. Several years ago I complained that the meter must be faulty, Npower customer services informed me that they are hardly ever faulty and said I would have to pay to have the meter checked. As I couldnt afford it at the time (with the bills and debt) I never got it done, I sort of buried my head in the sand and just paid the direct debit, of course this affected my normal lifestyle quite dramatically but as the only energy supply I had I couldnt risk disconnection - my child is disabled and I dont think I would hear the end of it if she lost her pc for example. I always thought the usage was crazy as my mortgage is less than that per month (I live in a cheap area!) - but I have had a debt in the past at a previous address that Npower almost disconnected so I just paid up. After the most recent letter telling me my monthly direct debit would be increasing to £378 a month I again negotiated with customer services back down the "normal" monthly amount of £240 - and I demanded a meter test - I explained with my bills what have I got to lose. The most recent Npower advisor I dealt with was very amiable and I think went the extra mile to help me out - but still couldnt see the plain fact the meter was broken - but at least this time there was no talk about repaying the debt - just about controlling it a little. I have been taking my own readings semi regularly for the past three years - but they all seemed to show the same details too. I also got the advisor to send me previous readings - put these in my spreadsheet and tried to interpret the graph - looking for a spike or some thing that marked the change (we had a surge a few years ago - set fire to my shed blew up a lot of my white goods) and I also have a small substation next to my house in a garage block (its an odd thing - has my address on it!). But the readings all matched; I sort of set myself thinking I must be using the power somehow and began rationing it, every white good that was destroyed was replaced with AAA rated appliances - our shower blew up and I never replaced, the heating has been switched off for several years now and we have been living like energy nomads - even using candles in the bathroom. I thought somehow there must be a big hole for electricity under my house and it just kept eating it. And of course Npower advised me that must be the case (not literally) but they didnt think that my usage was odd and blamed it on the current price increases. The meter test happened, initially they couldnt fit a meter but they sent a portable tester - another extra callout so another charge that would be applied if the meter wasn't faulty. But it appears I have been right all along. The technician who performed the test told me he had never seen a meter as faulty, he quoted a 2% tolerance fast/slow was allowed on the meter - but he then explained that at times our meter was running approximately 300-500% quicker than normal, but then dropping down to -20 to -30% slower than normal. So over recent years I have paid in the region of £6-8,000 to Npower (no exact figures to hand!) and I dont think I can determine what has been used or not - can the meter be tested to find out how much has been used - or if the meter is that screwed up what will happen next? I am sort of expecting NPOWER to send me an increased bill - its traditional. Advice please!!!