Hi all, First time post. I've read through all of the posts and the advice is extremely valuable. However, I have a very specific question about how debts are tracked when living abroad. I have the following debts here in the UK: Credit card 1: £2,500 Credit card 2: £5,500 Overdraft: £3,000 Student loan: £8,000 (post 1998) Long story short, I had an overdraft of £500 about 6 years ago. I went to work with a family member who promised much but delivered nothing and also didn't pay me a wage. Ultimately, I fell into debt, which I have managed to maintain and not default on but am yet to clear. I won't provide the sob story as it seems the debt collectors won't care! Reading the threads on here it seems that leaving and defaulting on bank/credit card debt in the UK whilst living in Australia will mean that I will 99% not be chased. However, I understand SLC debt is an entirely different story. I am willing to continue paying back my student loan (although seems unfair that this will be post tax and subject to currency exchange fees) but this will mean leaving a contact address in Australia. If I do default on the "private" debt can collection agencies get my address from SLC? As far as I'm aware the debt wouldn't be enforceable in Australia anyway and as long as I stayed away for 6-7 years it would be SB'd and off my credit file. I move in just over a month, so need to plan a course of action for continuing to pay the bank/credit card debts or simply leaving them behind and starting afresh. Thanks in advance.

Hi All Have been reading threads here and wish I had found this site yonks ago! I was wondering if anyone could offer me some advice on my current situation - is a little long winded so please bear with me: I moved to NZ in April 2010 following the end of a relationship. I was unable to sell joint house prior to leaving. In order to complete my move I borrowed from a CC and an unsecured loan, for whic I still owe approximately £22,0000. The plan had been to pay them back with proceeds from house sale. Not so, house has taken 4 1/2 yrs to sell, sold at huge loss and whilst it is due to complete next week, this isn't certain. repossession Agents are waiting inthe wings if the house fails to complete. I have maintained the loan repayments up until now and I can no longer keep them up at all. I was considering bankruptcy but I have been out of the UK for over 3 yrs, so thats complicated and asides from which, oddly enough, I can't afford to pay for it! (How ironic)... ... As of next Friday I will also no longer have a UK bank account. What I have gleaned (i think) from the threads on this site is that I should write to CC & loan company and tell them I now reside in NZ and provide my PO Box address (worried to say how long), cancel DD (which will happen anyway as UK bank will be terminated next week) and then wait for the nasty letters, which I then ignore and hope they don't send to an NZ DC, but if they do, re post on here and say help again?? Was hoping to return to UK next year for the first time, which I would be able to afford once I don't have to maintain my UK debt - might sound daft and just a little paranoid but I would be able to if they are looking for money?? Thanks in advance