Student loan issue

[danjure]

Hi all,

 

I've been reading posts with similar issues but my details are slightly different.

 

I left university in 1998 with approximately £2000 of student loans (all old style afaik), since leaving university i've moved around a great deal however i didn't tell the SLC where i was. Consequently i have never had any communication with them about repayments in the intervening 10 years, i've never even deffered payments. Yesterday my mother recieved a letter from the SLC asking her about my address and contact details. Currently i have a young family and i am on a relatively low wage and i worried that the SLC will have added lots of charges to the amount since they've not been able to contact me. I've also read that they can damage your credit history (although i've never had any problem getting credit in the past 10 years). My question is what should i do?

 

I'm going to tell my mum to forward on my contact details to them but i'm wondering how to play it from then. will i be able to pay just a small amount every month? what are the charges likely to be?

 

I think leagally the debt is statute barred since i haven't acknowledged the debt for over 10 years. is that correct? and if so how would i proceed?

 

I want to be honest with them but if i acknowledge the debt will it be much worse? What will they do to me once they've found me?

 

thanks in advance,

 

Dan

[reallymadwoman]

If they are the old style loans then they are statute barred and absolutely nothing SLC or you do can change that now.

 

Tell your Mum to bin the letter and ignore them. They don't trash your credit file and they cannot make you pay.

 

If however for some bizarre reason you want to pay them, contact them by all means but remember that the ball is very firmly in your court and they have no choice but to agree to whatever you suggest.

[kurvaface]

Hi danjure and welcome.

 

Have a read of my thread... you have nothing to worry about.

 

 

http://www.consumeractiongroup.co.uk/forum/students/191527-statute-barred-student-loan.html

[danjure]

Hi reallymadwoman and kurvaface, thanks for the quick reply!

 

What i don't want is them to keep hassling my mum, she has issues with authority and doesn't like the idea of just throwing away the letter. Wouldn't it be better to give them my address and then when they contact me reply with the statute barred letter as kurvaface did?

[kurvaface]

I don't think they are going to stop writing to your Mum, and provided you have no CCJ as a result of the SLC then you have nothing to lose by telling them where to go. I would first check that there is no CCJ against you.

[danjure]

well i got a new mortgage last year with no hassle so i presume there are no ccj's against me. To check do i just get my credit rating? Also, should i send a preemptive statute barred letter, or should i wait till they've contacted me?

 

Cheers,

 

Dan

[kurvaface]

Your loan may be statute barred but ccjs do not become statute barred although SLC would have to explain to the court why they are enforcing it only now. The ccj drops of your credit file after 6 years but you need to be sure that there isn't one lurking there that bites your behind later. Try this:

CCJs, court orders & fines - Search yourself and others - Trust Online

I think there is a fee but probably well worth the reassurance.