Advice to move forward in life......

[Wonderwall1]

Hi all.

 

Hope everybody had a good Xmas.

 

Over the last few months I have been thinking long and hard about my financial situation, and more so how to get out of the renting circle and back into owning my own home.

 

The facts are:

 

Old Life

 

40 year old (male)

Divorced September 2007

Marital home repossessed 4/08 ( I left 10/07 - Ex left 12/07)

Repossessed due to no communication between her & I **NO EQUITY IN PROPERTY**

House sold leaving approx. £20k shortfall - No paperwork/court case as our new address not known.

Various unsecured debts with no communication/payments since 09/07 ( Statue Barred ?)

 

New Life

Rented private since September 2010

Never registered on Voters Roll

Moved to new rented property September 2015

No Bank account since September 2007

NO CCJ's registered on Trustonline - have searched ALL address over last 10 years.

No mobile phone account in my name.

Infact, nothing in my name, other than tenancy agreement

 

So, I don't know if the lack of communication is from not registering for anything, but I would like to start moving forward and getting a bank account, going on the voters roll etc etc, however I am concerned about opening a can of worms and getting chased for these debts.

 

Know I now there will be some divided opinions that I should make contact with all my creditors and start paying off my debts, but it is not something I want to do for reasons that I wont go into here.

 

As stated initially, I would like to get back into the housing market - my wife and I earn in excess of £50k pa, and she has an A1 credit rating, however I earn the most.

 

We could afford a mortgage no problem at all, and I believe I deserve a 2nd chance, the marital home was only repossessed due to both my ex & I being stupidly stubborn over offers that we received for the property and we were not talking, estate agents were the go between, and things just went pear shaped.

 

Sorry for the long post, can anyone help with the best step forward without dragging up the past?

 

I know I need a full credit report, but cannot do this until I get a bank account to prove my identity.

 

Thanks all & Happy New Year.

[fkofilee]

£2 stat report... From each CRa....

 

Your best friend

[Wonderwall1]

Thanks fkofilee, I did try this a while ago, however I think I may of messed it up as had letter from them saying I needed to call them as they couldn't verify identity etc etc, I think I applied using different address and it confused their system!!!

 

I will apply for the £2 stat report using my current address + my previous 5 year address, but will this not be a true reflection as I was not registered at my previous address and I have not had ANY sort of credit since September 07?

 

I would imagine it would come back completely blank!!!!!!!

 

Just a thought, if potential lenders only search the last 5 years, and nothing is on my report, do I even have to go into my situation?

 

I mean they can only know from a credit check, and wouldn't they get the same details as me, i.e nothing?

[fkofilee]

Oh there will be something on your report!

[dx100uk]

you could always do the written £2 version.

 

 

 

 

Here is the message that has just been posted:

***************

not all the creditors/dcas report to ALL of the CRAs.. so to obtain a full check, you really need to contact the 3 main players.

.

Company Secretary

Equifax Limited

Capital House

25 Chapel Street

London

NW1 5DS

.

 

Company Secretary

CallCredit Limited

1, Park Lane,

LEEDS

West Yorkshire

LS3 1EP

.

Company Secretary

Experian Limited

Talbot House

Talbot Street

Nottingham

NG80 1TH

 

.

You can either complete the forms online or send a letter (below) with a £2.00 postal order.

.

---Quote---

All of the three Credit reference agencies offer a paper version and they only cost £2

.

Noddle (who are part of CallCredit) off free online credit reports but as they are the smallest of the threee, they may not have all the info

.

Experian paper app.

http://www.experian.co.uk/downloads/consumer/cfa.pdf

.

Call credit

http://www.callcredit.co.uk/media/53...itfile-app.pdf

.

Equifax

http://www.equifax.co.uk/Products/cr..._file_0310.pdf

.

Send with a £2 postal order.

.

You can use Experians online free trial. just make sure you cancel before the trial runs out

.

Address

.

Company Secretary

CallCredit Limited

1, Park Lane,

LEEDS

West Yorkshire

LS3 1EP

.

Dear Sir or Madam,

*Limited Data Subject Access Request

s9(2) The Data Protection Act 1998*

.

I hereby request a copy of my Statutory Credit Report, served under s9(2) of The Data Protection Act 1998.

.

I enclose the Statutory Fee of £2 paid via Postal Order, number: 123456.

For the purposes of confirming my identity, I can confirm the following details:

.

*My full name*:

.

*My Maiden Name: *

.

*My Date of Birth*:

.

*My current Address*:

.

I have lived at the above address for XX years.

.

I note that under s7(3) of the above Act, a data controller is not obliged to comply with a request under this section unless he is supplied with such information as he may reasonably require in order to satisfy himself as to the identity of the person making the request and to locate the information which that person seeks.

.

However, I feel the above information identifies me sufficiently to discharge your obligations to establish my identity before posting my Credit Report.

.

I am aware that you have 7 Working Days to post the Credit Report to me, commencing the day after this s9(2) Statutory Request has been delivered to your Company.

.

*This letter must not be regarded as granting your Company any Data Consent*.

.

Yours faithfully,

.

*Enclosures:

*1 x Statutory £2.00 Fee via Postal Order Number: 123456

.

*Notes*:this letter is being sent via Royal Mail Special Delivery service

---End Quote---

.

there is also

www.checkmyfile.com

.

....ends

.

 

 

 

 

I'd be getting yourself on voters etc asap.

[citizenB]

If your debt is mostly in the form of unsecured credit and you have neither acknowledged or made payment since 2007, it is almost certain that it will be statute barred now.

 

The shortfall on the repossessed home though, I believe can be pursued for 12 years. However, if you read the letter in the link below - if your Mortgage company belongs to the Council of Mortgage Lenders, if they haven't made contact for over 6 years then you might be able to let go of that as well.

 

http://www.consumeractiongroup.co.uk/forum/showthread.php?387506-Mortgage-shortfalls-Lender-should-not-pursue-under-CML-policy-*Correct-at-Oct-2013*

 

Why don't you test the water so to speak.

 

a) Get a hold of your credit files from the 3 main agencies - most unsecured credit should no longer be reported if the company had defaulted you.

b) start a bank account - where have you been putting your salary since 2007 if you haven't a bank account ? - Suggest that you go with one that you have had no connection to in your debts.

c) get yourself on the electoral roll ( you might need to do that to start a bank account)

d) you will need to start building a credit record if yours is now clean so utilities, mobile phone might help.

 

If by some chance any of your creditors start pursuing, then you have the safety net of most of the debts being statute barred.

[fkofilee]

Clearscore doesnt need a debit card for verification.

[Wonderwall1]

Ah right, but how I wonder, I know there are no CCJ's, and my current and previous address were unknown to all, so how would it show any debt from the address where all the debt was registered ( 1997-2007).

 

I never received ONE letter in the 5 years I was there!!!

 

Thank you dx100uk, very helpful, and yes the voters roll, my only concern was being "found".

 

@citizenB Many thanks for your time to reply

 

I have been "off the radar" since Sept 2007.

I have made sure that my name didn't go on ANYTHING, not even my email address.

 

My salary has been paid into my wife account, mobile is in my wife's name, I just have our "savings" card and then funds are transferred back into it from the current account.

 

I would like to know more about the mortgage shortfall, but I honestly couldn't even say who it was with!!!!

 

fkofilee said:

Clearscore doesnt need a debit card for verification.

 

@fkofilee Ok. thanks, will look into it.

[Miss Hope]

Hello

 

You are right. Your 2007 debts are statute barred (they become statute barred when 6 years has elapsed).

You're probably wrong about "opening a can of worms" if you now get on the electoral roll or get a bank account. If your debtors wanted to pursue you, I believe they would have done so by now and there are ways to find you even without a forwarding address. Even if old debts did surface, you could simply remind them that the debts are statute barred.

 

Mortgage: You may say that you can afford a mortgage, but you have nothing personally to show that you can. You say that you are earning more than your wife but I can't help wondering where your earnings are paid in and, as you know, you will need to prove your income be it self-employed or salaried.

 

Bank Account: I would suggest that you open at least a "basic bank account" and many banks have basic bank accounts but you will have to ask as they are not readily publicised. This will help boost your credit score too but it takes time. Another way of boosting your credit score is to take out, say, a catalogue, buy something from it and pay it off regularly every month. This will show stability.

 

Electoral Roll: You may struggle to get a mortgage if you're not on it. The next updates from Local Authorities to Credit Reference Agencies are in January, so you'll make it in time if you phone them next week. Otherwise you may have to wait another six months before your credit file is updated.

 

ID: Having a bank account does not prove your identity. A utility bill/ drivers licence / passport does.

 

 

Hope it goes well

 

PLEASE NOTE I AM NOT AN EXPERT, BUT I NEARLY AM

[Wonderwall1]

MissHope, many thanks for your reply.

 

My salary has been paid into my wife's bank account since I started with my current employer ( March 2011).

 

Kind Regards

 

@citizenB Very interesting link - thank you.