Help with Debt

Getting help

The help you may need depends on your circumstances. You may need help:

• to sort out your borrowing and get out of debt; or
• protecting your repayments in case something goes wrong.

If you're having difficulty keeping up with your payments, don't ignore it. No matter how bad things may seem, the good news is that you can get free and expert help. If you have more than one loan and you're thinking of consolidating your borrowing - ie negotiating a new loan to repay existing loans, take care. Get expert help from specially trained advisers.

Several organisations can help you find out where you stand and your legal rights, and can arrange the help of a debt adviser to suggest a way forward to your lenders..

Don't struggle alone - get help now.

Protecting your borrowing

Some lenders suggest you buy payment protection insurance (PPI) from them when you start a credit card or loan. PPI helps you keep up your payments on a loan or credit card, in the event you can't work because of illness or redundancy - but only for a fixed period of time. This means that the insurance company will pay the monthly repayments (or a percentage of them) on your behalf fora set time- usually 12 or 24 months. For more information see Payment Protection Insurance.

You can compare the features and costs of PPI products using impartial comparison tables at Compare PPI[ http://www.fsa.gov.uk/tables/bespoke/PPI ].

• Advice uk (http://www.adviceuk.org.uk)
Links to advice services across the UK
• Citizens' Advice Bureaux [ http://www.adviceguide.org.uk ]
See phone book for local branch
• Consumer Credit Counselling Service [ http://www.cccs.co.uk ]
08001381111
• Community Legal Service [ http://www.clsdirect.org.uk ]
(only England and Wales) 0845 345 4 345 (Call rates may vary)
• National Debtline [ http://www.nationaldebtline.co.uk]
0808 808 4000
• Money Advice Scotland [ http://www.moneyadvicescotland.org.uk ]
0141 5720237