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Why Protected Trust Deed Advice Could Solve Your Debt Problem
Why Protected Trust Deed Advice Could Solve Your Debt Problem
In the current economic crisis, the words ‘debt’ and ‘household’ have almost become inseparable, especially in financial matters. Household debt issues dominate most financial and economic analysis debates in the media. According to UK’s Office for Budget Responsibility, household debt is expected to hit £1,823bn by 2015, which translates to £72,341 for every household. In the face of such worrisome predictions, the potential for bankruptcy is indeed high and everyone needs a back-up plan should it unfortunately occur.
In Scotland bankruptcy is also called ‘sequestration’ – a very unsettling reference indeed. However, Scottish residents are fortunate enough to have a new debt legislation known as the protected trust deed (PTD) which helps them process their debt issues without being ‘sequestrated’ or declared bankrupt. In the legal framework, it is a legally binding agreement between a debtor and a creditor in Scotland whereby the debtor agrees to pay off his or her debts over a pre-agreed, and most convenient, period of time. It is a form of a trust deed that only works in Scotland. Such trust deeds Scotland legislation recognizes under the Bankruptcy Act are usually administered by an Insolvency Practitioner.
There are two types of trust deeds Scotland has for debt related matters. These are voluntary and PTD. Basically, a voluntary trust deed allows debtors to repay part of what they owe their creditors but the agreement is not valid unless both parties agree to specific terms. On the other hand, the latter takes the agreement a step further since it is binding on creditors. This means that a debtor is assigned a trustee who evaluates his financial details before making an arrangement with his creditors to remove any interest and a percentage of what is owed with a view of making it easier to repay what is owed. Many creditors will always settle for less rather than nothing should you opt for bankruptcy. On your part you will need to cooperate with the trustee, make the agreed monthly payments, avoid further credit, and inform the trustee of any income you get beyond £200.
PTD has got several advantages which include the following:
• Your assets will be protected from creditors because it would be against the law to touch your home or Car under this Act.
• All your debt worries are handled by the trustee.
• It is more flexible and also affordable in comparison to sequestration.
• Unlike in bankruptcy, you would still be legally allowed to hold a public office.
• The information regarding your financial standing is not published like it happens when you are sequestered in Scotland.
A trust deed can only gain the desired protected status after a notice about your intention to have a protected trust deed is placed in the Edinburgh Gazette and communicated to all your creditors. Generally, creditors have a period of five weeks to raise any objection they might have regarding your intention. Though it won’t completely let you off the hook, getting the right protected trust deed advice can significantly reduce your debt nightmare.
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When you are struggling with the weight of debt you are under, you find that you are repaying everything you have and it’s still not enough to pay the interest payments alone, let alone reducing the debt you’re in, life can be extremely stressful.
With bailiffs and debt collectors visiting your home, calling every single day trying to get more money and writing you letters you may feel like there’s no escape.
Here at Trust Deed Scotland we are here to tell you that help is at hand, and that there is a way to turn everything around thanks to a Trust Deed.
A Trust Deed is by no means an easy way out, but will see you sell your assets, and make affordable monthly contributions towards your debt over a 36 month period. In return you will see all your creditors call off the debt collection agents and bailiffs, as well as freezing the interest on your debt at 0%. At the end of the 36 months they’ll also clear any remaining debt and you’ll be free to start again with no liability to any of those creditors.
A Trust Deed allows you to pay back as much as you possibly can, without falling further into debt.
One of the biggest advantages of a trust deed through Trust Deed Scotland is that we won’t charge you any upfront fees, so you don’t need to find the money to then save yourself.
This is because we understand that any additional expenditure on top of your debt is an additional source of stress and anxiety. We are here to help you with your trust deed, not hinder you, and we have helped thousands of other people in Scotland already.
Our charges are taken from your monthly contributions that come from your income, so whilst you’ll still pay for the service of your trustee, you won’t have to raise the money in the first place, and can pay for their services over time.
Whilst a trust deed is not easy, and should never be seen as an easy way out it still offers a very real alternative to bankruptcy, and offers far less restrictions regarding keeping and looking for new jobs.
If you are struggling under the weight of your debt, you live in Scotland, or have done in the last year, then speak to us and we’ll work with you to help get you out of debt again.
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The Scottish people have a reputation for being frugal, and very careful of their money, but the latest recession has seen thousands of them falling further and further into debt.
A trust deed is a government approved scheme, which was passed as part of the 1985 Bankruptcy Scotland Act, which enabled Scottish residents to enter into a trust deed which would see them significantly reduce their debts after a 36 month repayment period.
Scottish residents entering into a trust deed usually only pay back part of the money they owe to their creditors, with the remaining balance wiped clear at the end of the 36 months.
Here at Trust Deed Scotland we specialise in helping you find help through the government approved scheme if you are struggling under the weight of your debt. We are always careful to point out that a trust deed is by no means an easy way out, and that entering into an agreement has its advantages and disadvantages.
A trust deed does however allow Scottish residents to take control of their own finances, reducing their levels of debt down to a manageable, and is one of the only ways to avoid bankruptcy whilst still paying back as much money as they can.
With a team of expert advisors we are able to set you up with a practitioner who will act as your trustee throughout the process and you won’t be charged any fees up front. The trustee will take their fee from the money you pay over the 36 months of your trust deed, as is common with many government approved debt schemes in the UK.
The fact that a trust deed is a government approved scheme also helps you to get your creditors onside. To get your trust deed to a protected status you will need to convince two thirds of your creditors, by value of the money you owe to agree to the scheme, at which point all creditors, regardless of their vote have to legally abide by the rules surrounding a trust deed.
With many creditors seeing that the government approved scheme will see them get more of the money they are owed back than they would through bankruptcy, many are likely to agree to the trust deed, giving you a big step towards being in control of your finances again.
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When you owe a lot of money, and you are repaying everything you possibly can but it’s still not enough, there’s nothing worse than the stress you feel when your creditors carry on trying to get more from you. You feel fear when answering the door, in case it’s a bailiff or debt collection agent, and you don’t want to pick up the phone in case it’s yet another phone call from another of your creditors asking why your payments late, or when you are going to be able to pay them the money you owe them.
Many people get to a stage where they are too scared to open their post, knowing that many of the letters sent to them will be yet another warning, threatening legal action of some form or another.
All of this pressure can really stress you out, and many people simply just want a few days protection from their creditors to get their head straight and to work out a repayment plan.
A trust deed, which then becomes protected is the perfect way to not only get protection from your creditors, the bailiffs and the debt collection agents, but also to make positive steps towards paying off the money you owe and towards being debt in a stable financial position.
By entering into a trust deed you effectively give up ownership of all of your assets, the majority of which will be sold, to help repay the money you owe. You’ll then see a portion of your wages passed to your creditors over a 36 month period, after which point most of your remaining debts will be completely cleared.
During a protected trust deed, all creditors must legally leave you alone, giving you total protection from your creditors, and their only contact with you can come through your trustee, who you will have employed to help you, and who is trained to find the best solution for both you and your creditors.
The amount you have to pay each month will be calculated based on the amount you earn, and will always leave you enough money to pay your bills and to live, so you don’t fall into further debt during the period of paying back the money.
With creditors off your back and your repayment plan well in place you can relax and enjoy learning to live on a budget again, which will stand you in good stead when you are discharged from your trust deed and can start again with a fresh slate.
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The Trust Deed is a government approved scheme which came from the 1985 Scottish Bankruptcy Act and has been designed as an alternative to bankruptcy which suits both the consumer and the creditor.
Very simply, when you take out a Trust Deed the idea is that you pay back all that you can afford to over a three year period, and that at the end of that period all remaining liabilities and debt are wiped clear. There are certain stipulations, including the fact the trust deed must become protected, which is achieved by getting two thirds of creditors to agree to the trust deed. (Two thirds calculated by value of debt rather than number)
Whilst a customer who is declared bankrupt will see all of their assets taken from them, sold off and split between the creditors, a trust deed works in a slightly different way, and offers benefits to both the consumer and the creditor.
A trust deed will see the consumer give up the majority of their assets (the ones not needed for day to day life, or their employment) including the equity they own in their home, and then a portion of their salary over a 36 month period. This act is seen as doing all the consumer can to pay back as much of their debt as they physically can.
Creditors receive far more this way, and in return will completely wipe clear any remaining debt, and liabilities at the end of the 36 month period.
Consumers who own their home may sometimes be able to stay living in it as the trustee, the independent practitioner in charge of your trust deed will endeavour to sell your equity share to a relative or friend of yours to allow you to stay in your home.
Whilst a trust deed is far from being the easy way out, it allows you to hold your head high and say you did everything you could to pay back all the money you could afford, and also allows you to carry on working in your same job, and to search for alternate employment as a trust deed carries far fewer restrictions than bankruptcy does.
With tens of thousands of Scottish residents spiralling further and further into debt, Trust Deed Scotland are confident that we can help them find their way back to a clean slate in just three years with the help of a trust deed.
