Hi,
I am self-employed. Due to an injury I have been out of work since March. Last month I managed, simply by selling items, such as my iphone. Anyway during April and May just about scrapped by. I managed to pay bills, but as I said, only by selling own property. Am on verge of selling my rings, thats how bad things are. Anyway I told my IP about the situation and would keep her updated. Although I have had no income for 3 months now I have still kept up payments, but the IP has no idea of this. When I first went out of work I asked to miss one payment, which they agreed to. Now another payment is due today, and frankly I have nothing else to sell and can't find the money. I am too afraid to tell my IP as I am worried that they will force us into bankruptcy. We are 3 years into the IVA and up until now, have been managing. Should I struggle, find the money anyway possible or tell them.
Kalf - speak to your IP/IVA company right away and explain your situation - dont just stop payments to your IVA. Your IVA company may be able to offer a payment break for a couple of months - but unless you tell them your situation they wont know !!!
Hi Kalf, please please don't struggle on like this, 3 years in your IP will not want to fail your IVA and they would be mortified to hear you have been selling items to make your payments.
Give them a call NOW and let them know the situation, they may be able to offer a more substantial break to give you time to get back back on your feet until perhaps you're well enough to work again.
Hi Kalf.
Sorry to hear about your problems. I'd definately speak to your IP as soon as possible. The sooner they know the truth about whats been going on, the sooner they can look into a solution for you. I'm sure as you are 3 years in and have kept payments upto date until now they'll be able to sort something out for you x
When you make a mistake, don't look back at it long...the past cannot be changed. It is the present and future that counts
Hiya, we were in a similar situation - selling property to pay the bills. We spoke to the IP who have put plans into place for a F&F offer to the creditors. 3 years in with 2 missed payments.
Do speak to your IP - they can't help if they don't know whats going on.
Thank you for the replies. I am having physio and pain management for a back injury. I will not be back to work anytime soon. I work for an ambulance service on a bank basis (not employed), as such my job involves a lot of lifting, so unless completely fit, can see myself being off work for a very long time. My worry is that the IP will see no choice but to make us bankrupt, and quite honestly I feel 3 years of being in an IVA will have been a waste of time. If this is the case I may as well have done this 3 years ago. By now we would have been clear. So I desperately don't want to fail the IVA, I feel we have gone too far to fail now.
Kalf, on a side note, I work for the health service aswell and you should not be doing any lifting, the health services as an employer now have to put policies in place and provide equipment so no manual lifting is done at all.
Kalf - sorry to hear of your back injury - nasty !! speak to your company - explain to them what you have said on here - and hopefully you be able to move on postively -
Best of luck anyway - and hang on here for some moral support
Hi Lem, In a hospital setting the no lifting policy may work, in an ambulance service it does not. Even our equipment is heavy. If you are a lone worker on a rapid response vehicle, for resus say, you have to carry in a heavy defib, drugs bag, oxygen bag, suction unit, your own paramedic bag with equipment, often up flights of stairs. You haven't time to do this in many runs, on a resus, you carry all this equipment in first go. On a two-manned ambulance, although we have chairs so as not to carry patient down the stairs, in an emergency, often we carry patient down the stairs on a carry chair. If a patient is on the floor we have to lift the patient onto our carry chair or the bed. We do have equipment to get people off the floor, but often our patients are not in a position to be able to use this equipment. When a patient becomes ill, often the place we find them is in the toilet, stuck behind a door. What I am saying is that in the nhs ambulance service, staff still have to lift.
Please do not lose hope. The last thing your IP wants is your IVA to fail and they will do all they can to keep it running for you.
I have been in a similar situation to you. Six months into our IVA my husbamd was made redundant, one month before Christmas 2010. Then when he did find a job, after two months was made redundant again!
When my husband was first made redundant, I contacted our IP immediately and explained our situation. She was absolutely wonderful and we took a payment break for 3 months.
When my husband was made redundant a second time I contacted her again. We could have had a payment break of up to 6 months but decided not to. Instead we reduced our IVA payments by 15% (this is something you can do).
My husband is now self employed and each month is different to the other and it is a struggle.
If our situation changes for the worse I will contact our IP again and will ask for a variation meeting to see if payments can be reduced further.
Always speak to your IP, its what they are there for. You must always keep them informed if your circumstances change as there are many options available to you.
I hope things improve for you soon and that you can get back to work once your health is better.
Thank you for your help and the advice. Actually feel I can approach the IP now. But the reason I didn't want to, was because when I asked for the first payment break, I was then told that I had to submit my management accounts monthly, that we also had to submit my husbands payslips monthly. As it is we have to submit these quarterly as well as the annual review. I felt as if my IP didn't believe us, and that as a result they want to see everything on a monthly basis. So I didn't feel they were sympathetic, and as a result I have hidden our circumstances since March in fear of what they would do.
Kalf - was it your IP you spoke or a case worker ? If you can support you medical issues (ie GP letter)if required, then it will add to support what you saying.
