www.iva.co.uk

Hi I got approved an Iva a few weeks ago and my first payment was taken this month. I am now in a state as I made an assumption getting a dog for myself and my family wouldn't be a problem but now I'm panicking thinking they won't approve and my iva will be cancelled . As your not supposed to take holidays etc with spare cash as I'm lead to believe ! Please help am I going to have to rehome the pup?

Hi and welcome,

Why would yu have to do that? I had three dogs during my IVA and there was not a problem.

Hello, not sure what you are basing your information on but we have had a dog throughout our iva and there is even an allowance for pets within the guidelines. I have also managed a couple of basic holidays although that does involve exceptional budgeting and overtime at work.

The only hitch here is that, if you enter the IVA with a pet the expenses of that pet are part of your agreed allowances ( within reason). However, if you decide to take on a pet once in the IVA, the creditors are unlikely to agree to fund it and you will simply have to fund it from your already agreed housekeeping allowance.

If you choose to eat Lidl beans instead of Heinz to pay for dog food, that is your choice and your IP needn't get involved.

We didn't have a dog at the start of our iva and had an allowance at our next annual review. It was fab, free exercises walking her and the perfect excuse why we were not taking holidays!

We did manage odd weekends away with careful budgeting and using clubcard points for meals out etc

We got a dog during our iva and our ip added the pups expenses into our iva,it didn't reduce our payments but stopped them raising that year

IP's do have some discretion -- but often refuse to use it (at least to the debtor's advantage). I have noticed a considerable "hardening" of attitudes over the last few years, primarily by the bigger firms with closer connections to the creditors.

Must admit that we were allowed expenses for all of ours, including the insurance. I suppose we were very lucky there.

I have to agree with the other posters and you have done nothing wrong. If you do not receive an allowance for pets you can add this in at the next review and while it is only £34 it would help. IVAs are not supposed to be punishments so you fine with the dog.

I got my doggie half way through my IVA.

I didn't ask IP for an allowance for him, just some careful budgeting.

Dog food came out of our normal household budget but we were allowed insurance.

Then again this was back in 2008 when allowances were a lot more flexible.

Thankyou very much for your replies I'm glad I won't have to give her up I was just panicking that they would have not approved. Do I mention it to my IP now or wait until a review is brought up ? Thanks

Personally, I would leave it until the review and see how you get on with the extra expenditure on your current allowances.

We waited and then added to new I&E but we had her the end of May and our review was July. I had had an incremental rise in the April so it wasn't so tight for money.