www.iva.co.uk

Hi all,

First timer here on the forum.

In my annual review I got a capped figure of £7 a month for dental treatment. Confirmed on the phone that it is an absolute maximum everybody is getting. For anything else, they said, there's a payment break. Seriously?

As also confirmed on the phone, creditors are expecting me to increase payments every year. Same (stable!) job, basic expences are ever growing (food, public transport, growing two children) - how such expectation can be made so easily? Thing is, in my review, I reflexted increased cost of leaving but most items were capped, some - at two years ago level. Feeling devasteted, how can I sustain this for 3-4 more years!...

Thanks

Hello and welcome. Who are you with ? They seem extraordinarily creditor centric !

You cannot increase your payment year on year without a corresponding rise in income and the guideline figures do increase (albeit slightly) periodically to account for inflation. The guideline figures for dental work are: £14 max for a single person, and for every other adult in the household a further £14. I actually had dental insurance at twice the agreed rate and they did not query that at all.

IVAs are supposed to be affordable and not a punishment. I suggest you email your IP directly with the queries and ask them to review your file. Make sure that you are receiving all your entitlements as this can help.

Harrington Brooks
Optical capped at £7, Medical at £8. Perhaps dental and optical together is £14 - and this, confirmed by BH, hasn't been increased in 2 years.
The list of capped items is very long. An interesting one - meals at work (central london!) at £40/mo max. Contingency £14. They were a bit easy on child related expences (separated family, mom not working, on benefits, 5yo and 9yo, one is autistic) and we managed from £350 sudden surplus to come to the same payment figure as last year in a hour long conversation. I am now not sure wherther to be greatful or what. By the end of the second year I was feeling desperate with this current payment with some problems just being in in denial: dental, seeing elderly father in another country, repairs of flat (risking burst radiator). Punished? I'm feeling barely kept alive in order that I keep paying. No energy to write and argue. I think I migt just survive another year. Not looking forward to the next year review. Sorry, a bit of an outburst. Hanged up the phone with HB 30min ago.

Yes, the dental / optical do share the same allowances. These are per adult .. not for the whole household.

The guidelines do not distinguish by location, so someone in the sticks is deemed to spend the same as someone in central london.

If you are struggling your IP has usually the discretion to reduce your monthly payments by up to 15% without calling a meeting of creditors or extending the IVA. It may be worth at least trying this especially if you and the IVA are under severe pressure. It is all very well having the payments kept at the same level but if this is not affordable then request a reduction.

I was allowed to claim for my prepayment prescription at full cost each month. I also was able to claim for optical and dental as well and a lot more than that. I was able to claim £35 per week for work meals and this was a few years ago. Perhaps contact Michael Peoples for an up to date list of allowances - he will usually email them to you.

I'm not half as experienced as the posters above me .... But my Denplan at £34 p/m and contact lenses at £24 p/m were never questioned !

I would go and have another chat with them

Ivan:

I'm with Harrington Brooks as well. They fall on the allowances a lot as a get out rather than helping you justify your own circumstances. It's not in their interests for any of them to help you minimise your payment. Just make sure you put the maximum for EVERYTHING. Let them negotiate it down. The allowances are there for a reason and the onus should be on them to prove that you don't need it.

It would be a HUGE help if someone posted a reasonably exhaustive list of allowances. I ignored their I and E form and sent them a spreadsheet I compiled by piecing together different bits of information I found. None of the lists seem complete. They overlap to some degree. The allowances are rubbish in a lot of cases. £1.80 a day for lunches? In the middle of London? £34 per month for contingencies?

Cheers
Andy

i used to be with harrington brooks when in my iva they allowed me all my allowances i claimed all within guidelines never queired. i would ring them again and have another go maybe get to speak to your IP

There is a set of allowances produced by Stepchange but these are guidelines and cannot be set in stone. I have argued for example that lorry drivers need extra for meals at work as they are obliged to stop every so often and have a break. Even a cup of coffee per day in a motorway service station would exceed the Stepchange guidelines and it is not feasible to demand that the driver takes a flask for the return journey to Spain as one creditor once suggested!

I have children who play sports which requires a lot of money when they reach certain levels and creditors have agreed to these expenses. I had one client who rescued dogs and had over twenty of them which was by far her biggest outlay. Creditors agreed to the expenses but told her not to take any more in until the IVA was over. I have a client who sends money to his family in Iraq as they were living under control of Islamic State and struggling to survive.

If you have a genuine expense then list it and argue your case. Ultimately, while you must adhere to any 'reasonable' request from the IVA supervisor, the IVA is your proposal and if agreement cannot be reached between debtor and supervisor a meeting of creditors can always be called and their opinion can be sought.

I remember a poster from many years ago who was told she might have to sell her horse! She didn't but I remember her being really worried at the time.

We had one like that too. The horse was quite old and the client had it from childhood so was desperate not to lose the horse. It cost about £150 per month to keep it and it was allowed. However creditors did say that if the horse passed away during the term of the IVA the payments were to go up.

Although too late for the OP and others already in an arrangement this highlights the need to find an IP who, as Nominee, fights your corner if needed, rather than one who lays down the law and is creditor centric or fee grabbing (whichever way you look at it) at the outset. Siome of these firms set the IVA up to fail by cutting everything far too fine at the outset.

Was the horses name Major by any chance?