Debt Driving U Mad

What if I am made redundant or lose my job?

If you are made redundant you should contact your mortgage company, landlord and other creditors to advise them of this fact. If you own your own home please click here for more specific information and also here

You should make a claim for Job seekers allowance using the following link and also apply for housing benefit if you are able to.

The quicker you make the claims the quicker you will be paid your benefit and be able to pay your rent and by food. For more information on benefits you may be entitled to please click here

What if my circumstances change?

If you are claiming housing and or council tax benefit you should inform them if you have a change in circumstances. A change in circumstances is usually a change to income or the ages of any children you have in the home or if another adult has joined or left the household. It is important to notify the agency paying you your benefit to avoid an overpayment or underpayment of benefit. More help on this can be found by clicking here

Back to work help etc?

If you are thinking of going back to work then please click here for information and help around benefits you may still be entitled too, advice on how to approach interviews and applications and a host of other useful pieces of information for re-entering the work place.

If you have been receiving benefits and have now started work you should contact your mortgage lender or landlord to advise them of this change to arrange payments of your rent/mortgage.

Information on Benefits, how to apply and what you maybe entitled too.

What if I need credit?

Before you get a loan it is important to ensure that you can afford the repayments and that the loan is reasonable. A comparison table is given below to show the different home credit loans available and average Annual Percentage Rates (APR’s)

Name of Loan Provider	Amount borrowed	APR*	Amount you are charged for credit	Total amount repayable over 52 weeks
Provident	£300	272.2%	£246	£546
Greenwood Personal Credit	£300	433.4%	£195	£495
LoansAtHome4u.co.uk	£300	230.2% - 281.5%	£220	£520
everyone can buy with homebuy	£300	299.5%*	£196.81	£496.81
Shopacheck Financial Services	£300	254.5%	£225.01	£525.01
Bristol Finance	£300	365.1%	£204.01	£504.01
Panter & Son Limited	£300	148.9% - 166.3%	£180.01	£480.01
Batten Finance(Plymouth) Ltd	£300	190.1% - 210.6	£144.01 - £198.01	£444.01 - £498.01
Credit Unions	£300	12.68%average	£18.48	£318.48

* Interest rates based on information from LendersCompared.org.uk

As you can see from the table above Credit Unions provide a more affordable way to access credit. For more information please click the link below and enter the Local Authority area you live in to see a list of Credit Unions in your area.

http://www.abcul.org/page/members.cfm

Loan comparison websites will often find a loan that meets your needs. Please use the calculator below and the budget sheet to ensure you can afford any loans.

Loan Calculator
Money comparison website

What if I need a bank account?

You can download a guide to basic bank accounts by clicking here
To compare all types of bank account then visit
Money comparison website which will allow you to see what deals are about.

money advice plus