The way you repay your debt will depend – among other things – on how much debt you are actually carrying. In other words, different kinds of debt will have different solutions. Here, we will take a look at just a few solutions to the kinds of debts people come up against.
Small, manageable debts
If you are carrying small, manageable debts, you may find that something like a debt consolidation loan would be suitable for you.
A debt consolidation loan simply allows you to repay all your existing unsecured debts in one go – leaving you with one debt to repay to one creditor. Not only this, but you can arrange to repay your loan over a longer timeframe – meaning you won’t be paying as much each month. Repaying a debt more slowly does mean it’ll be accruing interest for longer, so make sure you calculate how much it would cost you, and if it’s worth it.
Of course, if your debts are manageable, you may not need to turn to this at all, as you should be repaying them as planned and heading towards your goal of becoming debt free. However, if you simply want to make your debts easier to manage and/or lower the amount of money you spend each month, a debt consolidation loan may be right for you.
Large, unmanageable debts
If you are struggling with large, unmanageable debts, though, you may want to seek IVA advice (Individual Voluntary Arrangement advice). Seeking IVA advice will help determine whether an IVA is suitable for you.
An IVA is a formal debt solution: an agreement between you and your creditors in which you’ll be required to repay as much of your debt as you can afford. You will need to commit to making regular reduced monthly payments for the duration of the IVA before it can go ahead. Also, voting creditors accounting for at least three quarters of your debt must accept the terms of the agreement before it can begin. And an IVA is a kind of insolvency and will damage your credit rating, making it harder to borrow in the future.
You should seek IVA advice before you decide on a way of tackling your unmanageable debts. Even if an IVA isn’t right for you – you may be advised to look into an alternative debt solution such as debt management or bankruptcy.
