Liaising with Creditors

Once you are in a place of safety and able to explain a bit more about your circumstances to the creditors it’s important to tell them some key bits of information if you can:

• How you found out about the debt. 
• How you believe the contract was taken out, if it wasn’t taken out by you.
• If you took the contract out because your partner/ex-partner pressured you – then are you able to explain to the bank the fears or worries you had about saying no to them? Would this have put you at more risk of further abuse?
• The impact the debt is having on you – are you finding it challenging or stressful?
• If you are struggling to keep up with your essential bills and costs – the bank or creditor may refer to this as being in ‘financial hardship’ 
• If you have any support services working with you – would they be able to provide a supporting letter about your circumstances. 
• If you have had any involvement with Police or made any reports to Action Fraud it’s important to include any crime reference numbers. 

There is more information about Fraud and Coerced debt in our guide here

If you have any joint bank accounts or savings accounts, then we strongly advise you to contact the Bank to ensure that your partner/ex-partner does not remove any funds or make changes to the account without your knowledge or consent.  The bank will be able to freeze the account, which means no one will be able to access the account unless both parties have contacted the bank to activate the account again.  

For more information about how to manage joint bank accounts see our Joint Accounts Guide.

Sometimes survivors may not be aware of arrears with rent or council tax, until they have separated or fled from their abuser.

Housing costs

If you have rent arrears for your current or a previous home, it’s important that you address them as soon as it is safe for you to do so. For rent arrears, or debt/overpayment with Housing Benefit, you can contact the local council where you live to speak about possible support. You may be able to apply for a Discretionary Housing Payment from the council to support with a rent shortfall, rent deposit or rent in advance if you need to move.

Council Tax

Council tax debt is also considered a priority debt and needs to be addressed as soon as it is safe to do so. If you know or think you have arrears with your current or previous council tax bill, and you are struggling to pay, you may be eligible for support from the council.

It’s important to check if you are eligible for support for things like Council Tax Reduction benefit, Single Person Discount, or an additional Discretionary Reduction from the council. Your local council’s website should have more information about these different types of support or call them to find out more.

It’s become easy to shop online, and when we use our phone, tablet or laptop, or anyone else’s device, online shopping accounts often offer to save things like log in details and card details or sometimes this happens automatically. This makes it quite easy for a partner/ex-partner to use your devices and accounts to make purchases and spend your money. 

If someone else has access to your device or your email account, they may be able to set up fraudulent online shopping accounts and charge the purchases to you. This is another form of fraud. Keeping track of the accounts that are open to you through your credit report, and checking your online banking statements regularly can help identify if this is happening. 

For more information about securing online financial accounts see our guide here.

Learn more about two-factor authentication.

When speaking with any Creditor it is advisable to make a note/record of the conversations you have had and the outcome of the conversation in case you need to chase the Creditor later.  

If you have any Police Reports, or you have reported anything to Action Fraud, when speaking to Creditors let them know this.