www.iva.co.uk

Hi,
This may seem like a very silly question when you've just enetered an IVA, but here goes. (Excuse is i'm Irish and blonde!!).
Is there anything I can do over the next 5 years to help my credit rating get better?
I think the new car agreement I have (see details on another of my posts) may help but is there anything else. Please understand I do not want credit cards or loans, but if possible in the future I may want a mortgage - I'm having to sell my house as part of the IVA and being single and childless I worry about living with Eleanor Rigby Syndrome (Sunday Mail You magazine article, the sunday paperonly treat!!).
Hope all of you going through this can help.
This site is great I feel like I have a whole new big family and since I joined you've turned my "cann't go on" feelings around things are getting better and the light at the end of the tunnel is getting brighter (Oh yes I started the happy pills today so will hopefully feel even better tomorrow!!!)

Love & hugs,
Chardonnay

Not sure Caerrie,

Pleased that you are feeling a bit better, and you have some happy pills, they may take up to six weeks to make a difference though. I was on a very high dose for 6 years after the birth of my twins, they were a life saver, even though I have been off them now for a year, there are some weeks I could easily do with a pick me up.

Take care,

Kirsty

If you already have a mobile phone contract they post information about how you maintain it on the reference agencies, but other than that no because we cannot have any credit.

If your not on contract already, or looking to swap I would not bother they reject you or at least orange and 02 do

Your file will probably have a load of defaults on it anyway if it is anything like mine, eventually they will drop off after 6 years from registration so it will be clean then.

Once the IVA is complete, send the certificate to say it was completed successfully to all 4 credit reference agencies that will help too.

sorry to hijack,

with regards to mobile phones I am looking to change my sons from ufix on t mobile sim £15 contract on vodafone, I already have a contract on vodafone, do you think they will accept it?

Kirsty

A lot of bank accounts report to the credit reference agencies so if yours does that will help.

Vodafone may be ok Kirsty - I get the impression that if you are already with them they don't credit check you again. I'm with Vodafone and they upgraded my phone when I was still BR with no problems.

I'm on a 18 month vodafone contract, and they've renewed my contract, 18 months into my IVA

Not sure about taking out a brand new contract though, how old is your son can he apply himself?

He is 13,

Think I may need to go in and see them, my contract has been renewed whilst on IVA. It is the basic £15 sim only contract that I was looking at it only requires 30 days notice too, so maybe that will help. The one he is on in T mobile is rubbish.

Kirsty

I would ask and see if they will add an additional phone to your contract, that may be one way round it.

I pay 9.99 a month and get 100 texts and 100 mins with stop the clock and vodafone passport but have been with them along time and negotiated that contract with them and is more than good enough for what I use it for.

Thanks that sounds more than enough for my son, most of his calls are to me which are at the moment most of his meagre allowance, but if he were on vodafone they would be free.

will let you know how I get on.

Kirsty

Hi All,
I'm with T mobile and have just renewed my contract - went for more minutes and texts rather than an upgrade phone so I would agree if you are alraedy with a company and can stay there do so as they don't seem to recheck your credit history.
On the happy pill front these are a new generation which work in a couple of days and don't have the side effects of the others like Prozac. They're called Citalopram for anyone interested. You still can't come off them quickly, but if they work a gradual reduction won't hurt when I'm ready.
On the credit front I know the car payments will reduce as will the deposits after the first year (and Gary who is tioned in the car post is getting me that in writing!!! which shows there are companies who will give you a chance to show you don't repeat history!!) Also I'm with the co-op bank(well known for people in "our situation") so hopefully I will build a good payment history with no overdraught, even though I don't have credit. The ways things are going someone like me/us will be the banks best customers in future - as in we don't want credit, just a chance to start again with things like getting a mortgage??!!!
Good luco us all on this front....
Hugs,
Chardonnay

o2 let you upgrade/renew your contract without a credit check as well if you are an existing customer with a good credit history with them

You know what Chardonnay? I have had it up to here (points to forehead) with credit reference/ratings!. For twenty years (since leaving school at 16) I have always done the right thing. Never been late on a payment, always paid everything. And for what? so that I could build a good credit rating. So when I needed to call on that credit rating (I tried to get a £10k loan to pay off some small debts and to tide us over whilst I was on maternity leave), I was turned down! Why? Because I chose to shop around for the best apr. I didnt even borrow a single a penny and yet my 20 years of very good (that was my 'status') were reduced to 'poor'. I was told that it 'should' reset in 6 months. but six months was too long for me. We needed more than my stat mat pay, we couldnt wait 6 months, and so the borrowing began from credit cards............
the rest is history, call it habit, call it rebellion, call it stupidity, I am where I am because of that one simple loan. Having debts of £3k have now spiralled to £24k. Now I dont care about credit rating!!!!!!!!!!!
(well actually apart from my mortgage)