We have asked nay begged our IVA for a little leniency but they won't listen.

[VP85]

we have an IVA in place and have done since March 2012. But we're struggling.
My husbands a gardener and between December and march the work dries up. We ahve asked nay begged our IVA company for a little leniency for a few months; its not that we cant pay during the other 10 months! But they wont budge, wont listen.They had put a £50 emergency amount onto the account but it isnt enough So I thought that maybe a debt management company might be the better option. What does everyone else think?

[Niobe]

Hi and welcome to the forum.

I take it the company were aware of the lack of income during the winter months and that this would take place every year presumably?

Which company are you with?

[VP85]

Thanks for your post.
We're with Freeman Jones.
They took the average wage for the whole year, as we earn more in the summer and no wage in the winter, except for a cleaning job which doesn't change throughout the year, and the gardening makes up the other 10 to 12 hours per week, but as we had told them we can't predict the weather.

[lem]

If they have used an average throughout the year but you had a period in the summer when you must have been earning more (to offset the lack of money in the winter months) have you put this money to one side to cover you? If they looked at your yearly income and averaged it out over the year then it must have been imperative for you to put funds aside to cover these payments in leaner months?

[MelanieGiles]

Lem is correct - but sometimes with seasonal businesses it is better to stagger the paymenta appropriately over the year. I once dealt with a hotel who paid six chunky payments during the summer months, and no payments over the winter months by way of example.

[Sarah Jolly]

Hi VP85,

I'm sorry to hear that you're finding it difficult to maintain payments towards your IVA.

When earnings are higher in a particular period and lower in another, it's not uncommon for the IVA provider to use a yearly average when calculating disposable income. Although we are aware that fluctuations in income can cause difficulty especially when earnings are not as anticipated.

In these cases it would be expected, as lem states, that funds are put to one side during the busy months, to allow for the shortfall during the quiet months.

Obviously as you are now finding it difficult to manage, we need to look into this further for you to see how we can help you going forward.

Please contact your Relationship Manager or Steve Grogan on 08450566620 (this is his direct line). Alternatively please drop me an email on Sarah.Jolly@Freemanjones.com and I'll arrange a call back for you.

Thank you