If your debt has grown beyond your control, an Individual Voluntary Arrangement, or IVA, could be the solution that saves you from bankruptcy. While there are advantages with an IVA, there are many disadvantages as well, so it’s best to investigate all of your options carefully before deciding on a plan.
To enter into an IVA, you must owe creditors at least £15,000. You must also have an income that allows you to contribute monthly to your debt after any essential bills have been paid. Without this ability, bankruptcy may be your only option. You must use an insolvency practitioner to arrange the IVA with your creditors, but the plan can give your up to 60 months to repay your debt.
The insolvency practitioner will meet with your creditors and create a plan for your unsecured debt repayment. It is possible that the practitioner can get your creditors to agree to a plan that could erase up to 75% of your debt if more that 75% of your creditors will agree to the plan. Your insolvency practitioner will make the financial arrangements with your creditors, and will likely have to haggle to reach mutually agreeable terms. If the IVA is approved, you then make one monthly payment that will be split between your creditors. A portion of your monthly payment will also go to pay the insolvency practitioner’s fees.
An IVA can have many advantages. You do not risk losing assets like your home during an IVA, your debt can be considerably lowered, interest charges cease, and it is usually less expensive than a bankruptcy. Payments you make toward your debt are determined by your income and can change with it. However, just like bankruptcy, an IVA will stay on your credit file for six years. Unlike bankruptcy, a debtor in an IVA can legally obtain credit if a lender will give it.
One of the disadvantages of an IVA is the expense; while it’s less expensive than bankruptcy, the insolvency practitioner fees will be costly, and other forms of debt solution might be cheaper. Another problem that many people find difficult is that throughout the IVA, your finances are closely monitored. You will have to explain any unusual activity and any extra monies you receive during the period will have to go toward the IVA, including work bonuses and inheritances. If you should fail to meet the requirements of the agreement, you may be forced into bankruptcy.
