IVAs (Individual Voluntary Arrangements) : The Basics Explained
Posted on August 15, 2010
Filed Under Debt Relief, Loans, Mortgage, Personal Finance, Refinancing Solutions | 1 Comment
Since its conception in the 1980s, an individual voluntary arrangement has been an increasingly popular option for individuals that have a debt mountain that they are finding difficult to climb. Initially, IVAs were set up to help businesses facing bankruptcy but they became popular with members of the public once their advantages became more widely known. An IVA is an agreement that an individual makes with their creditor(s) as a way of avoiding bankruptcy. The individual will negotiate with the creditor(s) either a monthly payment over the course of up to five years, or a lump sum from the sale of goods or the remortgage of property. The creditor(s), for their part of the arrangement, would then write off the remainder of your debt. The benefits for taking up an individual voluntary arrangement with your creditors are vast. The reason more than 6000 people take up IVAs with their creditors every year is down to: protection against court action from your creditors, frozen interest and late payment fees, and a repaired credit rating once your debt is written off. If you are looking at possibly bankruptcy due to large debts from credit cards, overdrafts, personal and business loans, store cards and catalogue negative balances then an IVA could be your best option for continued solvency. As long as you can either afford a single lump sum or monthly payments of a minimum of $300, then you may be able to reduce your debt by up to 75%. You will need to hire an insolvency practitioner to propose an IVA to your creditors – you can not do it yourself. How much they charge you will depend vary on the area that you live and experience of the practitioner. Many will include their fee in your agreed monthly IVA repayment, so at least you will not have to find extra money to pay them on top of your IVA repayments. Always shop around for a reputable insolvency practitioner as hiring an incompetent ones will lead to you wasting the money that you pay upfront for fees. It is generally accepted that an individual must have debts of $20,000 or more in order to be able to take out an IVA through an insolvency practitioner. In order for the IVA to be completed and legally binding, 75% of the creditors of the individual’s debt must agree to the terms in the agreement. Even if the remaining 25% do not agree, they are still legally bound to the arrangement. If less than 75% of the creditors (in monetary terms) agree, then you may have to find other options or consider bankruptcy.
Related posts:
- Individual Voluntary Arrangements – Advice From An Expert
- Debt Help: The Basics Explained
- IVA & Debt Management Advice
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Thanks for a really interesting read, learn quite a few tips here, trying hard to improve my credit , i did a consumer proposal 7 years ago and just now i am starting to rebuild my credit slowly but surely and trying to avoid that credit card trap.