Our Money Advisor, Joanne, helped Mr Devon* clear his debts and rent arrears by helping him apply for a Debt Relief Order.
*Tenants names have been changed for anonymity
Building up debt
Mr Devon faced being evicted from his home due to a build up of debt and rent arrears. His eviction was stopped by the court, but with the terms of him paying his monthly rent as well as his arrears.
After this ruling, Joanne noticed that Mr Devon had gone quiet and wasn’t engaging with us very much. She was worried that he thought the eviction notice had been completely removed and wasn’t aware of the conditions of paying his rent and his arrears.
Reaching out to us
Mr Devon reached out to Joanne at the beginning of August 2024 as he hadn’t kept up with his rent payments and another eviction warrant had been sent to him. The eviction date was fast approaching.
Joanne spoke to Mr Devon and he opened up about his father and father-in-law passing away, which has caused huge mental and financial stress for him. He also told Joanne that his two young children had moved into his one bed flat with him and all of his money had been spent on his children, even alongside working full time.
How we helped
Joanne was able to talk Mr Devon through some possible solutions. They both came to agree that a Debt Relief Order (DRO) would be the best option for him as he had credit card and Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) loan debt, as well as rent arrears, council tax and utility bills to pay each month.
A DRO helps deal with personal debts that you can’t pay. Whilst the DRO is in place, you don't have to make payments towards most types of debt included in your DRO and your creditors can’t force you to pay off the debts. A DRO usually lasts a year unless your situation improves and, when the DRO ends, most of your debts will be written off.
Mr Devon later had to attend a court hearing for his eviction warrant, where the judge agreed to suspend the warrant for 6 months as long as he continued to pay his rent going forward.
Soon after, My Devon also found out he was eligible for Universal Credit, which was great news and a huge relief as this would cover all of his monthly rent and there was no longer a risk of being evicted.
Mr Devon’s reaction
Mr Devon left a very thoughtful review for Joanne on our Trustpilot page and gave Joanne some lovely feedback directly, “I would like to thank you for all the support you have offered me through such a mental and stressful time. Your caring, support, and guidance is something I cannot thank you enough for. Last night was the best sleep I have had in a couple of months and that's thanks to yourself.”
Mr Devon was really happy and grateful for Joanne’s support and advice during this stressful time in his life. He now knows about our Money Advice service and will reach out again if he needs financial support and advice.
If you’re in a similar situation to Mr Devon, then please reach out to us and we’ll be happy to help. You can get in touch with us on 0345 60 20 540 or fill out this form to contact our Money Advice Team.
