I had this many years ago, it was a random check on Child care tax credits. We were told to send in evidence of what we had been paying for child care. It was a simple matter of our local afterschool club printing off a statement.

Ring them and ask

Yup, they will just ask questions, give them the honest answer and they will adjust your Tax Credits accordingly if you have been paid too much. Just from what you are saying, the chances of it being 'under caution' are miniscule. They might just want to see proof your child is in further education, as an example. Come back to us when you have more info, but I can assure you nothing bad will happen. Speaking from experience.

Also be aware that if your vehicle is on HP, although they can't take it, they can clamp it, with menaces.

You wasted your time speaking directly to Bristow & Suitor, this was always going to happen. The only interest they have is charging you fees. The advice I gave you a month ago gets you directly through to the only people who can take them off your case. This is quite literally a 5 minute email, to your local councillor and I recommend copying your elected head of council in also. Their contact details are freely available on Google. I understand that maybe you ignored it, or it seemed like too much effort, but I assure you I have been in far higher arrears than you and know exactly how to deal with this situation.

Just a quick glance at your history on this thread, your income and credit card debt level, tells me that you should just stop paying and let everything default. otherwise this will go on for ever. Do not pay anyone another penny ever, and this will all be over in 6 and a bit years. Stop wasting your time writing to ombudsmen, better spending it on finding a second income or better paid job. As for full and final settlements, honestly, that is madness, it won't do anything to help.

Just make sure to write to Lowell with your current address details, if you have moved since the debts were taken out. AS for the SAR, likely Studio aren't dodging it, it can take a while.

Not going to be anything to worry about. Either you will owe them money which they will take off your current payments if you are still claiming or will give you an amount you need to repay. You will be able to arrange a monthly amount to pay them back, that is manageable.

Is this for Tax Credits?

I've had a stack of these 'pre legal' assessments from Lowells over the years , none of them led anywhere. Clue is in the language used lots of 'coulds' and 'mays'. Only Caveat is make sure you have informed them, in writing of your correct address if you have moved.

Addressing your major concern first, this debt has long since dropped off any Credit Agency file, and will have ZERO effect on your Credit Score / Rating, forever invisible to any Employer or Creditor. This cannot be changed by anybody. The DCA's use wording that make them sound like Bailiffs, to scare people into paying even small sums that spin out the Statute Barred date to infinity. Imagine how much money they make from thousands of people sending in even a fiver per month! As for the moral aspect, you're just a line on a spreadsheet brought for a few pence in the £ by the DCA from the Original Creditor, so don't let that give you sleepless nights. I predict there is absolutely zero chance of them coming back with a CCA, after more than 12 years Just make sure your current address is on the CCA also and very likely no more payments for you ! The only other thing to add, is make sure whenever you move send the DCA confirmation of your new address in writing !

Excellent news, that together with the CCA makes it a lot less likely for any Claimform to be issued, in the short time remaining before it becomes Statute Barred.

The claim is going nowhere, all stopped for the price of a stamp. As for selling on the debt, just keep opening your mail, but likely there won't ever be a CCA. If they come up with anything, run it by us.

Landmark sending statements to their current address does not correlate with them having the correct address on file. That's why it's that important , that on Monday your sibling must write to Landmark with their current address, if it has changed since the loan was taken out. It will cost them a first class stamp but will protect against a potential whole world of credit trouble, that would make a 5 year old default seem like a walk in the park. It's called a back door CCJ. All the statements and threat o grams come to your sibling, but that's just the address that Landmark found on the electoral register. The actual old address that Landmark have on file, is where the Claimform will go, completely unknown to your sibling, only to be discovered when a CCJ pops up 'by surprise', driving a 10 tonne truck through their credit for the next 6 years. Now, back to the default. If it's a five year old one off, in isolation, it's really a Nothing Burger. Even if it turns out payments were not made, and by some miracle they change the default date back, it will probably take a year anyway. Yes, Landmark were likely taking the mickey, and yes maybe it would be worthwhile if the default was a year old, but I think now, it's really not worth the effort.

Hi Challenging the date won't re start the Statute Barred Clock, but I don't think it's worth bothering, whatever happens it's statute barred in Aug '24. I don't think there is any need to 'wait anything out either'. That default is now so old, no potential landlord or mortgage lender will even care. A low credit score is likely totally unrelated to that. You should also try and subscribe to multi agency credit file checkers, sometimes it's possible that something else is causing problems that isn't listed on Experian. Has your sibling moved house since the loan was taken out? If so it's extremely important that they write to Landmark with current address details.

No point in losing any sleep over this one A. It's not enforceable right now, stop paying! B. It's not affecting any potential lender decisions , as it's off your credit file. C. The chances of Lowell coming up what you are asking for is low, after 10 years It's not even time to worry, if (it's a big if) they come up with the goods, most of the time the experts on here rip it to shreds. Even if the agreement is legit, that doesn't mean it will go any further. There are so many things that need to happen right now for anything more to happen, it should be filed away for future reference. Just keep an eye on your mail, and for goodness sake, stop paying.

It isn't world ending for your credit rating if you default, unless you are looking to take out a mortgage or change landlords in the next 12 months. Over time the default becomes less and less important (providing you don't get another one) to lenders. If you just have one 3 year old default in isolation , most lenders won't worry about it. After 6 years, nobody can even see it anymore, as i would have dropped off your file. It would seem that it's in your best long term interest to let this default as soon as possible, and simply ignore the barrage of letters that come your way. The only one that you need to look out for is a letter before Claim, in which case you come here. In my experience, there is about a 20% chance of receiving a claimform over the 6 years. I base this on the 20 or so defaults that I had.

Nope, don't do anything, ignore anything they send you unless it's a letter before claim or a claimform. Then you come here for advice. It's more than possible nothing will happen anyway, out of about 20 debts I had with DCA's only 4 ever went to a CCJ and that was only because I'd failed to inform them of my new address. Ignore any calls or emails, but always read your post, just in case it's one of the above.

Don't pay a penny to the DCA at all, it won't make any difference to her credit rating and will spin out the statute barred date. In a few years they will be Statute Barred and also off her Credit file. Don't obsess about Credit Score either. The main things are priority such as Rent, Council Tax, Food etc. If she's on her own she can claim Council tax discount also

The one thing that matters most here, Has your cousin move since taking the debt out? If so she needs to write to Lowell and Link by post advising them of her new address. Once she has done this, just ignore everything unless it's a letter before claim or a claimform. Ignore all calls and emails. Do not pay them a penny

Excellent news

About your May 2021 Vanquis Default, with a view to you buying a house next year. 1. It will be 3 years old by then, and have a low impact on your mortgage eligibility 2. Paying this default off won't make any difference to that eligibility , it will simply be a waste of £2700 Don't pay them anything, but as with all debts if you have moved since taking it out then inform them in writing of your current address, that's just to be aware of any claimfom they might send you, and avoid a back door CCJ that would ruin your chances of a mortgage for at least a year.

You can rest easy , 99% it won't go anywhere, just keep an eye on what does come through. Like I said, stopped dead in it's tracks for the price of a stamp!

I agree with DX in that credit score has been very commercialised by the likes of Experian, Credit Karma etc, just look at all the YouTube and TV ads. , and of course Credit Karma etc make loads of commission on pushing loans and credit. However, that doesn't change the fact that in the last month suddenly I've been using my credit card for the first time in months to buy building materials for fixing up my garden, and paying it back a few days later. I've been getting pings left right and centre about how my credit score is going up all of a sudden. Things like 'wow your on a repayment streak your score has gone up 'x points' Cynical credit agencies trying to make money? Probably. However, my score has gone up with all agencies, as a result. Also, how important is your credit score to you? I'd say, not very if you aren't planning to buy a house or move to another rented property. If it's important to you then it's a low risk way of raising your score slowly, even if nothing happens. Whether you think I'm right or wrong on the credit card, I'd re iterate that those defaults are having next to zero effect on your credit.

That is the best way, and you sound like you are disciplined enough to keep on top of it , Slowly your credit score will rise. your mobile phone contract is probably helping also, otherwise it would be even lower. As for the defaults, once they have dropped off your file, no lender or anyone else can see them ever again anyway. I remember when I applied for my mortgage, I still had a few 5 year old defaults and a CCJ visible, that was 4 years old, the broker said not to worry about any of that, and he was right.