I have a property with no equity in it after repaying mortage and other loans. I have been trying to sell this for some time and in order to pay the mortgage to avoid repossession I rented it out until it sold, , although the rental does not actually cover the mortgage payment - so there is no real income from rental. I have no other income/savings and have been staying in another property owned by my late wife (again no equity in it). As I AM trying to sell my property and get no disposable income from it, does this affect my entitlement to Guaranteed Pension Credit?

Ok, i guess there are a lot of opinions on this one..., and i need to be really careful with confidentiality issues. Any advice for Iraqi interpreters who served alongside UK forces on patrol, and prisons in gulf campaigns, ? These are the guys who came to the UK as part of the gateway program at the close of the last gulf war. They are not eligible for assistance from organisations such as combat stress, military veterans association, SSAFA, or any organisations that require a service number (as these guys were employed by, rather than members of, British UK armed forces) British Legion, to their credit, are taking a discretionary case by case stance, and are providing some assistance in certain cases, but aside from the legion there is no help. Bearing in mind that these are the guys who had to wear balaclavas every day to protect their identities, and had code names such as 'Bob', or 'Dave' to prevent them meeting the same fate as other Interpreters who's dismembered bodies were very often pulled out of bins, and found in side streets around Iraq at the hands of the militia. Forbes.com reported recently that upward of 1000 interpreters were killed in the line of 'duty'. In nearly all cases i have dealt with, the regiments these guys were connected to have acknowledged that the interpreters fought shoulder to shoulder with them, and in some cases regiments have even donated individual regimental funds to their cause.... These guys were not back room admin staff, they were at the pointed end of war. So why does the apparatus set up to assist ex forces personnel in the UK deny these guys welfare/mental health/medical assistance ? Any advice anyone ?

We've had a new young flatmate for the last two months. She spends the whole day sitting in the common room (tv room + kitchen) dry-coughing and spreading potential germs around, not to mention the annoyance of somebody coughing in your face. She doesn't appear to work or study and is not getting any better. She's from the old Europe block and is not registered to a GP and no medical insurance. In other words she can't be bothered with seeking assistance and clearly not in a condition to take care of herself. As she is not registered and she doesn't want to, we have volunteered to escort her to one of these GP-led walk-in centres where she can be visited by a proper doctor. She is not refusing in principle but she's been making all sort of excuses. We've spoken to the landlord but he has only come out with empty promises and no action. He doesn't live with us so he can't be bothered. I am not sure if calling the NHS Direct would make any sense. My personal experience with NHS Direct has often revealed to be a waste of time. I wonder if we have any legal route that we can follow. Thank you for your time.

Gents/Ladies, Just dropping a quick post to link a thread to my own up till now an unknown default raised by Vodafone. Going back 5 years I was a customer with VF, like many once it came to renewal I opted to change provider (moved to o2) and forwarded on my notice to cancel prior to this date and followed up with a brief call to let them know. Over the following month or two I received letter stating that they were happy to confirm my renewal, all of which I queried and was told they had not received my previous letter or had any record of my call. As requested I provided details of my new contract and was assured they would backdate the cancellation as per the date of my alternative contract and remove the balance. I heard nothing else and had assumed (1st mistake) that this was the end of it, bringing us up to date, my partner and myself have been looking to purchase a home together and after the stress of hunting to find somewhere suitable for us both, agreed upon a verbal offer. During our application for a mortgage I was continually declined, and upon an Equifax credit search I discovered a default claimed by VF for this account dating back to 2008. Understandibly furious I had no knowledge of this (Previous searches using Experian showed nothing) Unfortunately after several failed attempts to explain this matter to VF staff via the customer helpline to assist in removing this, they were both unable to assist and unable to comprehend the seriousness of this matter, simply stating that I must be mistaken as they are unable to find any record of my account? Feel like I'm going round in circles attempting to speak to a supervisor that is not available to take my calls/unable to pass the call as they have no record of me. Hoping posting here can get some assistance. Have already followed request to VF [#11151054] fingers crossed.

Can i get an financial assistance with retraining? specifically training at a construction skills center? i have heard of the ILA -Individual Learning Account- £200 towards courses for low income/unemployed but it is apparently only avaliable in scotland. The £200 would not cover the cost of the course but wlil cover my accommodation and food. Can anyone point me in the right direction or will i get laughed at if i ask about any financial support? i will not have a guaranteed job at the end of the course but i will be able to apply for work all over the country.

Hi all, I've been reading this forum for a while now and finally decided to register. I'm very impressed with the advice offered here and I'm hoping I can get a little too with some PPI Claims. I'm an Engineer by trade and hopeless at writing letters, I'm hoping somebody could proof read my words before I send them off. Would this be OK? As the title says, I think I have grounds for three separate claims, should I ask for advice using three new posts or should I lump it all in here first? I'm really hoping somebody can assist, both with the wording and also to confirm that I have valid cases.

Hi All, My employer sponsored me for an educational programme and I have signed in a contract to repay all or part of these fees should I voluntarily leave the company. The agreement says, if I leave in 2012 - Total payback on leaving £4850 2013 - Total payback on leaving £3210 2014 - Total payback on leaving £1570 2015 - Total payback on leaving £500 I have handed in my notice and leaving them by end of Nov 12. My employer says that I need to payback £4850 however my argument is that I have worked for 11 months in Y2012, so accordingly the payment has to be reduced on prorate basis. The agreement didn't specify any prorated deduction. It didn't taken into account of months worked within a year. Do you think, I have some argument to put forward? Do you think that my employer is fair to me? Looking forward to hear from you all. Thanks for reading my post. Regards, Baskey

Hi, Ive had a look through similar threads and I'm looking for some clarification. I took out student loans in 97-99. I left my initial course part way through the first year and re-started in 98. When I re-started I did not have to pay £1k fees, still got a grant (remember them!) I was still on the previous style system of a straight loan, no fees, non means tested. Ive never earnt enough to pay them back. Also, I have been very slack in sending off deferment letters. About 2 years ago Link got my current address and I committed to pay £25 a month on the 1997 agreement, which I'm still paying, now £30 a month on a 6 month review. SLC got my current address about 1 year ago and send me statements for 98 & 99. I spoke to them once initially but have never sent them any written communicae in about 10 years. Form memory I mat have paid some token gestures when they contacted me in about 2001. Where do I stand with 'Statute Barred' on all 3? (SLC and Link) How do I go about getting a statute barred if its applicable? Anyone with positive experience, draught letters, methods of contact etc are much appreciated. Finally, do these affect credit ratings, stay on file etc Many Thanks in advance

Hi folks, a great forum with loads of advice. I could do with some assistance on the following, as I'm unsure how to proceed or which template to use. My parents recently received a Debt Collection Notification letter from Equidebt, acting for Aktiv Kapital UK Limited, stating they owed over a thousand pounds and needed to reply within 7 days. My parents knew nothing about the alleged debt, so on their behalf I wrote back to them within the 7 days, using the following content: You have contacted me regarding the account with the above reference number, which you claim is owed by myself. I would point out that I have no knowledge of any such debt being owed. I am familiar with the “Office of Fair Trading Debt Collection Guidance” which states that it is unfair to send demands for payment to an individual when it is uncertain that they are the debtor in question. I would also point out that the OFT say under the guidance that it is unfair to pursue third parties for payment when they are not liable. In not ceasing collection activity whilst investigating a reasonably queried or disputed debt you are using deceptive/and or unfair methods. Furthermore, ignoring and/or disregarding claims that debts have been settled or are disputed and continuing to make unjustified demands for payment amounts to physical/psychological harassment. I would ask that no further contact be made concerning the above account unless you can provide evidence as to my liability for the debt in question. I await your written confirmation that this matter is now closed. Otherwise, I will have no option but to make a complaint to the trading standards department and consider informing the OFT of your actions. I look forward to your reply. Yours faithfully Today, a follow-up letter has been received stating: With reference to recent correspondence regarding the above account. We can confirm this account relates to an ###### account. This account was passed to us on ##/##/## with a balance of £#,###.##. The reference number relating to this account is ######## however; please quote the Equidebt reference in any contact with ourselves. The following information relates to this account: Client Reference: ######## Default Date: 15th February 2000 We now require your immediate proposals for repayment. My parents still know nothing about the alleged debt, and this is worrying my mother to the point its affecting her health. Any advice on how to proceed would be very welcome. Cheers.