Big Australian debt!

[George the mix]

Hello all,

I came back from oz 9 months ago owing substantial debt , on unsecured loans and cc.

I have decided the only option for me is to ignore the emails demanding payments. There is no way I can pay back the debts.

What is likely to happen in the end?

I know this is a pretty random&basic msg, but I want to try and kkkeep it fairly anonymous!

[unclebulgaria67]

The UK is not great for anyone wanting to escape debts, as UK courts will enforce most debts from other countries. Also in terms of trying to stay off radar, it can be very difficult, as the UK has a good standard of records. When applying for anything financial, mobile phones, Insurances, it will mean your name and address appearing on credit records, which debt collectors can access.

 

If you had no assets and were looking at bankruptcy in Australia, this would mean returning to Australia and having to stay there for a period.

 

You can contact Aussie creditors advising them you are now living outside of Australia and cannot afford to service the debts, asking for their help as to what suggestions they have. If they have not obtained an Aussie court judgements against you, it may prevent them from doing so, as you are not in Aus to defend. This will make it more difficult for them to go directly to a UK court, as UK court prefer to have a foreign judgement to deal with.

 

Or you keep your head down for a period, save up some money and offer it as a reduced full & final settlement of the debt. Trouble is that if they have obtained an Aussie court judgement in your absence, they won't be interested in any reduced settlement offer.

 

Some people find it better to stay in touch with creditors and making them aware of the situation. You are then not hiding and this goes down well with the courts.

 

Nb. There was a case on CAG where an Aussie Bank got a UK Solicitor to issue a UK court claim, the debtor could not afford to pay and when the debtor offered to go into mediation, the UK Solicitor withdrew the claim. If they are unlikely to gain any payment of the debt, they won't bother.

[krios]

As far as I know only one aus debt collector Credit Corp has tried to take court action in the UK. So it might depend who buys your debts. Credit Corp usually hold on to the debt for quite some time adding interest before actively seeking repayment. Some of the other companies might try and contact you but from my experience don't try too hard if your overseas.

Credit corp will use social media to track you if they buy your debts.