Do bad debts follow you abroad?

[joyousjoy1974]

I have a friend who is thinking of emigrating abroad but she's had a crap credit rating in this country - she wants to sell their house and clear their debts etc., but is worried that she won'tbe able to "start a new life" as such or get a mortgage abroad e.g. in australia!

 

Does anyone know about this?

 

cheers Joy

[James31]

My brother went to Australia for year, a couple of years back. He left around £25k of unsecured debts behind.

 

At the time he had his head in the sand, so I picked up the pieces and arranged small repayments per month with the various debt collection agencies involved. I made full and final settlements to the smaller amounts.

 

At the time, I read that it was possible that if they found out where you were, some DCA's have established partner agencies overseas where they simply sell/pass the debt on and you are then chased from that country instead for the same debt.

 

He returned after a year and is now paying his own debts off at £100 per month in total!

 

James

[GSMGuy]

But did those debts actually follow him, or did you make the choice of paying them off until he came back - I would imagine, that if you went abroad for 6 years, on your return, you would have a clean or "no" credit file - which can often be a pain if you want credit, but surely better than any adverse file?

 

Mike

[mollington]

they wont follow you abroad, however they will be waiting for you when you get back. even after 6 years . they dont come off your credit file , they just get written off by the company you owe,

[James31]

They didn't follow him....I contacted them shortly after he had gone, explained that I didn't know where he was and if they wanted any chance of having any money back at all, they should accept my offer of £x, etc, etc.

 

I replied originally, because I'm certain I read that certain DCA's had created "partnerships" or similar with DCA's in other countries, making it possible to sell the debt to them and have them chase you from there.

 

How they are ever supposed to know where you are is beyond me.

 

Just what I read....

 

James31

 

P.S. There was one debt, managed by Link Financial, who weren't interested in my offers. After his return, he turned on his mobile phone which he hadn't used for over a year, and within 2 weeks they called him on it.