What You Must Look For in a Debt Agreement Administrator
To break free from debt, thousands of people make use of a Debt Agreement Administrator. Choosing the right one can have a big impact on the level of service you receive and the chance of your debt agreement being accepted, so it’s important to go in armed with some basic debt agreement knowledge.
What is a Debt Agreement?
A debt agreement is a proposal you make to your lenders (through a debt administrator) when you’re struggling with debt. Under the proposal, all the interest is frozen and you repay less than the full amount owed. You’ll usually end up repaying more than your lenders would receive from you in a bankruptcy, so for this reason a sound debt agreement application is often preferred by your lenders to a bankruptcy.
Which Debt Administrator should I choose?
The key to choosing the right administrator is to ask good questions. In many cases, people reach the end of their debt agreement before they’re familiar enough with the process to know what they should have asked.
To avoid falling into this trap, be sure to ask the following questions up front.
* Do my lenders usually agree to debt agreements? Your debt administrator will know whether or not your particular lender usually approves or declines debt agreements. Most major banks will consider a debt agreement proposal, whilst some lenders won’t, so be sure to ask your debt administrator how your particular lenders usually respond to debt agreements.
* Am I offering enough in my debt agreement proposal? All the major lenders make clear the different percentage return of the original debt they want back, in order to consider a debt agreement. Your debt agreement must offer this minimum to be considered, so be sure to ask your debt administrator whether your application does that for each of your key lenders.
* Am I able to afford the repayments? After paying your regular debt agreement payment, you must have a reasonable amount left over to life on. If it looks like you can’t afford to survive on what’s left over, your lenders will not agree to your debt agreement, so it’s important to make sure this figure is realistic. Ask your debt administrator if the amount you have left over is reasonable and what guidelines they are using to decide that.
* Would my creditors get more from me under a bankruptcy? If the answer’s yes, the debt agreement has almost no chance of being accepted, so you need to ensure your Debt Administrator has calculated your ‘bankruptcy rate of return’. To calculate this they’ll need to know your income and any major assets you own such as property, shares and vehicles.
If you can keep the above questions in mind when you make that first call to your debt administrator, you’ll give yourself the confidence that comes from knowing your debt agreement has the maximum chance of succeeding.
To speak with an experienced Debt Agreement administrator, visit www.debt-agreement.net.au.
Looking for a reliable Debt Agreement administrator to help with your debts? Visit our website to find the best advice on Debt Agreements.