2. My creditors keep calling me. What can I do?

Your rights when dealing with people you owe money to.

People you owe money to are called creditors. Creditors and their debt collection agents can phone you or write to you to try and persuade you to pay the money you owe instead of taking court action against you to try and get the money you owe. Most creditors have limited powers to get money from you unless a court has ordered you to pay money and you have not done so. Some creditors may mention that they can make you bankrupt for debts of £750 or over. It is very rare for a creditor to take this action.

If creditors phone you, it is important to explain that you are having financial difficulties and how you plan to resolve the situation. If you have done this and creditors or their debt collectors continue to call you regularly, this may count as harassment.

Creditors should not put undue (excessive) pressure on you to pay more than you can afford. Office of Fair Trading guidelines on debt collection state that, for example, creditors should not:

phone you too frequently;
pressure you into selling your property or assets (belongings) to repay your debts; or
pressure you into taking on further debt to repay your debts.

If a creditor breaks these guidelines you should keep a note of calls from them, with the date and time of calls, the name of the person you speak to, and a summary of what was said. You should also keep copies of letters you have received and sent. If you want to complain about a creditor, you should contact Consumer Direct or your local Trading Standards Office.

If you need help dealing with your creditors, or any other aspect of debt, we recommend that you speak to one of our debt advisers on 0845 345 4 345 for specialist advice. Telephone specialist advice is only available if you qualify for legal aid.