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A debt management plan is not a loan; it is a debt repayment plan that allows you to repay your unsecured debt at a rate you can afford without taking out further credit.

We strongly advise that you do not take out further unsecured credit whilst you are on your Plan as all your expenditure needs should be taken care of in the budget plan that we will help you to create.

However, as your Plan is an informal debt solution you can still apply for credit whilst you are on it.

It is always recommended that you contact us if you are thinking of doing so to get our advice and see what help we can give you first.

If you have previously missed payments to your creditors, it is likely they will have already recorded the information on your credit file. Our solution is an informal agreement and therefore not making the contractual payment can result in default notices, missed payment markers, and Notice of Sums in Arrears (NOSIA) being sent out to you, all of which are usual practices. As with any form of debt repayment, when the contractual payments are not maintained your credit score is likely to be affected in the short, medium, and long term, and during this time no further credit must be taken out.

Currently, we do not offer loans to customers as our sole focus is to help customers clear their existing unsecured debts.

There is a difference between creditors contacting you for a ‘reasonable’ purpose and creditors who can be considered as harassing you.

If you are unsure if a creditor is harassing you, we have created a collection of tell-tail signs that will help you to know for certain if your creditor is being unreasonable or not.

Examples of Creditor Contact

We ask that you send any letters, emails, or documents that you receive from your Creditors to us either through email or using the free post envelopes that we provide. Feel free to simply take a picture of anything you do receive and forward it to customerservices@dfh.co.uk and we can take it from there.

By doing this promptly you are helping us to help you ensure that your Plan runs smoothly.

Our team of specialist advisors will handle any creditor contact that you send in with the utmost care, making sure any amendments or updates on your Plan are actioned quickly, giving you peace of mind.

In the initial stages of your Plan, it is common to receive some contact from your Creditors whilst the Creditor Liaison Team at DFH work on negotiating arrangements for you. This team are experts at making sure arrangements are put in place that benefit you and make your Plan run smoothly.

If a Creditor calls you, we advise you to ask them to put a hold on contact for 30 days to allow time for the negotiations to progress.

However, if at any stage you are concerned by any contact you receive, please get in touch. You can also find further information here.

A Default Notice is something that your creditors will send you when their credit agreement has been broken as a result of missed payments or failing to pay the contractual amount. This will show on your credit file for 6 years. We expect this to happen during your Plan and these should simply be forwarded to us.

At any point, a creditor may sell your debt to a 3rd party to collect or employ them to manage the debt. This is perfectly normal and nothing to worry about. All correspondence and payments will go to the new party from then on, and in most cases no additional costs will be incurred or passed on to you. Any correspondence you receive from 3rd parties should simply be passed straight to us either via email or the pre-paid envelopes provided. We will do all of the rest.

We would recommend that you change your bank account if you have an overdraft that you have used. This is so that we can add this debt to your Debt Management Plan and ensure all your creditors receive fair treatment.

If you do not wish to add your overdraft to your plan you will still qualify for a plan, and we can discuss this with you so that you can make informed decisions about your finances.

If your personal circumstances change for better or worse, we are here to support you.

All we ask is that you contact us so we can look at a review of your plan to consider any changes and discuss the options you have available.

Plan payment amounts can be increased or decreased if needed and there are alternative debt solutions available that our specialist review advisors can discuss with you when this is appropriate.

We fully comply with General Data Protection Regulation, so none of your personal data would be shared with any third parties if you have not consented to us sharing this information.

As the Debt Management Plan is an informal debt solution none of your information (data) is added to any public registers.

An IVA is a formal debt solution, which means that some information regarding your IVA can be viewed on the Insolvency Register, however, if you are considering this solution an experienced IVA specialist will be able to talk you through this as well as being best placed to answer any other queries you may have before the IVA is agreed.

Before you agree to enter a Plan, we will provide you with an estimated timescale taking into account the amount you owe and what you can afford to pay.

Debt Management Plans are an ‘informal’ debt solution which means that the payment level can be increased or decreased as your circumstances dictate, which may in turn increase or decrease your estimated timescale.

As the agreement is informal, we will do our utmost to get interest and charges frozen, but this cannot be guaranteed. It is also important that you maintain the agreed payments to your plan as failure to do so could extend your estimated timescale.

We will regularly update you on your projected timescale to manage your expectations for completion, whilst giving workable solutions to reduce it.

Any debts that are considered as “priority debts” cannot be added to your Debt Management Plan. This includes mortgage or rent repayments, any fines or taxes owed, child maintenance, TV license, Hire Purchase used to buy essential items, Council Tax, and Income Tax. In addition, only debts in your name can be added to your Debt Management Plan.

If you need to discuss a priority debt then our Priority Debt Team will be happy to help you and can be contacted on 0161 228 6194.

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It is important to state that specialist advice should be sought if you struggle with payments to your mortgage, however, some actions could be considered that may help you.

If you are struggling to pay your mortgage, contact your lender to see what options they have that may help you, early communication is often key to prevent potential enforcement action.

Often homeowners may have insurance that covers their mortgage payments if they are unable to pay due to a loss of job or sickness, so this should be checked as customers may not realise that they are paying for the policy.

As well as the first two points it could be advantageous to take a look at your income and expenditure, making sure you are receiving all benefits and entitlements due to you, whilst reviewing all nonessential expenditures & contracts that you are paying for.

A review of your finances may lead to savings that can be put towards priority bill arrears such as your mortgage.

An IVA is designed to give you more protection for your assets than other debt solutions.

This means that should you meet the criteria for an IVA, you will enjoy the benefits, such as a definite finishing line for completion with a large percentage of your debt being written off, whilst you have the comfort that your assets are protected.

If you are concerned about any legal matters, including repossession of your property and goods, you should contact us as soon as possible.

We have a dedicated team of specialists within our Customer Support Team that are experts at helping in these situations.

Here at DFH our team have expert knowledge regarding UK Benefits scheme. If you are in debt and struggling to pay your day-to-day expenses, we may be able help you. Our team will be able to advise you on ways to improve your financial situation by consolidating your debts and potentially applying for financial support from the government.

If you have the option of clearing some or all of your debts, please call us to let us know how much you have at your disposal, or fill in our Debt Settlement form. We will then contact your creditors to confirm the balances and to negotiate on any potential reduced offers in the hope of saving you money. If this is something you wish to explore further, please call us on 0161 228 6194.

A review is important as it enables us to evidence what would be an affordable and sustainable amount for you to pay in to your plan. Ordinarily, this will be completed once every 12 months, however, should your circumstances change during that time (for example a change in employment, living arrangements, or anything else that affects your income and expenditure) a further review can be completed when required. To make the review as accurate as possible, we usually request copies of recent bank statements and wage slips.

• DFH has been in the industry since 2004, which has enabled us to build fantastic and strong relationships with creditors, and more importantly our customers.
• We are regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority.
• We make sure we invest heavily in our systems, employees, and processes, with the objective being a smooth journey for all of our customers. We value your time and peace of mind.
• We are approachable, engaged, and will do everything in our power to ensure that every customer receives the best service possible as they complete their journey.
• We will be with you for every step, all the time.

Making payments to your Plan could not be easier!

You can make payments to your Plan by continuous payment authority from your debit card, which gives you the peace of mind that your payments will be consistently made on time without you having to make contact with us.

If this method is not suitable for you, we can also accept Standing Orders or Bank Transfer Payments. You can also call our Automated Payment Line on 0161 543 1636 or speak to a member of our Payments Team if you prefer.

Payments can be made to your Plan in a variety of ways so that you can easily budget for your other lifestyle commitments.

If you make payments by Standing Order or Bank Transfer, DFH has no control over this, meaning any adjustments to your payment would need to be made by you directly with your bank. This can usually be done online or through telephone banking if you are unable to visit your local branch.

If you would like us to take payment via your debit card each month, we need the usual details to do so. For security purposes, we would never recommend sending this kind of information in a written format. Please call us on 0161 228 6194 to either set up a continuous payment authority or update the debit card details we hold. Please note, we cannot take payment by credit card.

If you are struggling to make your scheduled payment, the best thing to do is to con-tact us. The quickest and easiest way to do this is to call us on 0161 228 6194, email us at customerservices@dfh.co.uk, or by using our LiveChat facility.

To ensure your plan runs as smoothly as possible, it is important to keep up with your payments as creditors can add interest or charges, and possibly contact you directly should your offer of payment be late or missed.

We understand that "life" happens, so whatever your circumstances, please remember that we are here to help you. We can set up a number of arrangements that ensure you do not fall behind, whilst keeping your creditors updated.

Your monthly payments are distributed equally and fairly to your creditors on a pro-rata basis minus fees.

This means that the creditors that we manage for you are paid an amount based upon the size of the balance you owe to them. This way creditors cannot complain of any unfair treatment, which is key to minimising unnecessary contact from them.