Dealing with debt

mabs-debt

DSE MABS are serving the Dublin 2, 4 & 6 communities for 22 years and over this time we have seen a lot of change.

In the past, debt was inextricably linked to unemployment and social disadvantage. The majority of our clients had rent, utility and moneylending debts. Now debt is a very real problem for many families who never imagined that they would need help. Many are now knocking on our door who are at risk of losing their home. The Government is aware of the situation and have brought a new scheme into place to help tackle these crises.

ABHAILE
The new Mortgage Arrears Resolution Service offers much-needed hope and support to stressed borrowers who are at risk of losing their homes. Through MABS, the new scheme is to ensure that a person in this situation can access free, independent expert financial and legal advice and support, which will help them to identify and put in place their best option to get back on track.

The scheme provides a range of services to help deal with your situation, including financial advice and insolvency advice. If you are facing legal action by your lender to repossess your home, this scheme gives you access to a range of professionals who can help you.

MABS Dedicated Mortgage Arrears Service
If you’re in mortgage arrears and in danger of losing your home, we now have a dedicated Mortgage Arrears Service available throughout the country to offer you mortgage debt advice and support, and refer you to other free professional services. No matter what your situation is, we’ll help you work out the next steps. Take control of what happens next. To make an appointment with a dedicated Mortgage Arrears Adviser, call the helpline at 076-107200

Voucher Scheme
The government has put in place a new scheme to help people who are insolvent and in serious mortgage arrears on their home to access free, independent, expert advice. A person is insolvent when they are unable to pay their debts in full when they are due.

The scheme provides financial and/or legal advice and assistance to people in this situation. The aim is to help mortgage holders in arrears to find the best solutions and keep them wherever possible, in their own homes.

The scheme can help you in a number of ways. Panels of qualified and regulated financial and legal professionals have been set up. You can choose someone from these panels to give you the advice you need. The panel details are available on the website: www.keepingyourhome.ie .

Financial Advice
If you need financial help, you can get a free face-to-face meeting with an expert financial adviser. The adviser could be a MABS dedicated Mortgage Arrears Adviser, A Personal Insolvency Practitioner (PIP) or an accountant.

Legal advice and assistance:
You may need legal advice on issues related to your mortgage arrears. Under this scheme you can have a face-to-face meeting with a solicitor, who will explain your legal situation and advise you how best to resolve it. If you are called to court to face repossession proceedings on your home, you will be able to meet a Duty Solicitor at the court, who will explain to you the proceedings. A MABS member of staff will also be present at court to help you.

This scheme is 100% State funded. If you qualify for the scheme, you do not have to pay anything for these services. All of the professional advisers working with the scheme have agreed to provide fixed amount of advice and help free of charge to people who meet the conditions.

How do I qualify for the Scheme?
You must be:
A. In mortgage arrears on your home
AND
B. Insolvent. This means unable to pay your debts in full as they fall due. MABS or a PIP will be able to help you work this out
AND
C. At risk of losing your home because of arrears. Eg. Receive a letter from your lender saying you are not cooperating, that your mortgage is unsustainable, or inviting you to consider selling or surrendering your home or saying that they are going to begin repossession proceedings or that proceedings have already begun.
AND
D. Reasonably accommodated, This means that the cost of continuing to live in your home are not disproportionately expensive, bearing in mind your reasonable living accommodation needs and those of your dependents, and the cost of alternative accommodation in your case.

How to apply for the scheme:
To apply, you must contact MABS on 076 1072000 or your local MABS Office. See www.mabs.ie for details. Or you can talk to a PIP on the scheme panel (see www.backontrack.ie for the list of panel PIPs)
We at Dublin South East MABS would also like to mention here that while we are aware that a lot of our clients have mortgage arrears, we also deal with all types of debt.

We are currently seeing an increase of the use of moneylenders, which is quite concerning. The interest rates for such loans are at times extortionately high. We would like to remind people that Christmas is around the corner and try to avoid the temptation of borrowing.

Remember, if you cannot afford to save for it, how can you afford to pay it back, including interest? Prevent these problems by avoiding unnecessary borrowing.