Debt Relief Order UK

DRO is the abbreviation for Debt Relief Order. It is a way to get the debts written off. This is only if the levels of debts are low and if one has only a few assets.

In the event that a debtor qualifies for a DRO, a few of the financial institutions are willing to initiate action with their DRO teams. They apply to the Insolvency Service on the debtors behalf.

As a part of the procedure followed, debt repayments and interests are frozen for a period of 12 months. In the event that debtor’s financial position does not change during this time, all of the debts included are written off.

The financial organization, whose aid the debtor takes, must be approved to help the debtor apply for DRO in the event that he is eligible.

DRO comes with certain benefits:

A DRO may come across as a low cost alternative to bankruptcy. One does not have to pay anything towards the debts for a period of twelve months, following which they are written off. The creditors do not pursue the debtors for the twelve month period.

Even while a DRO is a formal solution for debt, one is not required to appear in the court.

There are a few risk factors involved with a DRO as well:

A DRO is available only in the event that one owes less than £20,000. Similarly, a onetime fee of £90 needs to be paid to Insolvency Service.
Homeowners cannot apply for DRO. A DRO appears on a public register and affects the credit report negatively.

Going by the rules which prevail at present times, DRO is available only for debtors who have less than £1,000 in assets and have less than £50 of monthly savings, after paying bills for household and living expenses.

Let us now consider how assets lay an influence over DRO:

DRO is essentially designed for debtors who have few assets. Valuation of assets is done in terms of how much money they would raise if sold in current condition, and not the value for which they were purchased.

Household items like furniture and bedding are not counted as assets, and nor are tools essential for a job. The total worth of assets cannot be more than £1,000 in order to qualify for a DRO. One can own a domestic vehicle worth up to £1,000 apart from these assets.