If you’re a Scottish resident looking for a way out of debt, you may qualify for DAS, the Debt Arrangement Scheme, if you can’t repay your debts as you originally said you would.
DAS – a Government-run scheme – helps people repay their unsecured debts at a rate they can afford, while freezing debt interest, fees and charges. If you’re bankrupt already, or on a Trust Deed, you can’t apply for DAS.
If you enter this debt solution, you’ll make payments as agreed in a Debt Payment Programme (DPP). Your payments go to a payments distributor, who hands out the money to your lenders for you. As we mentioned, you can write off fees and interest on your debt, but only if you successfully complete your DPP – and that involves making all your payments, for the duration of the programme.
There’s no actual time limit on the length of a DPP, but if you cannot repay your debts in any kind of realistic timeframe, bankruptcy may be more appropriate. DAS is an alternative to bankruptcy and protects participants from legal action from their lenders – including attempts to make them bankrupt.
Other features of DAS include:
Lower your monthly payments to an affordable level.
Potential to vary your payments on the DPP if you need to.
Breathing space – more time to repay your debts.
Further information on Debt Arrangement Schemes is available at Debt Advice Now, whose advisers will be able to talk to you about your current debt problems and tell you whether you qualify for DAS.
They’ll also be able to tell you about the consequences of joining DAS, such as the fact that it’ll be recorded on your credit record, which can affect your ability to obtain further credit. People on DAS also have their personal details recorded on the DAS Register.
