What if I ignore my debts?

What happens if I ignore creditor letters or emails?

If you have arrears on your debts, it’s important that you don’t ignore letters or emails from your creditors.

It’s easy to put off opening letters, but the more they pile up, the harder it’ll be to deal with them. Try to get into the habit of opening and reading letters as soon as they arrive.

If you don’t you’ll miss important paperwork, such as:

• Your creditor telling you they’ve passed your debt to a debt collection agency
• Default notices
• Court action or a letter of claim
• A statutory demand, the first step for a creditor trying to make you bankrupt

You’ve got a strict deadline to reply to some of these letters if you want to avoid your creditor taking further action, so ignoring them is not a good idea. 

You should also make sure your creditors have your current address. If you move house you might be tempted not to give your new address to your creditors. But if you don’t you may find important letters like this go to your old address and you don’t find out about court action until it’s too late.

Worried about debt?

What if I ignore creditor phone calls?

Some people find it quicker and easier to deal with creditors by phone, but for a lot of people it can be stressful, upsetting or inconvenient. A creditor can’t insist on you dealing with them by phone, and you won’t get into any trouble if you refuse.

See our guide to phone calls from your creditors for more advice on your rights.  

How can we help?

Contact us for free and impartial advice on what you can do about your debts. Even if you don’t feel able to speak to your creditors you can still contact us – and getting back in touch with your creditors should be a lot easier once you’ve spoken to us.

You can use our online debt advice tool or call us to speak to an advisor.