With the mounting national problem of rising debt levels, loan companies are needing to place just as much significance on advice and guidance as on offering the loans themselves – because while loans are often portrayed as (and can certainly often prove to be) a quick ‘solution’ or ‘fix,’ they can also cause the opposite effect by placing people into financial trouble or pushing some into further difficulties. However, it’s certainly not in the interest of loan institutions to discourage people from taking loans out through themselves – meaning that such advice and guidance is not always easy to come by.



What’s more, people often turn to loans and credit cards once they have already run out of equity on their homes – meaning that at that point, they’re well on their way to digging themselves into potentially unmanageable financial difficulty. The boom in house prices during recent years has led to many people releasing equity from their homes to fund their lifestyles. As the housing market has developed over time, the rate of growth has gradually slowed down, resulting in many people turning to other sources of funding, such as high interest secured loans and credit cards to fund luxury lifestyles or to control previous borrowings and debt.



Recent research has shown that while nearly one in five people are willing to take out a secured loan to help finance their lifestyle, more surprisingly one in eight would do this to purchase a luxury item regardless of whether they had any equity tied up in their home to help fund the loan. This is a surprising statistic considering the same research states that despite this level of intense borrowing only one in twenty five people have been advised against taking out a further loan or credit card to fund their lifestyle or control their current finances.



This should be viewed as a serious problem as there will come a time when some peoples’ financial situations may become so serious, such as when facing repossession of property, that they may feel they have nowhere to turn. Where can someone in this situation turn, in an environment where nationally adverse personal debt is rapidly rising, however the majority of financial advisors seem to be advising only a small number of people not to take further loans or credit?



While it is fair to say that even in the most serious of situations (home repossession or court hearing, for example); there is help or advice available in the form of debt counselling, consolidation services or voluntary agreements (IVS or Trust Deeds). Despite these options many choose to sell their homes to clear the outstanding debt, as this is seen as the simplest option open to homeowners, rather than face the prospect of theirhome being repossessed. By contacting a specialist company who can ensure a property can be sold quickly repossession can be effectively halted before it begins. Some companies offer to purchase a property with the option to rent or buy back the property ensuring that families keep the same roof over their heads through this difficult time with the possibility of once again owning their home when finances finally improve.

By: Martin McAllister