Consumer Proposal Georgetown, Ontario – Alternatives & Important Things You Need to Know

What is a consumer proposal, and could it be the best option for my situation?

One option to consolidate your debts is to file a Consumer Proposal in Georgetown. It is a legal process under the Bankruptcy and Insolvency Act between you and your creditors to repay part of what you owe. The amount you repay is largely based upon your income and what you own.

A Consumer Proposal can only be setup by a bankruptcy trustee and costs around $1,500. You’ll pay an initial setup fee, and if it is accepted by your creditors, you will pay the balance to proceed. In addition, the trustee will keep 20% of your future payments as your Consumer Proposal administration fee. For the proposal to be legally binding, the creditors who own the majority of your debt must agree to the arrangement. If they do, then you will be required to repay the agreed upon amount over a maximum term of 5 years.

Watch Out for the Big Debt Rip-Off

Consumer Proposals have become the newest way for a growing number of companies and their sales people to take advantage of unsuspecting, vulnerable Canadians. Don’t let this happen to you! A lot of companies offering debt relief are now claiming to provide Consumer Proposals as a great way of getting out of debt. But there’s a problem. Only a government licensed bankruptcy trustee is permitted to file paperwork for a Consumer Proposal. These debt relief companies bill people for thousands in fees only to refer them to a bankruptcy trustee who then charges his or her own fees.

How a Your Credit Will Be Impacted by a Consumer Proposal

Once you enter into a Consumer Proposal, a special notation is placed on your credit report in the public records section. Anyone who you allow to look at your credit report can see the public records section.

Additionally, it is possible that your creditors will report a “7” rating on any debt included in the proposal. This “7” rating means that creditors are receiving your payments through a third party. In this instance the third party would be your trustee. When you send a payment to your trustee, they distribute the agreed upon dollar amounts to all of your creditors once all applicable fees have been paid.

If you are paying secured creditors, like those who hold your car loan, outside of your Consumer Proposal, those creditors will report your payments on those debts separately. Creating and maintaining a realistic budget will make it easier to keep these debts paid up to date.

If you are able to show a good payment pattern on a secured debt while you’re making all of your proposal payments, you’ll be that much further ahead afterwards when you want to re-build your credit.