# Moved from UK to ROI, can debt follow me?



## BlackIreland

I lived in the UK for 24 years, from birth. I ran up some student debt at university, like many! I paid off some loans and credit cards while i lived in the UK, but now live in the Republic of Ireland and have done since 2007. I am now a housewife. 

My last payment off these loans etc was back in 2007. Can i be 'chased' to the ROI for them, they would total approx £4000 from various lenders.

A letter arrived at my mothers house (in the UK) addressed to me a few weeks ago from Apex Credit Management telling me they had checked with 3 credit reference agencies and knew that i still lived at that address (eventhough I havent since 2002).

Am just curious as to how i should proceed.


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## Moral Ethos

They can in theory follow you if they obtain your details here. What they are likely to do is obtain CCJs in the UK and attempt to enforce them which they will fail. If your mother gives them the details when the bailiffs call they will try and chase you here.


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## BlackIreland

She would be in no way liable for my debt would she? 

My husband has a great job down here, and i've been able to be a stay at home mum (so have no income of my own to pay debt back). Would he now be liable for it also, even though the debt was incurred before we even met?


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## Moral Ethos

Only you is liable for your debt. 

Your mother or husband have absolutely nothing to do with what you owe. It is down to you alone.


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## twofor1

BlackIreland said:


> My husband has a great job down here, and i've been able to be a stay at home mum (so have no income of my own to pay debt back).


 
If as a couple it’s decide that you should be a stay at home Mom, surely whatever income comes into the household is then a joint income.

Why not just pay off the debt ?


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## john martin

If it doesn,t bother you not to pay the debt(like a lot of so called high-up people in this country) then don't pay. It is your choice. I hope it never catches up with you,


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## Marietta

BlackIreland said:


> She would be in no way liable for my debt would she?
> 
> My husband has a great job down here, and i've been able to be a stay at home mum (so have no income of my own to pay debt back). ?


 

YOu have a moral duty to pay back the debt, put a little by from your housekeeping every week and pay what you owe.  You can afford it unlike others on this forum who have suffered redundancy and have serious  financial problems.


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## Moral Ethos

twofor1 said:


> If as a couple it’s decide that you should be a stay at home Mom, surely whatever income comes into the household is then a joint income.
> 
> Why not just pay off the debt ?


You sound like a solicitor that tried that line on a debtor in court only to be held in contempt by the judge. A spouses income cannot be taken into account in the calculation of means to pay a debt.


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## Moral Ethos

Marietta said:


> YOu have a moral duty to pay back the debt, put a little by from your housekeeping every week and pay what you owe.  You can afford it unlike others on this forum who have suffered redundancy and have serious  financial problems.


Morals have no place in a court of law. Again a spouse is not liable the other spouses debts.


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## twofor1

Moral Ethos said:


> A spouses income cannot be taken into account in the calculation of means to pay a debt.


 

I never said it could.

My point is I would not expect my wife to return to work to pay off this debt, our child’s care would be my main priority.

If my wife is at home minding our child, we are both at work.

I would consider my income to be joint income.


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## peelabee

BlackIreland,
I'm curious - why don't you just pay back what you borrowed?  Does it not bother your conscience that you owe someone money?


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## BlackIreland

As you can see, this was my first post on this site. I joined after reading helpful and positive feedback from other members on similar issues to my own.

I do not believe in 'self pity', which is why i didnt pedal some sob story as to why i ended up in debt (the small amount that it is). In fact, I was made redundant in 2007 in the UK. My husband was made bankrupt in 2000 after his business failed. He lost his home in the process. We know as well as anyone how difficult times can be. We are lucky as I said, that he can provide for us both now.

Childcare in Dundrum, Dublin (for those of you who do not know) is approx €1200 pcm for a reputable organisation that i would feel happy leaving my 6 month old daughter with. It is therefore not a financially viable option for me to return to work.

I would also like to add that neither myself nor my husband have ever claimed benefits of any nature, and are not out to 'play the system'. 

Please think very carefully before judging the users of this site, who are simply asking for advice in these difficult times!


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## Moral Ethos

Hear Hear! Well said.


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## mrblues

+1 @BlackIreland


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## twofor1

BlackIreland said:


> Please think very carefully before judging the users of this site, who are simply asking for advice in these difficult times!


 
With respect,

The information you gave in your original post was that you owed a small amount of money, your husband had a good job, and these companies were looking for payment.

Your question was how you should proceed.

Based on the information you provided, I and others simply asked why not repay it.

I am not judging you, I don’t think anyone else is either.


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## BlackIreland

With Respect,



twofor1 said:


> My point is I would not expect my wife to return to work to pay off this debt, our child’s care would be my main priority.


 
....is not 'non judgemental'. Infact, its darn right hypocritical to not expect your own wife to return to work to repay a debt, but yet others should?

I will not be using the site again. Many thanks to those who provided positive and constructive comments!


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## Marietta

BlackIreland said:


> With Respect,
> 
> 
> 
> ....is not 'non judgemental'. Infact, its darn right hypocritical to not expect your own wife to return to work to repay a debt, but yet others should?
> 
> I will not be using the site again. Many thanks to those who provided positive and constructive comments!


 

Why so angry?


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## BlackIreland

Marietta said:


> YOu have a moral duty to pay back the debt, put a little by from your housekeeping every week and pay what you owe. You can afford it unlike others on this forum who have suffered redundancy and have serious financial problems.


 
Not angry in the least Marietta. Just surprised by everyones take on the moral highground. I guess I'm just not so quick to point the finger at others misfortune (as there are always 3 pointing back).


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## glasto

As others have said, why not pay it back? I moved from UK to ROI six years ago in a fair bit of debt. Its all been paid off and I am now saving. A good friend of mine left and didn't pay off her debt., it looks like she has got away with it as they haven't tracked her down in six years, but they got close a few times! Anyway, my conscience and credit record is clear. If you can pay, you should, its as simple as that. How would you like people borrowing your money and not paying it back?


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## Clars1909

BlackIreland, as far as I can make out, no-one was judging you in the way you think but sometimes even a person of integrity has to give some background - there are a lot of people posting on this website who are totally out to screw the system in any way they can, expect advice as to how to do it more,  and for people to join in with them in laughing at the poor sods that actually do the right thing when they can. 
Nothing against this website (I love you, askaboutmoney!) but these type of posters make the rest of us wary, especially in present economic times with so many of us in difficulties.
With regard to your loan I do think the Bailiffs will catch up with you eventually, and that you are still legally liable for the amount owing. If you do decide to sort it out in the future try www.mabs.ie, if you send them an email query they should be able to give you some manageable options.


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## Moral Ethos

Bailiffs from the UK have no authority in Ireland. They will eventually past the matter to some Irish solicitors instead.


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## fizzelina

Blackireland, I agree noone was judging you, they merely asked why not repay it? I'm not sure of your reasons not to repay it if you owe it and could afford to. You seem to think you're owed some debt amnesty because of staying at home to be a Mom? Childcare in Dundrum is irrelevant to the question of whether you should dodge the debt. Why not tell them you don't work but will repay a tenner a week back to them and come to an agreement. And don't come to a public forum to ask for advice if you are going to get annoyed at the advice or questions people have to be honest.


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## Plek Trum

Your husband is employed.  You have a debt. Be a decent and moral human being and repay it.  The fact you have a child is totally irrelevant.  Sorry to be so blunt but you asked for advice and that is what I would recommend.


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## Shelleyb

Hi Blackireland,

I understand and empathize with you.  I was in a similar situation 5/6 years ago, the answer is if they manage to get an address for you in Ireland...well...you will have to pay it back.   I had to deal with a Debt Collection Agency in the UK so for the sake of my sanity I had to take out a loan from here to pay them as the hassle was just too much.  In hindsight, if you have to deal with a debt collection agency only offer what you can afford and you are quite within your rights to do that.  There are awful dodgey bullies (debt collectors) in the UK and will try everything to extract as much money from you in one go as possible as they are on commission.
Take care.


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## Slash

BlackIreland said:


> Am just curious as to how i should proceed.



Why are you getting so angry? You asked how to proceed, and were advised by a number of posters to proceed by paying the debt. Nobody cares about your background or history, you owe money and must pay it. Simple.


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## DB74

If you run up a debt here are you going to run away and hide somewhere else?


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## paddyodoors

Did you leave your mask and shotgun in the UK or are you gonna rob some banks here too?


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## Carey

Outrageous posts I must say.


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## Bill Struth

paddyodoors said:


> Did you leave your mask and shotgun in the UK or are you gonna rob some banks here too?


 

That's helpful.


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## Sidetracker

Quote: Moral Ethos.

"You sound like a solicitor that tried that line on a debtor in court only to be held in contempt by the judge. A spouses income cannot be taken into account in the calculation of means to pay a debt". 

           -------------------------------------------------------

Likewise, "Frequent Poster", likewise.


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## Sidetracker

Clars1909 said:


> BlackIreland, as far as I can make out, no-one was judging you in the way you think but sometimes even a person of integrity has to give some background - there are a lot of people posting on this website who are totally out to screw the system in any way they can, expect advice as to how to do it more, and for people to join in with them in laughing at the poor sods that actually do the right thing when they can.
> Nothing against this website (I love you, askaboutmoney!) but these type of posters make the rest of us wary, especially in present economic times with so many of us in difficulties.
> With regard to your loan I do think the Bailiffs will catch up with you eventually, and that you are still legally liable for the amount owing. If you do decide to sort it out in the future try www.mabs.ie, if you send them an email query they should be able to give you some manageable options.


 

Well said. A much welcomed post on this site. There are also a lot of "Frequent Posters" only too happy to attack and embarrase posters who express the alternative point of view, but they will always be there. Look forward to hearing more "Honest" posts from you.


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## MandaC

OP asked for advice.  Then got annoyed because people did not say what she wanted to hear.

There are so many people out there who would love to be in a position to repay their debts but cannot.  I feel sorry for those people. 

I guess it is down to the individual at the end of the day.  If some bill arrived at my Mam's house, it would just be handed to me to pay.    It would just not be tolerated that I had "done a bunk", no matter what age I am.   If my mam thought I was in financial trouble, I would be helped, but if not, I would be told to pay it.

Maybe the OP could get a weekend or evening job and save to pay off her debt when her husband is at home and could look after the childcare.


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## Featherhead

To be honest I'd pay it off - offer them what you can afford per week or per month and see how that goes. At least then you are making an effort to repay it. 

Aside from the moral debate of whether you 'should' repay it - do you really want to be looking over your shoulder all the time in the next few years? While they cannot currently go after you over here if they get an Irish address for you then they can and realistically how hard will it be for them to find an Irish address especially if they outsourced the debt to an Irish company.


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## babygirl

you borrowed the money, you spent the money!!! the person who should pay this debt is...*you!!*

why should someone else be left out of pocket because you cant do the legal and morally correct thing and pay it back??? running from debt and not paying it back when you obviously could aford to do so is spineless. (your husband has a good job and im sure you could aford €10 aweek)

i hope they do catch up with you


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## truthseeker

Pay it back. You borrowed it, you spent it, and now it seems all youre worried about is 'will I get away with this'. Its a disgusting attitude to be honest.


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## Billo

BlackIreland said:


> Childcare in Dundrum, Dublin (for those of you who do not know) is approx €1200 pcm for a reputable organisation that i would feel happy leaving my 6 month old daughter with. It is therefore not a financially viable option for me to return to work.
> 
> 
> I would also like to add that neither myself nor my husband have ever claimed benefits of any nature, and are not out to 'play the system'.
> 
> Please think very carefully before judging the users of this site, who are simply asking for advice in these difficult times!



It looks like the OP is paying 1200 a month childcare, while being at home full time herself, and at the same time is not paying off her UK debts. It does not make sense. 

My advice is stop childcare and pay off debts first.


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## Kerrylady

Billo said:


> It looks like the OP is paying 1200 a month childcare, while being at home full time herself, and at the same time is not paying off her UK debts. It does not make sense.
> 
> My advice is stop childcare and pay off debts first.


 
I think you're missing her point Billo - she said childcare would cost her 1200 a month IF she went back to work! The OP is basically saying it wouldn't pay her to go back to work fulltime if she has to pay those creche fee's! Saying that everyone else has to bear these expenses and pay back loans so there's really no excuse! If you borrow money, you pay it back end of story. OP - you need to contact these institutions you owe money to and work out a payment plan. I'm sure they'ld appreciate even €10 a week then nothing at all!


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## Time

LOL yee are all out of touch with reality. There is no way a bank would accept €10 a week. 

OP, go back to the UK and declare bankruptcy.


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## Kev

These debt collectors in the UK buy bulk debts and pay peanuts for them.  If it was me, I would ask them, to prove that you own the debt.  How do you know that it has been sold on to them?  There has been case in the UK that these dreadful people have chased for a debt and in the end caused a woman to commit suicide,  this was a pensioner about 2 years ago.  She only owed a couple of hundred and they claimed that she owed thousands. 

Also, these dreadful people could be doing a fishing trip therefore you should not give them any information.   If the persist and you want to get them off your back they  should provide you with a true copy signed copy of the agreement that they claimed that they have purchased also the terms and conditions has to be correct on that copy of Agreement.  Some debt collectors make these agreements up be careful and check that it is correct your signature, if you write to them do not sign the letter as they have also been know to forge signaures, just print your name.

Just think, if someone asked you for money that you owed you would question how come they owned the debt now, and if they claimed that they purchased the debt then you would want to see the agreement they claimed that they have purchased therefore given them authority to collect the debt they say you own them now

l look up some more information on this and get back. 

   Also of course no bank will accept 10 euros a week but the court will accept what you can pay and that can be one euro  a month.


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## IrishAussie

MandaC said:


> OP asked for advice. Then got annoyed because people did not say what she wanted to hear.)
> 
> 
> +1
> What did you really want to hear BlackIreland?
> You have got (mostly) very good advice on this thread from many sensible posters.
> What is your attitude now that you have had many responses to the advice YOU asked for?
> You are an educated person....use your logic!


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## SparkRite

BlackIreland said:


> I will not be using the site again. Many thanks to those who provided positive and constructive comments!



Does anybody read full threads anymore?

Above was posted by OP nearly TWO months ago.

Don't think there is much point in offering any more advice or posing questions to her at this stage.


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## DB74

Bet she still has a sneaky look in every now and then though


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## Purple

If the OP had written, “I went to a car dealership in the UK to test drive a car worth £4’000 and stole it. I now have it in a lock-up in Ireland. Can anyone advise the best way to move it on for cash?” it would, in effect, be no different to what she posted.

If people post here asking how they can get away with stealing and/or defrauding then they might not like the answers they get. If so tough.


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## Kev

On the other hand, if some wrote to you saying that you owed them money that you did not borrowed this money from them.  They expect you to take their word that they now own this debt.  Would you pay them without proof that they really did buy the dept without seeing the agreement that was made the real lender to prove that that they did indeed own/buy the debt?  Would you pay up without questioning it, I know I would not...


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## Purple

Kev said:


> On the other hand, if some wrote to you saying that you owed them money that you did not borrowed this money from them.  They expect you to take their word that they now own this debt.  Would you pay them without proof that they really did buy the dept without seeing the agreement that was made the real lender to prove that that they did indeed own/buy the debt?  Would you pay up without questioning it, I know I would not...


 Of course you'd need proof but what's that got to do with it?


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## Kev

BlackIreland said:


> I lived in the UK for 24 years, from birth. I ran up some student debt at university, like many! I paid off some loans and credit cards while i lived in the UK, but now live in the Republic of Ireland and have done since 2007. I am now a housewife.
> 
> My last payment off these loans etc was back in 2007. Can i be 'chased' to the ROI for them, they would total approx £4000 from various lenders.
> 
> A letter arrived at my mothers house (in the UK) addressed to me a few weeks ago from Apex Credit Management telling me they had checked with 3 credit reference agencies and knew that i still lived at that address (eventhough I havent since 2002).
> 
> Am just curious as to how i should proceed.



I was under the impression that it was not from the lender it was from Apex Credit Management not the original lender.  therefore I was advising to get proof that these people have ownership of the debt as they known to be disreputable organization.    Therefore it is to do with not been conned by these people.


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## Purple

Kev said:


> I was under the impression that it was not from the lender it was from Apex Credit Management not the original lender.  therefore I was advising to get proof that these people have ownership of the debt as they known to be disreputable organization.    Therefore it is to do with not been conned by these people.



Fair enough, point taken. I was writing about the OP getting upset because other posters suggested that they should pay what they owe.


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## jetstream

Uk debt can follow you to Ireland. First you will get the usual letters from the UK debt collection agencies, then from the UK solicitors (if they have your IRL address). If they get no joy with that and if it is worth chasing they will pass it onto an Irish solicitor who deals with this type of debt and given you live in the EU all they have to do is apply to the Irish Courts for a European Judgement Order and then the UK debt is enforced in Ireland.With a EJO they usual avenue will be followed, Court Judgement and the Sheriff


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