Citizens Advice
I’m struggling to afford my energy bills and I’m worried my supply will be disconnected. What can I do?
At the moment, your energy supplier won’t disconnect your gas or electricity if you miss a payment.
However, after 28 days without payment, your supplier may notify you that they are considering disconnecting your supply.
If you’re a pensioner living alone or a pensioner living with children under five, suppliers aren’t allowed to disconnect you between 1 October and 31 March.
The six biggest energy suppliers have also agreed not to disconnect anyone at any time of year if they have a disability, a long-term health problem, severe financial problems, or young children living at home.
Contact your supplier if you’re struggling to afford your gas and electricity bills.
They are obliged to help you come to a payment solution. The solution should work for both of you.
When you call your energy supplier, you might have to wait longer than normal to speak to someone. If you can, try contacting them online through their website, through social media, or by email.
If you’re not able to agree on a payment plan with your supplier, or you don’t stick to a plan you previously agreed to, your supplier might try to force you to have a prepayment meter installed.
We may also be able to help you out with free energy vouchers up to £150 worth of value ( subject to qualifying criteria ). Call 0344 848 7919.
I paid some of the cost upfront for a builder to do work on my house. Due to Covid-19, the work hasn’t been finished and the builder has gone out of business. Can I get my money back?
If a company or trader stops trading or goes out of business, there are several ways to try to get your money back or get the work done. However, there’s no guarantee you’ll get what you paid for.
It is good to know that a sole trader (someone who runs their own business) or partnership that stops trading is responsible for work or items that have been paid for. Call the company, visit their office or shop, or write to them to find out what’s happening. Explain what you’ve paid for and ask for the item or service you bought, or a refund.
If you can’t get hold of a company or want to confirm that they’ve gone out of business, search for their name on Companies House or the Insolvency Register.
Search both the name of the person and their trading name. It can take a few weeks for information to appear on these websites.
If the company has gone out of business, get details of the administrator or receiver. Details will usually be on the website of the company that’s gone bust.
You’ll need this information if you want to make a claim.
You need to register as a creditor to make a claim. Send a form to the administrator, detailing what you’re owed.
You can also apply for a ‘Section 75 claim’ from your credit card provider if the item or work cost more than £100 and you paid with a credit card.
Similarly, you can ask for a ‘chargeback’ from your bank or card provider if you paid with a debit card.
If you would like to get a second opinion before taking further action against a business, you can contact the Citizens Advice BANES Adviceline by ringing 0344 848 7919, Mon to Fri, 9.30am–2.30pm.
I’ve been furloughed due to Covid-19 and I can’t afford to pay my loans. Can I get my payments reduced or paused?
At the moment, lenders and finance companies are expected to agree to reduce or pause your payments for a limited time if you can’t pay because of coronavirus. This is called a ‘payment deferral’.
If you have a guarantor, the lender shouldn’t try to get money from them during this time, either.
It’s usually not a good idea to ask for a payment deferral if you were already struggling to repay your loan or you don’t think you’ll be in a better position to pay at the end of the deferral.
Payment deferrals can also make it harder to get credit in the future.
Your lender should give you time to consider the best option for you.
They should pause your account for 30 days if you’re waiting for your circumstances to change - for example, if you’re waiting for benefits or you’ve just returned to work after being furloughed. Notify your lender if you need more than 30 days.
If your lender pauses your account it’s a good idea to use that time to call Citizens Advice BANES to get debt advice or to visit our debt solutions webpage: www.citizensadvicebanes. org.uk/solutions/debt-solutions.