You will be expected to continue making certain repayments, while your Debt Relief Order is processed. These include your everyday household expenses, such as your rent, council tax, utility bills and water charges.
If you have any debts that aren’t included in your Debt Relief Order (known as excluded debts, such as CSA arrears, student loans etc.) then you will also need to continue repaying these to ensure you don’t fall behind and get into further financial trouble.
A Debt Relief Order also won’t stop bailiffs from taking control of your possessions, via a controlled goods agreement. So to get your possessions back you may have to pay some of the debt to have them returned or to keep them.
If you are renting and you owe your landlord money in rent arrears, a Debt Relief Order doesn’t stop them from taking further possession action against you. This means you may have to continue paying your rent arrears to stay in your home – though the amount of rent arrears must be included in the Debt Relief Order.
Once your Debt Relief Order is processed and complete you won’t have to pay off the debts that were included, and you will be free to make a fresh start.