What can I do if I have debts that I have had trouble repaying and now a debt collector is contacting me every day?

• When you have outstanding debts with a company they may contact your directly or may have a solicitor or debt collector who take control of the debt.
• Whoever you owe money to is able to contact you about having the money repaid.
• They are able to ring you a reasonable amount of times to discuss repayment with you.
• They can visit you at home a reasonable amount of times to request repayment.
• They can tell you that they will take legal action against you to get the money repaid.
• There are many things that a debt collector cannot do. This includes:
  • threatening to tell other people about your debt;
  • threatening to have you go to jail;
  • threatening to have your wages or income garnished;
  • removing or selling your property unless they have a court order;
  • repeatedly calling you or calling you at an inappropriate time such as late at night;
  • visiting or ringing you at work if you have provided them with another contact option; or
  • using abusive or threatening letters.

• You can use our Phone a Lawyer service for a preliminary legal consultation if you think you may need legal advice.