I was repossed in 1998 with my ex partner who was guarantor. Never heard anything till two weeks ago a letter telling me that i owe shortfall of 12 K . They say i have to pay back debt even though my ex was guarantor. i have been told by debt recovery that we are equally responsible.

But at the moment i have remarried, i am not working and my husband is, can they force my husband to pay debts of a shortfall of a property that had nothing to do with him?. I have received a letter which has forms to fill in asking details of my current partner earnings H E L P dont know what to do?

-- anom (jandn.dielehner@ntlworld.com), August 24, 2002

Answers

They cannot insist on your new husbands income and expenditure details, but they might get them by default because *you* have to prove that you have no "interest" in any of his assets or the home you live in. Since you are married..unless you thought ahead and had a paper drawn up to demarcate what is his and yours, it won't be easy. Sorry!

-- Too scared to say (iwasduped@yahoo.com), August 24, 2002.

I believe that if a lender (or agent, solicitor, debt collector etc) implies or suggests or states that you are in some way legally obliged to give up a third party's personal details (whether you are married to that party or not) then they are in breach of the Data Protection Act. I have an assessment bearing this view from the Information Commissioner.

-- Eleanor Scott (eleanor.scott@btinternet.com), August 29, 2002.