Debt counsellors are the professional people that assist individuals that want to or must go through the debt review process and debt review removal process, these are professional people with the required knowledge to assist the persons’ that require their debt related services.
Why is a debt counsellor important?
Debt counsellors are important because these are the only individuals that can assist with the debt review process as an accredited individual. These counsellors provide professional advice on all debt related matters and services such as negotiations with credit providers, and much more!
What requirements are there for a professional debt counsellor?
Debt counsellors can only be natural persons and must be qualified by and registered at the NCR (National Credit Regulator), these individuals work for debt review companies but the companies themselves cannot register as a debt counsellor.
The National Credit Act also states that an NCR registered debt counsellor may not work for credit providers, debt collection companies, or the credit bureau. This is to prevent any conflict of interest, fraudulent behaviour and/or abnormal privileges.
Debt counsellors go through an entire registration process by the NCR which includes background screening, and the NCR ensures the person complies with the entire list of requirements that the NCR has for debt counsellors.
These requirements include, qualifications, experience, good standing credit, and much more! These individuals go through a long process to get accredited to ultimately help the people that require their services, and debt counsellors are therefore particularly important for the debt review process.
How to know if your debt counsellor is accredited?
Debt Counsellors must be registered as qualified Debt Counsellors at the NCR (National Credit Regulator) before they can operate in any way as Debt Counsellors for any person.
Debt Counsellors that are accredited by NCR should each have a registration certificate which has the NCR logo and will indicate the debt counsellors’ details, and the registration number of the debt counsellor, which is called the NCR Registration Number, which you can ask for. The validity of the registration number can be checked on the NCR’s website and your Debt Counsellor’s details should reflect once entered and searched for, there are currently only 1719 registered Debt Counsellors. The website where you can search for the NCR Registration number is https://www.ncr.org.za/register_of_registrants/registered_dc.php
If the person does not appear on this list, you should not make use of their services, and you can refer any debt counselling disputes and non-member disputes directly to the NCR on complaints@ncr.org.za or call 0860 627 627/011 554 2600.
Our team of expert Debt Counsellors meet all the criteria, and we even go beyond that to ensure our clients get the best service. Contact us today and browse our website for more information on how our qualified debt counsellors can assist you with your debt review removal.