FAQs

You can only protect an account under debt review if the credit provider has not yet initiated formal legal action. If you receive a Section 129 letter of demand, you have exactly 10 business days to consult an NCR registered debt counsellor to place that specific account under debt review. If you ignore the notice and a court summons is issued, that debt is excluded from protection, and the asset can be repossessed. Time is critical, contact a debt relief expert the moment a Section 129 arrives.

Yes, all creditor harassment legally stops once you apply for debt counselling. Within 5 days of your application, DebtMap notifies all your credit providers and the credit bureaus. From that moment, the law dictates that credit providers must communicate exclusively with your debt counsellor. If a call centre agent or debt collector contacts you, you simply provide them with your debt counsellor’s details. This immediately relieves the severe psychological stress of threatening phone calls.

No, debt review does not permanently ruin your credit score; it rehabilitates it. While under active debt counselling, the credit bureaus will flag your profile to protect you from taking on reckless debt. However, once you successfully settle your restructured debt, DebtMap issues an NCR Clearance Certificate. By law, credit bureaus must expunge the debt review flag and all default histories from your record within 21 days, giving you a completely clean slate to rebuild wealth.

Legitimate debt counselling requires no upfront cash payments. All debt review fees are strictly regulated by the National Credit Regulator (NCR) and are built directly into your newly restructured, affordable monthly payment. When you make your single monthly payment via a secure Payment Distribution Agency (PDA), the mandated fees (such as legal and restructuring costs) are deducted automatically. You never pay a debt counsellor directly out of pocket.

Yes, all creditor harassment legally stops once you apply for debt counselling. Within 5 days of your application, DebtMap notifies all your credit providers and the credit bureaus. From that moment, the law dictates that credit providers must communicate exclusively with your debt counsellor. If a call centre agent or debt collector contacts you, you simply provide them with your debt counsellor’s details. This immediately relieves the severe psychological stress of threatening phone calls.

If you are married in community of property (COP), you and your spouse share a single joint estate under South African law. Therefore, you cannot apply for debt review individually; both spouses must submit a joint application. The debt counsellor will assess your combined household income and all joint debts to calculate a single, affordable monthly repayment plan. If you are married out of community of property, you can apply as an individual without involving your partner’s finances.

No, the debt counselling process is strictly confidential. DebtMap will never notify your employer, family, or colleagues about your financial status. We communicate exclusively with you, your credit providers, and the national credit bureaus. Unless you voluntarily share the information, or your specific job legally requires a clean credit check (such as directorships in the financial sector), your participation in legal debt relief remains entirely private.

You cannot simply cancel debt review once a court order has been granted unless you can settle your debts. A 2019 National Consumer Tribunal ruling dictates that consumers cannot voluntarily withdraw to resume normal payments just because their income increased. To exit early, you must pay off all unsecured debt (with your home loan up to date) to get a Clearance Certificate.

The duration of the debt review process depends entirely on your total outstanding debt balance and what you can afford to pay each month. On average, most South African consumers complete the program within 36 to 60 months (3 to 5 years). Because your interest rates are significantly reduced through our creditor negotiations, every payment reduces the principal capital much faster. You can also accelerate this timeline at any point by paying more than the required minimum instalment.

An NCR Clearance Certificate (Form 19) is the final legal document proving you are officially debt-free. DebtMap issues this certificate once you have settled all your short-term and unsecured debt (personal loans, credit cards, vehicle finance) and your home loan payments are fully up to date. Once issued, we legally instruct all credit bureaus to remove the debt review flag and clear any negative default judgments, fully restoring your creditworthiness.