CC writes: In the summer of 2006 my husband died. Four months later, my eldest stepson gained entry to my home without my permission and refused to move. I called the police but they declined to act. I had to leave my home and spend Christmas with my parents.

Soon after, in January 2007, my stepson called the police claiming that while he was away for a few days the house was burgled. The property was trashed, all my husband’s clothes, my clothes and everything else had been taken. Both the police and the insurance company had their own theories as to who was responsible but as I had no proof I could not accuse anyone.

The insurance company, Payment Shield, appointed a loss adjuster in February 2007. My loss assessor has been dealing with the claim because I was not in a fit state to handle it. After a great deal of delay, my loss assessor was told the insurers would offer me a sum of £72,000 for the loss, and I agreed. Since then I have heard nothing.

What a dreadful situation for you. At the time your loss occurred, Payment Shield’s policies were underwritten by Halifax Insurance. Even after I got in touch with Halifax some two months ago, there were further delays.

The company wanted to interview your father, who had been with you when you had attempted to remove your stepson from the house, before finally agreeing to the claim — it appears it went back on the promise to pay out that had been made in November. As you pointed out, they could have talked to your father more than two years ago.

In any event, Halifax agreed to pay the claim but at this stage it made no suggestion that it should pay any interest, despite the size of the payout and the inordinate delay. It is now negotiating with your solicitors on the “appropriate settlement” to be made.

Immigrants’ credit dilemma

CB writes: I have good friends, a young married couple from Azerbaijan, who have been granted visas to come to the UK and work. I know them very well and am trying to advise them so they do not get ripped off.

One issue I can foresee is that they will have no credit history.

I would like to help them get credit cards and start to build up a credit history simply by using the card for regular shopping and paying off the amounts in full each month.

Are there any particular credit cards tailored to their situation?

Building up a credit “footprint” is easier said than done for newcomers, especially if they are not eligible to vote and therefore will not appear on the electoral roll. A basic bank account is probably their first port of call, which may not offer credit facilities, although after, say, six months of running the account satisfactorily, they could apply for an overdraft facility and hence start a credit history.

There are a number of credit cards available for people with poor or no credit records, where, as you might expect, the overall credit limit is low — perhaps £250, initially — but the interest rate is sky-high; think in terms of 30% to 40%. The key thing, however, is to use the card regularly but always pay it off in full every month, so the interest rate should be irrelevant.

Barclays, Vanquis, Monument and Capital One all offer such cards. You can find details on websites such as moneysupermarket.com.

Once your couple have built up a history, it would be a good idea for them to obtain a copy of their credit report and ask to add a note explaining why they are not on the electoral roll.

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