Consumer Choice Comes First

At the heart of the debt review system is a simple principle: the consumer chooses who represents them. Consumers under debt review have the right to choose their debt counsellor and, where they feel it is in their best interest, to transfer their matter to another registered debt counsellor.

That choice should be respected without intimidation, pressure or delay. A transfer is not a betrayal of one practitioner or a victory for another — it is the consumer exercising a right that the law recognises.

Consumer choice is not negotiable—it is a cornerstone of fair financial practice.

Transfers Do Not Restart Debt Review

A transfer should never reset the clock. Debt review must continue from the stage already reached — not begin again from scratch. If a matter has reached a court order, proposals have been submitted, or creditor acceptances are in place, that progress travels with the consumer.

Restarting the process needlessly extends a consumer's time under debt review, delays their rehabilitation and can expose them to avoidable additional costs. Continuity protects the consumer's journey to debt freedom.

No Double Charging of Fees

When a matter is transferred, the receiving debt counsellor should not charge the consumer for work that has already been completed by the transferring debt counsellor. Double charging undermines trust in the industry and directly prejudices the very people debt review exists to help.

Fees should reflect work genuinely performed going forward — not a duplication of services the consumer has already paid for.

Proof of Work Required

Where a transferring debt counsellor claims outstanding fees, those fees must be supported by proper invoices and clear evidence of the actual work completed. A claim for payment is not self-justifying.

Transparency cuts both ways: consumers are entitled to see what they are being asked to pay for, and practitioners are entitled to fair payment for legitimate work — provided it is properly documented.

Consumer Files Must Be Handed Over

A transfer cannot succeed if the consumer's file is withheld. To allow a matter to continue seamlessly, the following should be handed over to the receiving debt counsellor:

  • Form 17.7
  • Power of Attorney
  • The complete consumer file
  • Court documents
  • Proposals
  • Creditor acceptances

These documents belong to the consumer's matter. Holding them back delays rehabilitation and places the consumer at risk.

Prescription of Historical Fees

Concerns have been raised about old, unpaid fees being revived long after the work was performed. Where historical fees are claimed, they must be properly supported and capable of withstanding scrutiny — including the question of whether such claims have prescribed.

Consumers should not be ambushed by stale, undocumented demands when they seek to move their matter forward.

Professionalism Within the Industry

Professional conduct between practitioners directly affects consumers. Industry participants have highlighted recurring conduct that undermines transfers, including:

  • Ignoring emails
  • Refusing calls
  • Delaying transfers
  • Failing to provide documents
  • Unprofessional conduct between debt counsellors

Practitioners owe one another, and the public, a baseline of professional courtesy and responsiveness. The consumer should never be the casualty of a dispute between service providers.

Professional conduct is not optional—it is essential to maintaining the integrity of the debt review process.

Concerns Raised by Industry Participants

Several concerns have been raised across the industry, including:

  • Consumer poaching
  • Debt review removal marketing
  • Consumers not being properly informed
  • Transfer abuse

These practices risk turning a rehabilitative system into a competitive battleground, where the consumer's interests are sidelined in favour of acquiring or retaining "clients."

Returning to the Original Purpose of Debt Review

Debt review exists for the consumer. Refocusing the industry means returning to its founding purpose:

  • Consumer rehabilitation
  • Financial counselling
  • Professional service delivery
  • Long-term debt freedom

Every transfer, fee and document handover should be measured against a single test: does this help the consumer reach financial freedom?