What are Trust Deeds?
A trust deed is a legally binding agreement between a person and his creditors. The agreement gives the trustee the mandate to manage the assets while repaying outstanding debts that the owner of the asset owes the creditors. With trust deeds, the agreement between the asset owner and the creditor is voluntary. As a result, creditors who opt not to sign the trust agreement can seek an alternative means of recovering the debt that the person owes them. On the contrary, creditors who sign the trust deed are bound by the terms of the agreement in that they can’t seek an alternative means of recovering their debt.
Types of Trust Deeds
There are varied types of trust deeds, and they are outlines as follows:
- Asset free deed
The asset free deed is taken by individuals who don’t have any assets. The agreement of this type of deed allows the trustee to get some portion of income from the affected individual and use that money in paying creditors. Taking an asset free deed helps the individual who doesn’t own any asset to avoid bankruptcy.
- General Trust Deed
Also referred to us a regular deed, the general trust deed is taken by creditors under a voluntary basis. The individual should appoint trustees who are well skilled as insolvency practitioners. He then goes on to transfer all the assets that he owns to the trustee. With the use of the general trust deed, the individual is protected from undergoing the bankruptcy process.
- Protect Trust Deeds
These deeds are enforced by a court of law. The asset owner seeks the aid of the court to bind the creditors to the deed. A protected deed can also be used to protect the home equity of the individual. Once the deed is discharged as per the agreement, the asset owner becomes debt free.
