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If you are being pursued for debt and are battling serious physical or mental health problems, LET THE DEBT COMPANY KNOW.
Informing a debt company of your health problems does not count as 'acknowledging' the debt.
The short template below should help:
Dear Debt Company
You have recently contacted me about XXXX account.
This letter does not accept any liability or acknowledgment of XXXX account but instead serves as a written notification that I am a vulnerable person who is experiencing distress because of debt collection activity.
Since 20XX I have suffered with XXXXX condition for which I am receiving XXXX treatment from My GP, Mr/Mrs XXXX.
This condition causes me to suffer XXX which prevents me from working.
[Give as much information as possible, this can also include if you are caring for a vulnerable family member or partner.]
Useful summary from Stepchange:
How creditors must treat vulnerable customers
Often problem debt goes hand-in hand with other issues. If these other issues make it difficult to deal with your debts you might need some extra support from your creditors.
It's important to let your creditors know if you're in a vulnerable situation, so they're aware about any difficulties your experiencing that may make it harder for you to deal with your debts.
What does ‘vulnerable’ mean?
Creditors and advice agencies like us often use the term ‘vulnerable’ when describing someone who finds it more difficult to deal with their debts because of their health or something that’s happened in their life.
If you’ve experienced the following, or anything similar, you might be considered vulnerable if this makes it harder to cope with the pressure of debts:
There are lots of other reasons why someone could find dealing with debts difficult. Conversely, we also know that many people who experience these situations can manage to deal with their debts.
Often vulnerability is temporary – if you’re finding it hard to manage now, you may find it easier to manage in future.
And vulnerability often doesn’t affect all areas of your life. For example you may find no problems dealing with other day-to-day activities, but dealing with debts or money may be a struggle.
When we refer to ‘vulnerability’ we’re not looking to label you or put you in a box. We just want to make sure that we’re giving you the right support to deal with your debts, and you’re not put at a disadvantage because of any health or other issues you have.
Informing a debt company of your health problems does not count as 'acknowledging' the debt.
The short template below should help:
Dear Debt Company
You have recently contacted me about XXXX account.
This letter does not accept any liability or acknowledgment of XXXX account but instead serves as a written notification that I am a vulnerable person who is experiencing distress because of debt collection activity.
Since 20XX I have suffered with XXXXX condition for which I am receiving XXXX treatment from My GP, Mr/Mrs XXXX.
This condition causes me to suffer XXX which prevents me from working.
[Give as much information as possible, this can also include if you are caring for a vulnerable family member or partner.]
Useful summary from Stepchange:
How creditors must treat vulnerable customers
Often problem debt goes hand-in hand with other issues. If these other issues make it difficult to deal with your debts you might need some extra support from your creditors.
It's important to let your creditors know if you're in a vulnerable situation, so they're aware about any difficulties your experiencing that may make it harder for you to deal with your debts.
What does ‘vulnerable’ mean?
Creditors and advice agencies like us often use the term ‘vulnerable’ when describing someone who finds it more difficult to deal with their debts because of their health or something that’s happened in their life.
If you’ve experienced the following, or anything similar, you might be considered vulnerable if this makes it harder to cope with the pressure of debts:
- A recent bereavement
- Mental health problems
- Long-term or terminal illness
- Dementia or brain injury
- Difficulty in communicating, for example reading or speaking on the phone
- A learning disability
- Relationship breakdown
- Addiction
There are lots of other reasons why someone could find dealing with debts difficult. Conversely, we also know that many people who experience these situations can manage to deal with their debts.
Often vulnerability is temporary – if you’re finding it hard to manage now, you may find it easier to manage in future.
And vulnerability often doesn’t affect all areas of your life. For example you may find no problems dealing with other day-to-day activities, but dealing with debts or money may be a struggle.
When we refer to ‘vulnerability’ we’re not looking to label you or put you in a box. We just want to make sure that we’re giving you the right support to deal with your debts, and you’re not put at a disadvantage because of any health or other issues you have.
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