If you have a disability, impairment or long-term illness, companies you owe money to must treat you fairly. Find out how to talk to your creditors and what help you can get.
How to know if you are, or someone you know is, vulnerable to financial harm
Anyone can become vulnerable at any time. If you are vulnerable, all companies – especially those you owe money to – have a responsibility to help you with an appropriate level of care. You might have a mental health condition, long-term illness, physical disability, be hearing or sight impaired, have issues with addiction or have a cognitive disability.
These companies might have specialist teams to give the support you need to manage your debt and day-to-day money.
How do I know if a company has to give me extra support?
The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) says companies must take extra care of their customers if they are experiencing one of these four types of vulnerability:
- Health – for example if you have a health condition or illness that affects your ability to carry out day-to-day tasks.
- Life events – for example if you’ve suffered a bereavement, lost your job, or had a relationship breakdown.
- Resilience – for example if you find it hard to withstand financial or emotional shocks.
- Capability – if you don’t understand, and have trouble managing, your money. This might be because you find it hard to do things like read letters or write emails.
If you’re facing higher living costs, find out about extra sources of income and support in our section Help with the cost of living
How to talk to your creditors
Creditors are companies and people you owe money to.
If you have a physical disability, mental health problems or are vulnerable, you might be worried about talking to your creditors.
But it’s a good idea to tell them about your situation. This is because once they know, they’ll be better able to offer support. They might have a specialist team to help customers like you.
Most companies will let you contact them in the way that best suits you. That can be webchat, email, telephone or in person. You can often find contact details on any bills you receive from the company.
What is a reasonable adjustment?
Companies have a duty to make reasonable adjustments to ensure goods and services are accessible for disabled customers, at no extra charge. This might include, for example, making adjustments to the way they communicate with you, or offer a way for a trusted person to help you manage your money.
If you wish to let your creditors know about a vulnerability or adjustment you can check if they are signed up to SupportHubOpens in a new window.
If worrying about money is affecting your mental health, you can find help in our guide Money problems and mental wellbeing.
If you need help to sort your payments, try our Bill prioritiser. And our Budget Planner can help you understand how much you can afford to offer your creditors.
You can also find out what benefits you’re entitled to and how to claim them in our guides to benefits, and what financial support and support services out there to help you.
What to do if you think you’ve been unfairly treated by a creditor
If you feel you’ve been mistreated by your bank, building society or other lender after telling them about the extra help you might need, give them an opportunity to put things right first.
The simplest way to do this is to contact a supervisor or a manager. If that doesn’t sort things out, you can make a complaint.
If you find it hard to start a formal complaint, you could ask a friend, relative, or support worker to help you instead.
If you can’t resolve the issue with the lender and feel you need to take your complaint further, you can contact the Financial Ombudsman ServiceOpens in a new window
Citizens Advice has more information about how to make a complaintOpens in a new window
Have you missed a payment?
Use our Debt advice locator tool to find free and confidential debt advice online, over the phone or near to where you live.