Bailiffs and creditors must take your mental health into account, and you can ask them to pause, take the debt back, or use crisis Breathing Space.
See your optionsIf you have a mental health condition, bailiffs and the creditor they work for must take it into account. Under the government's National Standards, people in vulnerable situations should be identified and protected, and the creditor can pause enforcement or take the debt back. If you are receiving mental health crisis treatment, you may also qualify for Mental Health Crisis Breathing Space, which stops bailiff action for the length of your treatment plus 30 days.
This guide covers England and Wales. If you are in crisis right now, please see the support section at the end first.
Debt and mental health are closely linked. Worry about money can affect your sleep, mood and relationships, and a mental health problem can make it harder to open letters, make calls or keep track of bills. None of this is a personal failing, and it is very common.
The good news is that the system recognises this. You have a right to be treated fairly, to take time to get help, and to ask for adjustments. Letting the right people know about your situation can change how your case is handled.
They can be. The National Standards for enforcement agents say that bailiffs, bailiff companies and creditors all have a role in protecting people who are vulnerable. The standards list examples of people who may be vulnerable, including those who are seriously ill, disabled, elderly, recently bereaved, pregnant, or who have difficulty with English. Citizens Advice and National Debtline both include mental health problems as a reason you may be vulnerable.
Vulnerability is not a fixed label. It depends on your circumstances and how they affect your ability to deal with the debt. You do not need a formal diagnosis to ask for help, although evidence makes it easier for others to act.
The Enforcement Conduct Board, which oversees bailiff firms, has published new Vulnerability and Ability to Pay Standards. They are due to take effect in January 2027 and aim to improve how firms spot vulnerability and make sure payment plans are safe and affordable.
Key point: telling the bailiff company and the creditor about your mental health does not make the debt disappear, but it can lead to a pause in enforcement, the debt being returned to the creditor, more time, or a more affordable plan. It is almost always worth doing.
Most large bailiff firms have a welfare or vulnerability team. You can ask to be put through to them. You can also ask a friend, family member, carer or debt adviser to contact them for you, with your permission.
National Debtline has a sample letter you can use to explain your circumstances. If you are dealing with a particular firm, our bailiff company guides list how to reach them.
Evidence is not always required, but it helps creditors and bailiff firms act. Useful evidence can include:
If bailiff action is causing you serious distress, you can ask the creditor to take the debt back, sometimes called "return to client". Councils in particular can collect council tax arrears in other ways, such as deductions from benefits or wages. Explain why bailiff action is harmful for you, include your evidence, and suggest an affordable way forward.
If you have very little money or few belongings, say so. It may not be worth the creditor continuing with bailiffs. See what happens if you have nothing for bailiffs to take.
Free, confidential guidance on your options. No obligation.
Mental Health Crisis Breathing Space is a government scheme that gives stronger protection from creditors to people receiving mental health crisis treatment. During it, creditors must stop most enforcement action on the debts included, and bailiffs must not visit or take goods for those debts. Interest and charges are also frozen.
The GOV.UK Breathing Space guidance has full details. If you are not in crisis treatment, the standard Breathing Space may still give you 60 days to get advice.
If you care for someone with a mental health condition, you can help them deal with bailiffs, with their permission. It helps to:
If a bailiff does not respect someone's vulnerability, you can complain, first to the bailiff company and then to the creditor or the Enforcement Conduct Board. See your rights when dealing with bailiffs.
Once the immediate pressure is off, it can help to look at your debts as a whole. Options include a payment plan, a Debt Management Plan, a Debt Relief Order, an IVA or bankruptcy. Some of these legally stop included creditors using bailiffs; a Debt Management Plan does not. Our guide on how to stop bailiffs compares them. There is no need to decide anything quickly, and a good adviser will go at your pace.
Yes. The National Standards for enforcement agents say bailiffs, bailiff firms and creditors all have a role in protecting people in vulnerable situations. A mental health condition can make you vulnerable. Bailiffs should tell the creditor about concerns, must withdraw if the only person at home appears vulnerable, and creditors should be ready to take the case back.
Bailiffs can still be instructed, but they must take extra care. Under the National Standards, an enforcement agent must withdraw from a home if the only person present is, or appears to be, vulnerable or under 16. It is best to tell the bailiff company and the creditor about the vulnerability in writing before any visit, so they can adjust how they handle the case.
Include your reference number, a brief explanation of your condition and how it affects your ability to deal with the debt, and what would help, such as more time, contact in writing only or pausing enforcement. Ask the creditor to consider taking the debt back. Attach any evidence, such as a GP letter or Debt and Mental Health Evidence Form. National Debtline has a sample letter.
It is a government scheme for people receiving mental health crisis treatment, certified by an Approved Mental Health Professional. Creditors must pause most enforcement, including bailiffs, and freeze interest and charges on included debts. It lasts for the length of the crisis treatment plus 30 days and is not limited to once a year. A debt adviser sets it up.
The DMHEF is a standard form, now in its fourth version, completed by a health or social care professional such as a GP, nurse or social worker. It explains to creditors how your mental health affects your ability to deal with debt. Creditors widely recognise it. In England, GPs should not charge to complete it. A debt adviser can help you use it.
Yes. You can ask the council to recall the debt from the bailiff company because of your mental health. Explain how bailiff action is affecting you, include any evidence, and offer an affordable way to pay if you can. Councils can collect arrears in other ways, such as deductions from benefits or wages, and should take vulnerability into account.
Free, independent debt advice is also available from MoneyHelper, StepChange, National Debtline and Citizens Advice.