Services
Our Services
When you come to us, we’ll meet with you face-to-face, review your situation, understand your debts, and talk about what you want to achieve.
Together, we’ll assess which options may be suitable for you. We’ll explain these clearly — but the decision is always yours. There’s no pressure.
Debt advice and options
There are four main debt options available. We’ll review your personal situation and talk through which option may be suitable for you, along with the possible consequences of each
Debt Relief Order (DRO): An option to write off debts if you have limited income and assets.
Debt Management Plan (DMP): An affordable repayment plan agreed with your creditors, allowing you to repay your debts in a manageable way. We would negotiate this with your creditors and support you throughout.
Individual Voluntary Arrangement (IVA): A formal agreement to repay your debts, usually over five years, using surplus income. We don’t set these up directly, but we can refer you to a reputable provider if this is the right solution.
Bankruptcy: Another way to have debts written off, which may be suitable when other debt options are not. We can explain how it works and support you through the process.
We’ll guide you through these options. You can also read more about when each option may be suitable.
Breathing Space (temporary protection)
Sometimes, while we are assessing your situation or helping to put the right solution in place, it can be helpful to pause creditor action for a short period of time.
Breathing Space is a scheme that can pause most creditor action for up to 60 days while you seek debt advice and work out the next steps. During this time, interest, fees and enforcement action are put on hold for qualifying debts.
We can advise you on whether Breathing Space is appropriate for your situation and, if so, help you access it at the right time.
More information about Breathing Space (GOV.UK)
Personal budgeting
We also support people who are not currently in debt but are concerned they may be heading that way.
We’ll review your income, spending and circumstances, and help you make practical changes. We can also prepare a personalised budget to help you feel more in control.
Benefits support
We can check that you’re receiving everything you’re entitled to and help you apply.
We also support with forms and appeals, including:
Personal Independence Payment (PIP)
Universal Credit
Pension Credit
Attendance Allowance
and more
What to expect at the first meeting
You don’t need to prepare perfectly — we’ll guide you through it.
1. Getting started
Your first meeting is friendly and confidential. There will usually be two advisers present — this is simply to make sure we can support you properly. We’ll explain how our service works, ask you to sign a simple agreement, and collect some basic details before you begin.
2. Telling your story
You’ll have time to explain what’s been happening, why you’ve come to see us, and what you would like to achieve. For some people this can feel emotional, and that’s completely normal. Debt worries often come with a lot of stress, and there is nothing to be embarrassed about. Our role is to listen, support you, and help you find a way forward.
3. Understanding your debts
If you have debts, we’ll begin to build a clear picture of what you owe and identify whether there are any creditors we need to contact urgently. It’s helpful if you can bring letters or paperwork, but it’s not essential. We may also run a credit report to help identify your debts and support our understanding of your situation.
4. Looking at income and spending
If time allows, we’ll start looking at your income and spending together and begin creating a realistic budget. Access to your bank account on your phone or recent bank statements can help, but if you don’t have these with you, that’s absolutely fine. With your permission, we may also look at benefit records such as Universal Credit.
5. Agreeing next steps
How far we get in the first meeting depends on your situation and the time available. We may be able to talk through possible options or agree clear next steps. In some cases, this will take more than one appointment, and we’ll move at a pace that feels right for you.
What happens next
After the meeting, we’ll write to you to confirm what we discussed and the actions agreed — both by you and by us. In most cases, we will contact your creditors and ask them to put your debts on hold while we gather full information.
Once we’ve done this, we usually take over dealing with creditors on your behalf. If a creditor contacts you directly, you can simply tell them that Harpenden Money Advice Centre is supporting you, or pass the letter on to us. We’ll keep you informed and support you step by step.