Personal Debt
Debt is rarely just a financial problem — it affects your sleep, your relationships, and your sense of who you are. At Lightside we take the time to understand your full situation and work with you to find the right path forward, not just the fastest one.
What best describes your situation?
Your situation is unique. Find the one below that comes closest to yours, and we’ll explain what your options are — clearly and without jargon.
What happens when you contact us
You do not need to have all the answers first. Most people come to us not knowing where to start — that is exactly what the first call is for.
A confidential conversation
We listen. No judgement, no pressure. You tell us what’s happening and we ask what we need to understand the full picture.
We review everything
We look at your situation as a whole — not just the debt figure.
We explain your options
Clearly, in plain English. Every option, with our honest view on which is most likely to produce the best outcome for you.
We handle it
Once you instruct us, we deal with your creditors directly.
“At a very difficult and dark time, Lightside literally saved my life. From the first meeting, a huge weight was lifted from my shoulders — not just the day-to-day nightmare of dealing with lenders alone, but the guilt and shame of being in debt at all. I was amazed to learn that Lightside could manage all negotiations on my behalf. This freed up so much space in my life — not just the time on the phone, but all the time spent worrying.”
Common questions about getting debt advice
Yes, completely. The first conversation costs nothing and carries no obligation to proceed. We will listen to your situation, ask some questions, and give you an honest view of your options. You then decide what you want to do next.
No. Debt happens to a very wide range of people for a very wide range of reasons. Our job is to help you find a way through it, not to assess how you got there. Most clients tell us they felt better after the first call simply because someone was listening without judgement.
Do not worry about that at all. The categories on this page are a guide to help you find relevant information, not a rigid entry point. Call or message us and describe your situation in your own words — we will work out together which options are most relevant for you.
As quickly as your situation requires. If creditor pressure is urgent, we can often act within days to contact creditors and put an arrangement in place that gives you breathing space. Less urgent situations can be handled at a pace that suits you.
Yes. Lightside Financial is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA No. 676943). This means we are bound by clear standards of conduct and you have access to the Financial Ombudsman Service if you ever have cause for complaint.
Recognise any of these in a client’s situation?
Talk to us about your client
Initial referral discussions are completely confidential. You do not need your client’s permission to make a speculative enquiry — anonymised details are fine at this stage.
Where we have helped individuals find a way forward.
“I had done everything right. Paid off my mortgage. Handed the business to my son. And yet here I was, facing bankruptcy for debts I had never incurred.”
Nearly twelve months of sustained negotiation with the Trustee in Bankruptcy. The Trustee opened claiming 100% of the family home — threatening a forced sale. We argued comprehensively that the family held a beneficial interest; the Trustee conceded that the bankrupt’s interest was 32%. We disagreed. We pressed that Mrs. A had 50% of the 32% interest, despite the Trustee’s lawyers claiming she didn’t. They eventually relented. With the beneficial interest settled at 16%, the Trustee sought £107,000. Lightside’s opening offer had been £100,000. We continued to negotiate them down. Settlement: £94,000. Home secured.
Annulled £60k v £194k
“I knew exactly what a bankruptcy petition was. When I walked into that meeting on the Friday afternoon, I already understood what I was looking at. The hearing was four days away. HMRC were claiming £60,000.”
Lightside secured an emergency adjournment of the bankruptcy petition hearing at four days’ notice and paid £10,000 at court on the day. When the bankruptcy order was subsequently made — after Mr. G allowed the eight-week window to pass — Lightside took the case on in full and applied for annulment on the grounds the order should never have been made. That specific legal basis mattered: it would, if the application succeeded, remove the bankruptcy from all records entirely, preserving Mr. G’s FCA authorisation. HMRC contested the application and raised their demand from the original £60,000 to £194,000. Lightside challenged the revised figure successfully: the annulment was granted on the basis of the original £60,000 petition debt. The bankruptcy was annulled, the record was cleared, and his FCA registration was preserved.
Saved 3 mths — Discharged
“I hadn’t filed my tax returns for several years. When I finally did, the bill was around £44,000 — and HMRC wanted £5,000 a month to clear it. What made it far worse was that two properties appeared to be in my name. They weren’t mine — they belonged to my teenage step-daughters.”
We established that both properties were beneficially owned by Mr. CR’s step-daughters — not by Mr. CR — and built the evidence case: source of deposits, documented intention at the time of purchase, and the written trust arrangement in favour of the step-daughters. We presented that case to the bankruptcy trustee with sufficient clarity that the trustee accepted the position without dispute. Both properties were excluded from the bankruptcy estate entirely. Mr. CR was discharged from bankruptcy within three months — nine months ahead of the standard twelve-month term.
“We had fifteen properties. From the outside it looked like we had made it — people assumed we were thriving. The truth was the opposite. Almost every property was losing money, and every month we were finding £15,000 just to stand still.”
Lightside devised and managed a strategy that disposed of fourteen loss-making properties through a coordinated managed repossession process, collecting rent until each lender took formal possession. Mortgage shortfalls and unsecured credit card debts were consolidated into a creditor arrangement with affordable repayments negotiated across approximately ten institutions. The couple’s equity-positive property in Camden was retained, and their son’s savings were protected through a CCJ and interim charging order secured ahead of other creditors. Their family home was preserved throughout.
“The calls were relentless. I couldn’t sleep because of anxiety I felt in the pit of my stomach.”
Ms. JJ was anxious and worried about the advice she had already received. She had tried to engage with creditors but the letters and calls didn’t stop. We advised, differentiating between the law and commercial reality. We took over dealing with her lenders; the calls stopped, the letters reduced. Ms. JJ knew we could be relied upon, and she got back her peace of mind.