Free housing advice before a possession hearing: HLPAS

Ask for help as soon as your home is at risk

The Housing Loss Prevention Advice Service (HLPAS) provides free legal advice and court representation to people at risk of losing their home, regardless of their financial circumstances. It covers England and Wales. The official service explains how to obtain early advice and help at a possession hearing.

Keep any notice, claim form, hearing letter and correspondence together. Tell an adviser about the hearing date and any deadline. A court notice should not be ignored while you search for advice.

Use the provider assigned to the court

The Legal Aid Agency publishes schemes linking named courts to providers. The provider assigned to a court may be based elsewhere, so the closest solicitor office is not necessarily the housing duty provider. Use the scheme table below and confirm arrangements through the official service.

At court, tell staff that you would like to speak to the housing duty adviser. For advice before the hearing, follow the official HLPAS contact route. Court Guide does not book appointments or promise that a particular person will be available.

Prepare for a useful conversation

• Bring the notice or court papers and the date you received them.
• Have tenancy or mortgage documents and relevant payment records available.
• Explain any benefit, debt or other difficulty connected with the risk to your home.
• Mention communication, disability or access needs before an appointment.

Keep different sources of help distinct

The HLPAS scheme is different from general civil legal-aid eligibility and from Help with Fees. General housing legal-aid listings show funded categories at particular offices; a scheme listing identifies the court duty arrangement. The statistical number of possession claims in your area says nothing about the outcome of your individual case.

HLPAS court scheme and provider finder

The complete provider scheme list published by the Legal Aid Agency, V5 March 2026. Some source court names differ from the current venue name; links are shown only where a match has been checked. Confirm current arrangements through the official service.

105 matching schemes.

Official HLPAS guidance and contact route · Published provider list

Related information

• Housing possession statistics
• Find a legal-aid office