Business debt recovery.

Cash flow is critical to the growth of any business and when customers fail to pay it can be a time consuming process to get what you're owed.

After just a couple of chasing letters and calls some businesses may opt to ignore the debt and hope that payment will eventually arrive, but ultimately end up writing off the amount further down the line.

We offer simple fixed fee business debt collection can help you get paid and avoid you having to write off the money owed. 

Our fixed fee business debt collection services.

The debt recovery services we offer are flexible and depend entirely on your circumstances and budget. We can take stress out of taking legal proceedings to recover debt.

We offer the below cost effective fixed fee debt collection packages, from sending a debt recovery solicitors letter to taking the debtor to court.

These are suitable for most debts under £10,000 incurred in England and Wales, known as a Small Claim. If the debt you wish to recover is greater than £10,000 we can still help so please contact us  with details.

Letter Before Action

Debtor is a Business

Often a business debt recovery letter from a firm of solicitors can be sufficient to recover the amount owed

• For a fixed fee we will:
• Check legal status of debtor
• Calculate any contractual interest that may be due based on your terms and conditions, if this doesn't apply, advise on statutory interest
• Send a letter before action to the debtor providing 7 or 14 days to make payment
• Advise on potential next action should payment not be made

£ 25

Letter of Claim

Debtor is an Individual or Sole Trader

Send the debtor a Letter of Claim and related documentation to comply with the Pre-Action Protocol for Debt Claims

• For a fixed fee we will:
• Check legal status of debtor
• Calculate any contractual or statutory interest that may apply
• Send a letter of claim to the individual providing the required 30 days for payment
• Supply the debtor with an Information Sheet, Reply Form and Financial Statement to comply with the debt pre-action protocol
• Advise on potential next steps based on information returned

£ 35

Issue Court Proceedings

Debtor is a Business or Individual

If following a Letter Before Action or Letter of Claim your debt has not been paid, we will commence formal legal proceedings

• For a fixed fee we will:
• Draft a County Court claim form and particulars of claim against the debtor
• Issue a claim form and particulars against the debtor
• If the debtor fails to settle the debt or respond to the court in 14 days, we will request judgment is entered against them
• Inform the debtor of the court judgment and demand immediate payment of the debt or face enforcement action
• Advise on debt enforcement options
£ 150
* plus court issue fee (£25-£410) depending amount being claimed, which will be recovered as part of your debt

Business debts owed by a consumer or sole trader?

Debts owed to a business by an individual or sole trader now need to be dealt with under the Pre-Action Protocol for Debt Claims which came into force 1st October 2017. This protocol requires that businesses now have to provide much more documentation and information to debtors as well as give them at least 30 days to respond.

For business to business debt recovery you are still able to use a 'Letter Before Action' that provides a time frame of between 7 to 14 days. For more detail on what is involved in the new protocol, take a look at our blog What is the Pre-action Protocol for Debt Claims?

An invoice is now overdue, what can I do?

As soon as you notice a customer has failed to make a payment on time you should request the money politely in writing. E-mail or fax them your request and then follow it up with a letter in the post.

If your payment terms are several weeks, sending out statements on a regular basis to the accounts team can also help. Likewise put in a phone call and try to find out any reasons behind the delay. If there is no reply within seven days, check that you have all the correct details then send another request by recorded delivery.

Keep a written record of all communications and responses and if all steps fail, look to take legal action which is where our debt recovery lawyers can help.
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Debt collection agency or solicitor?

A small business debt collection agency can collect debts on your behalf by contacting the debtor using letters, phone calls, text messages etc. to simply chase the debt.  However debt collection agencies don't have any more court or legal powers than you do as a creditor.

​Intervention from a law firm is often enough to prompt a debtor to take action, especially if the next logical step is for the solicitor to issue legal proceedings to recover the debt on your behalf. Sending a letter before action is also commonly the most cost effective solution for small business debt recovery.

Following a successful court hearing, a county court judgment will be obtained which can be enforced with various small business debt collection methods include bailiffs, freezing assets or gaining a charging order on land/property. 
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Personal debt collection.

While sole traders, small businesses and SMEs are regularly impacted by non-paying customers, individuals can also be owed money which they wish to recover.

If a friend, family member or business owes you money the steps to enforce a personal debt are similar to the above, so please visit our debt recovery for individuals page for more information.

Bulk debt collection.

If your business has multiple debts to recover we offer a free initial telephone consultation to discuss how our bulk debt recovery service can work for your company.

On high volume debt recovery we can provide a customised fee structure inclusive of 'no win no fee' debt collection depending of the amount owed and recovery prospects.

Contact us today with brief details of your requirements and we will advise on the best option.
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Further information on business debt collection.

How to collect a debt from a customer - Once you've exhausted all the chasing letters and polite phone calls, what are the next steps in getting your invoice paid?

Owed money, but no contract - Even without a written contract or agreement in place to show a debt, there is probably still other information that you may be able to obtain to prove a payment is due.

What to do when money is owed by a friend - Helping out friends and family is second nature for most of us, so it is a shame that getting paid back isn't always as easy.

Claiming interest and compensation on overdue invoices - On most commercial debts (business to business debt collection) you can claim interest at 8% above the Bank of England base rate if they are not paid on time.

How long do you have to collect a debt? - How old can a business debt be before it is 'statute barred'? We explain the time limits for claiming unpaid invoices in the UK.