Personal debt recovery solicitors.

It's common for people to consider debt recovery as an activity that only large businesses with in-house accounts teams or legal departments undertake. But in reality private individuals are just as likely to also be owed money by friends, family and businesses.

Some of the common types of private debts that are often owed to individuals include:

Personal loan to a family member, friend or former partner
Loan to a business, employer or start-up
Proceeds from the sale of private goods (car, equipment etc.)
Rent owed by a lodger that has moved out
Wages not paid by an employer
Bounced cheque
Deposit not returned
Refund that was agreed but not paid
Small debt recovery (Money Claim Online)

Just like a business if you experience problems with the repayment of a debt or collection of a personal loan you need to take action.

We offer various fixed fee services to help get back what you are owed, with no deductions taken from the amount recovered.

Is the debt owed to your business?

Jump to Business Debt Recovery

Our fixed fee personal debt collection services.

How to recover a debt from an individual?

In the majority of cases a debt recovery letter from a solicitor can be sufficient action to recover the monies owed, and we offer a straightforward service to draft and send this letter. Should a debt recovery solicitors letter not result in repayment, you can then optionally move to issue court proceedings and then enforcement.

Our debt recovery solutions are competitively fixed price to cater for most budgets and circumstances with no deductions taken from the amount owed. We can take hassle out of the legal formalities involved in sending a letter before action to an individual, corresponding with your debtor and issuing legal proceedings to recover the debt. Unlike instructing a debt collection agency for individuals, when you instruct Catalyst Law your case will dealt with or supervised by a qualified solicitor with over ten years' experience in civil litigation.

The below fixed fee services are appropriate for most undisputed debts up to £100,000 where both parties reside, and the debt was incurred, in England or Wales. This value and complexity classification is commonly referred to as a 'Small Claim', 'Fast Track Claim' or 'Intermediate Track Claim '.

Letter Before Action

Send a letter from solicitors requesting repayment of the debt. This is the first step in recovering a debt owed to an individual and is required prior to starting court proceedings.

For a fixed fee our service includes:
Consider your evidence of the debt and legal basis of your claim
Draft a letter for your approval with details of the debt and amount owed
Send the Letter Before Action to the debtor's home address providing 7 or 14 days to make payment direct to you
Liaise with the debtor on any repayment proposal
Should payment not be made, advise on potential legal options and the costs involved to take your matter to court

Issue Court Proceedings

If following a Letter Before Action the debt has not been paid, we will start formal legal proceedings on your behalf

For a fixed fee our service includes:
Calculate the total court issue fee and interest entitlement involved with issuing your claim
Draft a County Court claim form and particulars of claim against your debtor
Issue the claim against your debtor
If the debtor then fails to settle the debt or respond to the court within 14 days, we will request that judgment is entered against them
Inform the debtor of the court judgment, the potential implications on their credit record and demand immediate payment of the debt or face enforcement action
Advise on your debt enforcement options

* plus the court issue fee (between £35-£5,000) dependent on the amount being claimed, which will be added and recovered as part of your debt. Current court fees and bands can be found on the court website and do not attract VAT.

Disputed debts and services excluded.

Our fixed fee debt recovery services do not include dealing with defended court proceedings or debts that are disputed. Should assistance be required with contested court proceedings, we may be able to offer further advice via our consumer dispute litigation service.

This litigation service may be available as a fixed fee for matters that have been allocated to the Small Claims Track or charged at an hourly rate of £180.00 inc. VAT for Fast Track and £270.00 inc. VAT for Intermediate/Multi Track matters. If we can offer our consumer dispute litigation services, we will agree with you the fees and scope of work required before proceeding.

Send us details of your personal debt recovery requirements.

How long does it take to recover a debt?

Debt recovery matters take between 2 to 24 weeks from your instructions being provided to receiving payment or obtaining a judgment in default against a debtor. The exact timeframe depends on if becomes necessary to issue a court claim after a letter before action has been sent.

If debt enforcement action is required following a judgment being obtained, the matter will take longer to reach a resolution depending on the enforcement method used. However you do not have to instruct a solicitor to enforce a judgment.

Our legal team.

Catalyst Law has been conducting debt recovery for over nine years and has dealt with over 2,000 cases. Assisting clients in recovering unpaid loans, conducting debt related litigation, and advising on judgment enforcement.

Our dedicated personal debt recovery team consists of two solicitors and a legal support administrator. Each solicitor has a minimum of ten years post-qualified experience in civil litigation and the whole team have extensive knowledge on the legal process to recover money owed to individuals.

The law firm is led by Jane Gittins who supervises the work carried out by the debt team as well as handling cases herself. Jane is a solicitor with 19 years post-qualified experience with a proven track record of successfully dealing with debt matters from a few hundred pounds to the hundreds of thousands. Examples of cases and feedback from previous clients can be found below.

Previous client testimonials...

"I was seeking to recover a personal loan from a 'friend' of approx £7,000. Catalyst Law were superb in terms of realistic and prompt communication, giving me the motivation and confidence to pursue this matter, which has now been resolved satisfactorily for me. Don't hesitate to contact them."

John Richardson

"I would highly recommend this company they are very straight forward and explain every step. They managed to get £4,900 that I had loaned to someone and did not pay back. Very helpful thank you!"
Richard Halpin

"After having a personal debt issue to deal with which involved money owed to me, I approached Catalyst Law who have been amazing throughout the process. I can highly recommend them!"

Ian Clappison

Your Judgment enforcement options.

After we have assisted you in obtaining a County Court Judgment (CCJ) against a debtor, should payment still not be received, you may then need to take steps to enforce the judgment.

Unfortunately there are no guarantees that any method of enforcement will be successful, as each depends on the assets and financial circumstances of the debtor.

We offer three options for judgment enforcement which are detailed below along with the typical fees and disbursements (Court fees, third party charges etc.) involved with each. There may be case specific factors (e.g. multiple defendants) which mean some fees may vary, however will always confirm these with you prior to starting any work.

Writ of Control

This is when the court gives either a High Court Enforcement Officer (HCEO) or Bailiff the power to attend the debtor's property and secure payment or risk goods being seized to the value of the CCJ.

Our fixed fee to instruct and correspond with a HCEO is £120.00 inc. VAT. There will also be a Court fee to transfer the judgment to the High Court of £80.00 along with a HCEO compliance fee of £90.00 inc. VAT, which is payable if the writ enforcement process is unsuccessful.

Attachment of Earnings

This is an order that instructs debtor's employer to deduct an amount weekly or monthly from the debtor's salary to be paid directly to you to satisfy the judgment.

Our fixed fee for completing the application for an Attachment of Earnings Order is £120.00 inc. VAT. There is also a Court fee of £135.00 to submit the application.

Charging Order

This is an order to secure the judgment amount against land or property owned by the debtor. then when the property is sold or re-mortgaged the debtor will likely need to satisfy the judgment to remove the charge from the property.

Our fees to draft the charging order documentation is £420.00 inc. VAT. There will also be a Court fee for the application of £135.00 and Land Registry fees in the region of £100.00 which aren't subject to VAT.

Use a personal debt collection agency or a Solicitor?

Personal debt collectors do not have any more legal powers than you do, so they will usually pursue the debt by simply chasing the debtor using demand letters, text messages and phone calls. In return, private debt collectors will then often deduct a percentage of the amount they eventually get back for you to cover their commission and fees. If the amount owed to you is significant, it can turn out to be an expensive service to just send a debt collection letter.

Alternatively, instructing a personal debt recovery solicitor such as Catalyst Law is often enough to prompt a debtor to take action and repay. Especially as the next step is usually for a solicitor to issue legal proceedings to recover the debt on your behalf. Sending a letter before action is also done for a transparent fixed fee and the debt is paid direct to you with no deductions.

Are you classed as a business or sole trader?

If your debt has been incurred during the course of your self-employment or your business, it may need to be recovered inline with the Pre-action Protocol for Debt Claims which will require additional steps and documentation.

We can still assist with this type of debt and for more information please visit our business debt recovery page.

Further information on how to recover a debt from an individual.

What to do when money is owed by a friend - Helping out family members and friends is often second nature for us, but if you do this financially it can quickly turn into a problem if they don't want to pay you back.
How can I trace the address of someone who owes me money? - Regardless of having your debtor's telephone number and email, the most important information you will need when considering legal action is their home address.
Someone owes me money but I have no proof - In the absence of a written agreement, the success of any legal action will often depend on what evidence you can obtain to prove that the debt is owed.
How much does it cost to take someone to court? - If you have a personal debt that you have been unable to recover with informal discussions and negotiations, the next step to get back what you are owed is civil action in the court. But what fees can be involved?
Can you claim interest on the money owed to you? - Under what circumstances and at what point in legal proceedings can you start to charge interest on a debt?

Our private debt recovery solicitors can help you

While every effort has been made to ensure the accuracy of this website, it does not constitute independent legal advice that is tailored to your individual circumstances. Catalyst Law cannot assume responsibility and do not accept liability for any loss or damage which may arise as a result of your reliance upon it or any of its linked materials. Please read our Terms of Use page for further information. VAT no. 438 1462 92.