Debt Recovery
We are pleased to offer a comprehensive range of No Win No Fee debt collection services, undertaken by our debt recovery specialists, in an effective, decisive, and realistic manner.
Debt collection, also referred to as debt recovery, is not a generic service. Whether you are an individual or larger organisation, our experienced debt recovery specialists are committed to successfully recovering outstanding debts on your behalf. We understand that each debt collection case is unique and will work with you, our client, to achieve the best possible outcome, ensuring that we protect your reputation in the process.
No Win No Fee’s debt collection specialists are experts in the recovery of both disputed and undisputed debt. In many instances we can provide fast and professional debt recovery on a No Win No Fee basis, with no upfront fees – a cost-efficient and risk-free proposition for your business.
No Win No Fee Debt Collection Services
There are many situations where outstanding debt can be recovered without taking the case to court. Our debt recovery specialists frequently offer pre-legal debt collection services on a No Win No Fee basis, where a pre-agreed commission is payable only upon the recovery of the debt you are owed. In instances where legal action is subsequently required, our debt collection specialists can offer you a seamless transition to legal proceedings.
Our debt collection specialists operate using a mix of mediation, negotiation, and escalation techniques to recover outstanding debt. We offer debt collection services for individuals and businesses regarding both commercial and consumer debt, including:
Disputed Debt Recovery
Our debt recovery specialists will assess the disputed debt and liaise with the debtor on your behalf, with the aim to broker a deal while attempting to salvage the business relationship wherever possible. A wide range of data and up-to-date financials will be used to assess each debtor’s current position and ability to pay, avoiding unnecessary costs to you, the client, where there is little chance of a successful recovery. In many cases, we can offer this service on a No Win No Fee basis, in which case you won’t pay anything unless we successfully recover the outstanding debt.
Overdue Accounts & Aged Debt Recovery
Fast, effective, and cost-efficient debt recovery for customer accounts that have exceeded the agreed terms of trade by 30 days or more, are not in dispute, and are not responding to reminder correspondence. Successful debt recovery is generally cost neutral, as any fees are added to the debtor’s account.
Written-off Debt Recovery
Professional advice in regards to the recovery of debt that has previously been written-off. Reasons for writing off debt may include feeling that the debt is uncollectable, not knowing the whereabouts of the debtor, insufficient time to keep chasing the debt, not fully understanding the debt recovery process, and believing the debt recovery process to be too expensive, time-consuming, or complicated. Our debt collection specialists can assist you in the recovery of monies in relation to these accounts.
Breach of Contract Debt Disputes
Professional, independent, and impartial advice in relation to resolving breach of contract disputes. Where expert legal guidance is required, our debt collection specialists can recommend and work alongside experienced commercial dispute solicitors to support your case.
Shipping & Construction Industry Account Disputes
Expert advice in relation to understanding and successfully dealing with shipping and construction industry disputes, from simple ledger account issues to complex contract claims. We understand that these disputes can appear complicated and time-consuming, discouraging you from pursuing outstanding debts. Our debt collection specialists have the experience and expertise to assist you in recovering what you are owed.
High Value Insurance Debt Disputes
Impartial advice and mediatory services in high-value disputes that are complex in nature. No Win No Fee’s debt recovery specialists are dedicated to achieving a successful outcome and will undertake a ‘cradle to grave’ service if necessary, initiating a court process in cases where the dispute has reached an impasse and cannot be solved by other means.
Debt Recovery Process
Our debt collection specialists advise on a case-by-case basis, with the aim to avoid difficult and potentially costly scenarios. Our exceptionally high debt recovery rate is well above the industry standard, thanks to our skilled mediators and negotiators.
Pay Nothing Unless we Collect Your Debt
debt collection Benefits
We were contacted by a Letting Agency who in respect of a tenant who had left a property owing £6,300 in rent arrears and property repairs and had no idea of their whereabouts. Using our advanced tracing services, the defaulting couple were quickly located to a new address and arrangements made for the initial recovery letter to be personally served upon them. We were contacted directly the very next day and following a brief discussion, the debtors enquired to the possibility of repaying the debt over 12-18 months to avoid any further action and costs. After agreeing the terms with our client, we draw up the appropriate Repayment Schedule documentation for both parties to sign. The total cost of the work we undertook in respect of this matter was legally added to the debtors outstanding balance and therefore, completely cost neutral to our client.
Having been contacted by a firm of solicitors we were requested to undertake a ‘soft’ forfeiture of a waste management site in Essex. Having received the appropriate signage to display at the site we made arrangements with an out-of-hours locksmith and K9 security. We arrived at the premises at midnight and were soon met by the locksmith. Once access had been lawfully gained, all required photographic and video evidence was taken to clearly demonstrate stock-holding, levels of equipment, site condition etc as well as providing a detailed itinerary. After ensuring all correct signage was displayed at the property and ensuring that nobody remained on-site, the site was made secure by the locksmith. The K9 security arrived and was instructed to patrol the perimeter of the site for 48 hours. When the employees turned up to work the following morning, no access could be gained and therefore, the appropriate representatives had to contact the solicitors to make suitable arrangements.
A private client made contact with us in respect of incomplete building undertaken on his property. The building company had been paid in part to undertake some building works to a main bathroom and en-suite. The client had paid the building company an initial £6,500 and although the works had been started, they were far from complete. The client had tried contacting the builders on numerous occasions without success. The client was initially adamant to take the matter through to litigation but after undertaking several business ‘health’ checks on the business, we advised the client that any further action would most likely result in failure as the building company had started insolvency action to wind the business up. Now while this kind of outcome is hugely frustrating, we do have an obligation to our clients to accurately and honestly manage their expectations. In these circumstances, it was better to save the client from incurring even further costs and expenses when there was very little chance of a successful recovery.
A private client made contact with us after receiving a Statutory Demand in excess of £200k, in respect of bridging loan default. Whilst the client accepted that considerable monies were due to the Claimant, there was concern about the legitimacy of some of the penalty charges. After carefully reviewing the loan documentation and liaising directly with the Claimants solicitors, we quickly found grounds to successfully apply to have the Statutory Demand set aside. Once complete, we opened up negotiations on behalf of our client and made 3 x genuine and affordable proposal offers to bring this matter to a successful conclusion. The Claimant readily accepted a one-off, full & final payment that saved our client over £40,000 from the original claim value.
A well-established corporate client got in contact with us due to having a situation whereby 60-65 of its current customer base (approx 700) were continuingly trading over their agreed payment terms and simply ignoring their internal credit control team. Whilst they clearly still valued the business relationships that had been developed with all these customers, it was a situation that they simply could not let continue. We worked with this client in a number of ways, firstly; we used our 3-Step Recovery Plan to bring as many of these accounts up-to-date, secondly; worked with their internal credit control team to help streamline the chase-up process, make the systems more robust and work on a range of early intervention skills to adopt with their customer base. Lastly; we worked on the customer accounts that turned out to be in dispute, with 2 x accounts requiring litigation action to support a successful recovery.
A private client requested our assistance with regards to a debt matter that involved a series of private loans they had provided to an ex-colleague and friend. During a 15-year period, over £130,000 of unsecured loans were provided with no official paperwork ever put in place. Due to a change in personal circumstances, our client now wished to have these monies repaid but all attempts to gain any meaningful progress on this situation had so far proved unsuccessful. We reviewed the case and requested any salient information that the client may have on these transactions; bank statements, emails, text messages etc. We quickly put together a case file, highlighting all the available evidence, then made contact with the debtor. After initial discussions with the debtor failed to gain a suitable amount of traction, we steered the matter towards litigation action, confident in the merits of the case. The intent of this action provided us with the key breakthrough, in the following 5 days, we were able to negotiate an immediate payment of £50,000 to our client, in addition to securing a Repayment Schedule to repay the balance plus interest, over a 6-month period.
Book Your Free Debt Collection Assessment
Secure the expert No Win No Fee debt collection support you are entitled to by booking in for a free, no-obligation consultation with one of our debt collection specialists.
Debt Recovery
FAQs
What is the debt collection process?
The UK debt collection process can typically be split into four main stages; Letter Before Action (LBA), Issuing Court Claims, obtaining a County Court Judgement (CCJ), and Enforcement.
Before any legal proceedings are issued, the debtor should be notified by letter. In most instances, this will result in payment and no further action will be required. If the debt is not paid and the dispute cannot be resolved amicably through mediation and negotiation techniques, then court action may be issued. Once a County Court Judgement has been obtained, it is then possible to ‘enforce’ the debt.
No Win No Fee’s debt collection specialists aim to resolve disputes outside of court, as this tends to be the quickest and most cost-effective method of recovering debt. For a free initial assessment, simply fill out our online booking form.
What can a debt collection agency do?
Debt collection agencies are companies that specialise in collecting debts. While they don’t have special legal powers, they will generally use letters and phone calls to contact the debtor. If the debtor refuses or is unable to pay the outstanding debt, the debt collection agency may initiate court action. Typically, they will attempt to resolve the situation quickly and amicably, outside of court, to keep costs down.
If you’re owed money, No Win No Fee can help. Simply fill out our online booking form to arrange a free assessment with one of our debt collection specialists.
How far back can debt collectors go?
If you’re responsible or ‘liable’ for a debt, you have a legal duty to pay it. Debts you may be liable for include debts that the law dictates you must pay, such as council tax, and debts where you’ve signed a contract agreeing to give money to someone, such as a tenancy agreement.
In most instances, there is a time limit or ‘limitation’ period of six years from when you last wrote or made a payment to your creditor, during which you’re liable for the debt. After this period, your creditor cannot take action against you without court permission. However, once you’ve been given a court order for the debt, there’s no time limit for the creditor to enforce the order. For mortgage debts, the limitation period is longer – six years for interest on the mortgage and twelve years on the main account.
Our debt collection specialists can help you recover debts that you may have written off, often on a No Win No Fee basis. Simply fill out our online booking form to arrange a free initial assessment.
How much do debt collection agencies charge?
Most debt collection agencies will charge a fixed fee for collecting your debt. The amount they charge will vary, depending on the methods they employ to recover your debt. You may also be charged a percentage of the debt the agency recovers – this is more likely if you are owed a large amount of money.
At No Win No Fee, we offer a No Win No Fee agreement to many of our debt recovery clients. This means that you won’t pay anything for our debt collection service, unless we win your case. If our debt collection specialists successfully recover your money, you will usually be charged a small percentage of the debt as payment.
For further information, or to arrange an initial assessment with one of our debt collection specialists, please get in touch using our online debt recovery booking form.
How to dispute debt collection?
If you don’t believe you owe your creditor the amount they are demanding, you may wish to dispute the debt. In the UK, there are a number of conditions and situations where you are eligible to dispute your debt, including:
- If you were underage (under eighteen) when you signed the agreement
- If you didn’t sign an agreement at all
- If you were pressured or coerced into signing the agreement
- If you didn’t understand the agreement you were signing
- If your name isn’t on the agreement
- If what you’re being asked for doesn’t match the agreed conditions
- If the credit agreement has incomplete or incorrect information
If you don’t believe you are liable for the debt your creditor is demanding, you can send a debt dispute letter to the debt collection agency, asking them to prove that you owe them the money they are asking for.
For further information and support, simply fill out our online booking form to arrange an initial assessment with No Win No Fee’s debt collection specialists.
Can you go to jail for debt collections?
At No Win No Fee, we understand that being in debt can feel stressful and overwhelming. However, being in debt is not a crime and it’s extremely unlikely that you will end up in prison for failing to pay back any money you have borrowed, unless you act fraudulently or fail to adhere to a court order.
Most debt collection agencies will attempt to settle things privately before initiating court action. Staying in touch with the companies you owe money to, updating them on your situation, and asking what can be done in terms of smaller payment plans and settlements are all great ways to prevent your debt from becoming a court issue.
If you require further information or advice, simply fill out our online booking form to arrange a consultation with one of our debt collection specialists.
What powers do debt collectors have?
Debt collection agencies don’t have any more legal powers than your original creditor. While the letters, phone calls, texts, and/or emails they send to contact you may seem worrying – especially if they refer to court action or a home visit – they cannot take anything away from your property. The most a debt collector can do is ask you to make a payment arrangement on the debt. Debt collection agencies are not allowed to lie or mislead you about their legal powers or contact you an excessive amount of times. They are entitled to take court action if you refuse to pay, however, they are unlikely to do so if you cooperate and show that you’re willing to pay back what you can afford.
For further advice, simply fill out our online booking form to arrange an initial consultation with a No Win No Fee debt collection specialist.
How long can debt collectors come after you?
A debt collector can only chase you for a limited amount of time. In most instances, if you do not make a payment to your creditor or acknowledge the debt in writing for six years, then your debt will become ‘statute barred’, meaning your creditors can no longer legally pursue the money you owe them through the courts. However, it is important to note that the debt will still exist, even if it is statute-barred. It may still appear on your credit reference file, making it harder for you to obtain credit or borrow money.
If you require further information or advice regarding an outstanding debt, No Win No Fee can help. Simply fill out our online booking form to arrange an initial consultation with one of our debt collection specialists.
What happens if I ignore a debt collector?
Being in debt can feel unmanageable, but ignoring a debt collector won’t make your debt go away – in fact, it is likely to land you in a worse situation. The following may happen if you ignore a debt collector:
- It is unlikely that the debt collector will stop contacting you
- Your debt could be reported to credit bureaus, negatively affecting your credit rating
- Your debt is likely to increase, as interest will keep being added
- You deny yourself the opportunity to find out if the debt is valid
- You might miss an opportunity to write off your debt in the form of an affordable debt payment plan
- You will be unaware of actions being taken against you
- The debt collector could initiate court action
- If a judgement is passed against you, your possessions could be seized
If you require further guidance regarding an outstanding debt, No Win No Fee can help. Simply fill out our online booking form to arrange an initial consultation with one of our debt collection specialists.
How can I get out of debt collectors without paying?
If a debt collector contacts you about an outstanding debt, you should not ignore them. While debt collection agencies don’t have any special legal powers, refusing to pay a debt may result in the case being taken to court, and your possessions could be seized if a judgement is passed against you. Even in instances where the debt is statute barred (meaning a debt collector cannot legally pursue the debt through the courts), the debt will still appear on your credit file, making it harder for you to obtain credit or borrow money.
If you owe money, our debt collection specialists can help you negotiate a deal with your creditor – simply fill out our online booking form to arrange an initial consultation.