Initial steps: pre-action letter
The initial first step of the debt recovery process is to send a pre-action letter to the debtor. This is known as a Letter of Claim and our debt recovery experts will ensure that it is tailored to your circumstances and requirements and is fully compliant with the Practice Direction – Pre-Action Conduct and Protocols (and the Pre-Action Protocol for Debt Claims where appropriate). In our experience, this saves time and additional expense later down the line.
Our fixed fee includes obtaining your instructions and reviewing any documentation associated with the amount you are owed, calculations for any recoverable interest and late payment compensation (where appropriate) and forwarding any payment received to you.
Our fixed fees for pre-action process vary, depending on the amount of debt owed and are as follows:
| Debt amount | Our fee (plus VAT at 20%) |
| up to £1,000.00 | £85.00 |
| £1,000.01 – £5,000.00 | £125.00 |
| £5,000.01 – £10,000.00 | £150.00 |
| £10,000.01 – £25,000.00 | £200.00 |
| £25,000.01 – £50,000.00 | £250.00 |
| £50,000.01 – £100,000.00 | £300.00 |
| £100,000.01 plus | Please contact us for a bespoke quote. |
There are no disbursements (additional costs) involved in the pre-action stage of a debt recovery matter.
Before any costs are incurred, we will also review the debtor’s position on Companies House or the Individual Insolvency Register, as appropriate, and will report any obvious issues with recovering payments to you.
Our fixed fees are based on the sums due being set out in one document (e.g. invoice or contract). If your debt is based on multiple invoices or contracts, we may need to provide you with a bespoke quotation to suit the circumstances of your case.
Once you have accepted our terms, provided us with all relevant documentation, completed our identity verification process and provided any legal fees requested from you, we would envisage that we will be able to review your documents and draft a formal Letter before Action for your approval within 72 working hours.
Please note that these timescales are estimates only.
Bulk instruction: For bulk and/or repeat instructions, we will consider the possibility of “no recovery, no fee” arrangements on a case-by-case basis. Please contact us and we will provide you with a bespoke quote which is tailored to your individual needs.
What if no payment is received?
If no payment is received, we can move the matter to the next stage which may be the commencement of County Court proceedings or service of a Statutory Demand. Our debt recovery experts will take you through the options and the pros and cons of each before you make a decision on the next steps. Our fees for the commencement of County Court proceedings are:
| Debt amount (including accrued interest and compensation)
|
Our fee* (plus VAT at 20%) | Court fee | Fixed cost recoverable from debtor | Total recoverable from debtor (court fee and fixed fee) |
| Below £500 | In most cases below £500 we would advise against County Court proceedings due to the costs involved. | |||
| £500.01 – £1,000.00 | £150.00 | £70.00 | £70.00 | £140.00 |
| £1,000.01 – £1,500.00 | £250.00 | £80.00 | £80.00 | £160.00 |
| £1,500.01 – £3,000.00 | £325.00 | £115.00 | £80.00 | £195.00 |
| £3,000.01 – £5,000.00 | £395.00 | £205.00 | £80.00 | £285.00 |
| £5,000.01 – £10,000.00 | £425.00 | £455.00 | £100.00 | £555.00 |
| £10,000.01 – £100,000.00 | £550.00 – £800.00 | 5% of the claim value including interest | £100.00 | £100 + court fee incurred. |
*These fees are based on the sums due being set out in one document (e.g. invoice or contract) and are subject to the terms and conditions in our work summary. If your debt is based on multiple documents we may provide you with a separate quote which is tailored to your individual needs.
What if a claim becomes defended?
If a claim becomes defended, the matter will be referred to a specialist in our Dispute Resolution team to review your options and discuss these with you. If you wish to proceed, the costs would be agreed with you before any work is carried out and these would be on either an hourly basis or on a fixed fee basis, where appropriate.
Can anything be done if the debtor fails to comply with court proceedings?
In the event that the debtor fails to take certain prescribed steps within set periods, once County Court proceedings have been commenced, you will be able to instruct us to make a request for Default Judgment to be granted which could then be enforced against the debtor if not satisfied within a one-month period.
| Debt amount | Our fees (plus VAT at 20%) | Fixed costs recoverable from debtor | Amount recoverable from debtor |
| Up to £1,000.00 | £50.00 | £22.00 | £22.00 |
| £1,000.01 – £5,000.00 | £75.00 | £22.00 | £22.00 |
| £5,000.01 – £10,000.00 | £100.00 | £30.00 | £30.00 |
| £10,000.01 – £100,000.00 | £150.00 | £30.00 | £30.00 |
If Default Judgment is entered (or you obtain a Judgment at the conclusion of a case) we are able to discuss with you the options available in terms of enforcing that Judgment and the pros and cons of each.
Enforcement action:
Depending on the amount of debt there are different options available to enforce the Judgment and recover debts. These are as follows:
- A County Court Judgment for less than £600 must be enforced in the County Court.
- A County Court Judgment for £600 to £5,000 can be enforced in either the County Court or the High Court.
- A County Court Judgment for £5,000 or more must be enforced in the High Court.
Our team of debt recovery experts have specialist experience in enforcing County Court Judgments and can help you enforce the Judgment in either Court. The costs and options of enforcement action are as follows:
- County Court Bailiff / Warrant of Control (debts up to £600):
| Debt amount | Our fee (plus VAT at 20%) | Court fee | Fixed costs recoverable from debtor | Total amount recoverable from debtor |
| Up to £600.00 | £100.00 | £91.00 | £2.25 | £93.25 |
- High Court Bailiff / Writ of Control (debts of more than £600):
| Debt amount | Our fee (plus VAT at 20%) | Court fee (for sealing Writ of Control*) | Fixed costs recoverable from debtor | Total amount recoverable from debtor |
| £600.00 or more | £150.00 | £78.00 | £51.75 | £123.75 |
*There may be further fees payable to the High Court Enforcement Officer when sealing a Writ of Control. Our team will advise you of these before any action is taken. The Court fee is subject to VAT at 20% for VAT registered claimants.
- Attachment of Earnings:
| Debt amount | Our fee (plus VAT at 20%) | Court fee | Fixed costs recoverable from debtor | Total amount recoverable from debtor |
| Any | £150.00 | £131.00 | £8.50 | £139.50 |
- Charging Order:
| Debt amount | Our fee* (plus VAT at 20%) | Court fee | Fixed costs recoverable from debtor | Land Registry official copy title & registration fees | Total amount recoverable from debtor |
| Any | £300.00 | £131.00 | £110.00 | £43.00 | £284.00 |
*Legal fees are in respect of the Charging Order application. Service of the interim Charging Order and registration of this at the Land Registry are subject to additional legal fees which are assessed on a time expended basis. Should a Court hearing become necessary, or the Charging Order becomes defended, our team will discuss the legal fees with you in advance.
- Third Party Debt Order:
| Debt amount | Our fee* (plus VAT at 20%) | Court fee | Fixed costs recoverable from debtor | Total amount recoverable from debtor |
| Any | £125.00 | £131.00 | £98.50 | £229.50 |
*These fees do not include attendance at a Court hearing. If attendance at a Court hearing becomes necessary our team will discuss the fees with you in advance.
- Application for an Order to Obtain Information: (debtor to attend court for questioning)
| Debt amount | Our fee* (plus VAT at 20%) | Court fee | Fixed amount recoverable from debtor | Bailiff service | Total amount recoverable from debtor |
| Any | £175.00 | £65.00 | £65.00 | £131.00 | £65.00 |
*These fees do not include attendance at the questioning. Should you instruct us to attend the questioning, our team will agree the additional fees with you in advance.
Please note: all recoverable amounts will continue to accrue interest, except in the Attachment of Earning process where interest ceases to run at the point an Attachment of Earnings Order or a suspended Attachment of Earning Order is granted.
Insolvency:
In a situation where a debtor cannot raise enough cash to pay debts and meet the Court’s obligations, our specialist Insolvency team can help you recover the money through the insolvency process. This process has a number of options, which we will advise you on and recommend the best option for you. The options available through the insolvency process and the costs are:
- Statutory Demand against an individual (debts of more than £5,000):
| Debt amount | Our fee* (plus VAT at 20%) | Process Server’s fee (plus VAT at 20%) |
| £5,000.00 – £10,000.00 | £350.00 | £150.00 – £175.00 |
| £10,000.01 – £25,000.00 | £500.00 | £150.00 – £175.00 |
| £25,000.01 – £50,000.00 | £750.00 | £150.00 – £175.00 |
| £50,000.01 – £100,000.00 | £850.00 | £150.00 – £175.00 |
*These fees are based on the sums due being set out in one document (e.g. invoice or contract) and are subject to the terms and conditions in our work summary. If your Statutory Demand is based on multiple documents we will provide you with a separate quote which is tailored to your individual needs.
- Bankruptcy petition against an individual (debts of more than £5,000):
| Debt amount | Our fee* (plus VAT at 20%) | Court fee | Official Receiver’s deposit | Process Server’s fee (plus VAT at 20%) | Bankruptcy Search fee (plus VAT at 20%) |
| £5,000.00 – £10,000.00 | £1,000.00 | £332.00 | £1,500.00 | £150.00 – £175.00 | £2.00 |
| £10,000.01 – £25,000.00 | £1,200.00 | £332.00 | £1,500.00 | £150.00 – £175.00 | £2.00 |
| £25,000.01 – £50,000.00 | £1,500.00 | £332.00 | £1,500.00 | £150.00 – £175.00 | £2.00 |
| £50,000.01 – £100,000.00 | £1,800.00 | £332.00 | £1,500.00 | £150.00 – £175.00 | £2.00 |
*This cost does not include attendance at a Court hearing. If our attendance is necessary, we will agree the fee with you in advance.
- Statutory Demand against a company (debts of more than £750):
| Debt amount | Our fee* (plus VAT at 20%) | Process Server’s fee (plus VAT at 20%) |
| £750.00 – £2,000.00 | £350.00 | £150.00 – £175.00 |
| £2,000.01 – £5,000.00 | £500.00 | £150.00 – £175.00 |
| £5,000.01 – £10,000.00 | £550.00 | £150.00 – £175.00 |
| £10,000.01 – £25,000.00 | £650.00 | £150.00 – £175.00 |
| £25,000.01 – £50,000.00 | £750.00 | £150.00 – £175.00 |
| £50,000.01 – £100,000.00 | £850.00 | £150.00 – £175.00 |
*These fees are based on the sums due being set out in one document (e.g. invoice or contract) and are subject to the terms and conditions in our work summary. If your Statutory Demand is based on multiple documents we will provide you with a separate quote which is tailored to your individual needs.
- Winding Up proceedings against a company (debts of more than £750):
| Debt amount | Our fee* (plus VAT at 20%) | Court fee | Official Receiver’s deposit | Process Server’s fee (plus VAT at 20%) | London Gazette fees (plus VAT at 20%) |
| £750.00 – £10,000.00 | £1,000.00 | £332.00 | £2,600.00 | £150.00 – £175.00 | £87.30 |
| £10,000.01 – £25,000.00 | £1,200.00 | £332.00 | £2,600.00 | £150.00 – £175.00 | £87.30 |
| £25,000.01 – £50,000.00 | £1,500.00 | £332.00 | £2,600.00 | £150.00 – £175.00 | £87.30 |
| £50,000.01 – £100,000.00 | £1,800.00 | £332.00 | £2,600.00 | £150.00 – £175.00 | £87.30 |
*This cost does not include attendance at a Court hearing. If our attendance is necessary, we will agree the fee with you in advance.
Our timescales for drafting court, enforcement and insolvency applications are very much bespoke and are assessed on a case by case basis depending on a matter’s complexity.
Timescales for court proceedings, enforcement and insolvency action depend on the particular courts that we are dealing with.
Contact us
For more information about our fixed price debt recovery service, enforcement action or insolvency matters and how we can help you recover your debts, please contact us on 0161 475 7676.
Initial steps: pre-action letter
The initial first step of the debt recovery process is to send a pre-action letter to the debtor. This is known as a Letter of Claim and our debt recovery experts will ensure that it is tailored to your circumstances and requirements and is fully compliant with the Practice Direction – Pre-Action Conduct and Protocols (and the Pre-Action Protocol for Debt Claims where appropriate). In our experience, this saves time and additional expense later down the line.
Our fixed fee includes obtaining your instructions and reviewing any documentation associated with the amount you are owed, calculations for any recoverable interest and late payment compensation (where appropriate) and forwarding any payment received to you.
Our fixed fees for pre-action process vary, depending on the amount of debt owed and are as follows:
| Debt amount | Our fee (plus VAT at 20%) |
| up to £1,000.00 | £85.00 |
| £1,000.01 – £5,000.00 | £125.00 |
| £5,000.01 – £10,000.00 | £150.00 |
| £10,000.01 – £25,000.00 | £200.00 |
| £25,000.01 – £50,000.00 | £250.00 |
| £50,000.01 – £100,000.00 | £300.00 |
| £100,000.01 plus | Please contact us for a bespoke quote. |
There are no disbursements (additional costs) involved in the pre-action stage of a debt recovery matter.
Before any costs are incurred, we will also review the debtor’s position on Companies House or the Individual Insolvency Register, as appropriate, and will report any obvious issues with recovering payments to you.
Our fixed fees are based on the sums due being set out in one document (e.g. invoice or contract). If your debt is based on multiple invoices or contracts, we may need to provide you with a bespoke quotation to suit the circumstances of your case.
Once you have accepted our terms, provided us with all relevant documentation, completed our identity verification process and provided any legal fees requested from you, we would envisage that we will be able to review your documents and draft a formal Letter before Action for your approval within 72 working hours.
Please note that these timescales are estimates only.
Bulk instruction: For bulk and/or repeat instructions, we will consider the possibility of “no recovery, no fee” arrangements on a case-by-case basis. Please contact us and we will provide you with a bespoke quote which is tailored to your individual needs.
What if no payment is received?
If no payment is received, we can move the matter to the next stage which may be the commencement of County Court proceedings or service of a Statutory Demand. Our debt recovery experts will take you through the options and the pros and cons of each before you make a decision on the next steps. Our fees for the commencement of County Court proceedings are:
| Debt amount (including accrued interest and compensation)
|
Our fee* (plus VAT at 20%) | Court fee | Fixed cost recoverable from debtor | Total recoverable from debtor (court fee and fixed fee) |
| Below £500 | In most cases below £500 we would advise against County Court proceedings due to the costs involved. | |||
| £500.01 – £1,000.00 | £150.00 | £70.00 | £70.00 | £140.00 |
| £1,000.01 – £1,500.00 | £250.00 | £80.00 | £80.00 | £160.00 |
| £1,500.01 – £3,000.00 | £325.00 | £115.00 | £80.00 | £195.00 |
| £3,000.01 – £5,000.00 | £395.00 | £205.00 | £80.00 | £285.00 |
| £5,000.01 – £10,000.00 | £425.00 | £455.00 | £100.00 | £555.00 |
| £10,000.01 – £100,000.00 | £550.00 – £800.00 | 5% of the claim value including interest | £100.00 | £100 + court fee incurred. |
*These fees are based on the sums due being set out in one document (e.g. invoice or contract) and are subject to the terms and conditions in our work summary. If your debt is based on multiple documents we may provide you with a separate quote which is tailored to your individual needs.
What if a claim becomes defended?
If a claim becomes defended, the matter will be referred to a specialist in our Dispute Resolution team to review your options and discuss these with you. If you wish to proceed, the costs would be agreed with you before any work is carried out and these would be on either an hourly basis or on a fixed fee basis, where appropriate.
Can anything be done if the debtor fails to comply with court proceedings?
In the event that the debtor fails to take certain prescribed steps within set periods, once County Court proceedings have been commenced, you will be able to instruct us to make a request for Default Judgment to be granted which could then be enforced against the debtor if not satisfied within a one-month period.
| Debt amount | Our fees (plus VAT at 20%) | Fixed costs recoverable from debtor | Amount recoverable from debtor |
| Up to £1,000.00 | £50.00 | £22.00 | £22.00 |
| £1,000.01 – £5,000.00 | £75.00 | £22.00 | £22.00 |
| £5,000.01 – £10,000.00 | £100.00 | £30.00 | £30.00 |
| £10,000.01 – £100,000.00 | £150.00 | £30.00 | £30.00 |
If Default Judgment is entered (or you obtain a Judgment at the conclusion of a case) we are able to discuss with you the options available in terms of enforcing that Judgment and the pros and cons of each.
Enforcement action:
Depending on the amount of debt there are different options available to enforce the Judgment and recover debts. These are as follows:
- A County Court Judgment for less than £600 must be enforced in the County Court.
- A County Court Judgment for £600 to £5,000 can be enforced in either the County Court or the High Court.
- A County Court Judgment for £5,000 or more must be enforced in the High Court.
Our team of debt recovery experts have specialist experience in enforcing County Court Judgments and can help you enforce the Judgment in either Court. The costs and options of enforcement action are as follows:
- County Court Bailiff / Warrant of Control (debts up to £600):
| Debt amount | Our fee (plus VAT at 20%) | Court fee | Fixed costs recoverable from debtor | Total amount recoverable from debtor |
| Up to £600.00 | £100.00 | £91.00 | £2.25 | £93.25 |
- High Court Bailiff / Writ of Control (debts of more than £600):
| Debt amount | Our fee (plus VAT at 20%) | Court fee (for sealing Writ of Control*) | Fixed costs recoverable from debtor | Total amount recoverable from debtor |
| £600.00 or more | £150.00 | £78.00 | £51.75 | £123.75 |
*There may be further fees payable to the High Court Enforcement Officer when sealing a Writ of Control. Our team will advise you of these before any action is taken. The Court fee is subject to VAT at 20% for VAT registered claimants.
- Attachment of Earnings:
| Debt amount | Our fee (plus VAT at 20%) | Court fee | Fixed costs recoverable from debtor | Total amount recoverable from debtor |
| Any | £150.00 | £131.00 | £8.50 | £139.50 |
- Charging Order:
| Debt amount | Our fee* (plus VAT at 20%) | Court fee | Fixed costs recoverable from debtor | Land Registry official copy title & registration fees | Total amount recoverable from debtor |
| Any | £300.00 | £131.00 | £110.00 | £43.00 | £284.00 |
*Legal fees are in respect of the Charging Order application. Service of the interim Charging Order and registration of this at the Land Registry are subject to additional legal fees which are assessed on a time expended basis. Should a Court hearing become necessary, or the Charging Order becomes defended, our team will discuss the legal fees with you in advance.
- Third Party Debt Order:
| Debt amount | Our fee* (plus VAT at 20%) | Court fee | Fixed costs recoverable from debtor | Total amount recoverable from debtor |
| Any | £125.00 | £131.00 | £98.50 | £229.50 |
*These fees do not include attendance at a Court hearing. If attendance at a Court hearing becomes necessary our team will discuss the fees with you in advance.
- Application for an Order to Obtain Information: (debtor to attend court for questioning)
| Debt amount | Our fee* (plus VAT at 20%) | Court fee | Fixed amount recoverable from debtor | Bailiff service | Total amount recoverable from debtor |
| Any | £175.00 | £65.00 | £65.00 | £131.00 | £65.00 |
*These fees do not include attendance at the questioning. Should you instruct us to attend the questioning, our team will agree the additional fees with you in advance.
Please note: all recoverable amounts will continue to accrue interest, except in the Attachment of Earning process where interest ceases to run at the point an Attachment of Earnings Order or a suspended Attachment of Earning Order is granted.
Insolvency:
In a situation where a debtor cannot raise enough cash to pay debts and meet the Court’s obligations, our specialist Insolvency team can help you recover the money through the insolvency process. This process has a number of options, which we will advise you on and recommend the best option for you. The options available through the insolvency process and the costs are:
- Statutory Demand against an individual (debts of more than £5,000):
| Debt amount | Our fee* (plus VAT at 20%) | Process Server’s fee (plus VAT at 20%) |
| £5,000.00 – £10,000.00 | £350.00 | £150.00 – £175.00 |
| £10,000.01 – £25,000.00 | £500.00 | £150.00 – £175.00 |
| £25,000.01 – £50,000.00 | £750.00 | £150.00 – £175.00 |
| £50,000.01 – £100,000.00 | £850.00 | £150.00 – £175.00 |
*These fees are based on the sums due being set out in one document (e.g. invoice or contract) and are subject to the terms and conditions in our work summary. If your Statutory Demand is based on multiple documents we will provide you with a separate quote which is tailored to your individual needs.
- Bankruptcy petition against an individual (debts of more than £5,000):
| Debt amount | Our fee* (plus VAT at 20%) | Court fee | Official Receiver’s deposit | Process Server’s fee (plus VAT at 20%) | Bankruptcy Search fee (plus VAT at 20%) |
| £5,000.00 – £10,000.00 | £1,000.00 | £332.00 | £1,500.00 | £150.00 – £175.00 | £2.00 |
| £10,000.01 – £25,000.00 | £1,200.00 | £332.00 | £1,500.00 | £150.00 – £175.00 | £2.00 |
| £25,000.01 – £50,000.00 | £1,500.00 | £332.00 | £1,500.00 | £150.00 – £175.00 | £2.00 |
| £50,000.01 – £100,000.00 | £1,800.00 | £332.00 | £1,500.00 | £150.00 – £175.00 | £2.00 |
*This cost does not include attendance at a Court hearing. If our attendance is necessary, we will agree the fee with you in advance.
- Statutory Demand against a company (debts of more than £750):
| Debt amount | Our fee* (plus VAT at 20%) | Process Server’s fee (plus VAT at 20%) |
| £750.00 – £2,000.00 | £350.00 | £150.00 – £175.00 |
| £2,000.01 – £5,000.00 | £500.00 | £150.00 – £175.00 |
| £5,000.01 – £10,000.00 | £550.00 | £150.00 – £175.00 |
| £10,000.01 – £25,000.00 | £650.00 | £150.00 – £175.00 |
| £25,000.01 – £50,000.00 | £750.00 | £150.00 – £175.00 |
| £50,000.01 – £100,000.00 | £850.00 | £150.00 – £175.00 |
*These fees are based on the sums due being set out in one document (e.g. invoice or contract) and are subject to the terms and conditions in our work summary. If your Statutory Demand is based on multiple documents we will provide you with a separate quote which is tailored to your individual needs.
- Winding Up proceedings against a company (debts of more than £750):
| Debt amount | Our fee* (plus VAT at 20%) | Court fee | Official Receiver’s deposit | Process Server’s fee (plus VAT at 20%) | London Gazette fees (plus VAT at 20%) |
| £750.00 – £10,000.00 | £1,000.00 | £332.00 | £2,600.00 | £150.00 – £175.00 | £87.30 |
| £10,000.01 – £25,000.00 | £1,200.00 | £332.00 | £2,600.00 | £150.00 – £175.00 | £87.30 |
| £25,000.01 – £50,000.00 | £1,500.00 | £332.00 | £2,600.00 | £150.00 – £175.00 | £87.30 |
| £50,000.01 – £100,000.00 | £1,800.00 | £332.00 | £2,600.00 | £150.00 – £175.00 | £87.30 |
*This cost does not include attendance at a Court hearing. If our attendance is necessary, we will agree the fee with you in advance.
Our timescales for drafting court, enforcement and insolvency applications are very much bespoke and are assessed on a case by case basis depending on a matter’s complexity.
Timescales for court proceedings, enforcement and insolvency action depend on the particular courts that we are dealing with.
Contact us
For more information about our fixed price debt recovery service, enforcement action or insolvency matters and how we can help you recover your debts, please contact us on 0161 475 7676.
