Debt Recovery

On your side

As a small business, any interruption to your cash flow could have a major impact. Dealing with unpaid invoices and bills can be incredibly stressful and time-consuming. Professional Legal Collections works with you to take positive action and help you get back your money. Our team successfully recovers debt in excess of £750,000 every year. Whatever the size of your business or type of business debt, we are here to help with every step of the process.

Advice you can trust

PLC Debt has over 20 years’ experience finding debtors and collecting revenue for our clients. When you come to us with a problem, we will help you understand all the options and offer commercial advice so you can make an informed decision about pursuing the debt.

Fair and fixed fees

We offer a transparent pricing structure and our fees are some of the most cost-effective around. In many cases, the recovery fee is covered by the interest and compensation charges added to the debtor’s repayment. You pay a base fee of 10% to start the initial process with us. On top of this, you then pay a percentage recovery fee. This fee is only payable when we recover the money. No recovery, no fee. You will also be responsible for paying any disbursements, such as court fees and searches. Take a look at our terms of business for more details on our prices.

Debt recovery without borders

We regularly handle international debt recovery cases. Our team tracks debtors down around the world, across Europe, the US, South Africa, Asia – and beyond. Most countries have a reciprocal agreement to recognise judgments from different countries. We liaise with partner agencies to enforce the judgment and recover your debt. Your terms of business will determine whether you can bring the claim in England and Wales. We use our experience of international debt recovery to advise you on the best course of action for your claim. To start the process, simply fill in our online form and we will get in touch to talk about recovering your debt.

1. The pre-action protocol compliant letter

This letter sets out the details of the debt, including how much is owed, when it should have been paid, and the extra interest and fees. It also contains information on the legal proceedings for a County Court Judgment (CCJ) and the steps that will be taken if the debt is not paid within the deadline.

2. Issuing proceedings

If there is no response to the initial letter, then legal proceedings are issued through the County Court. The Court are sent details of the case and they issue a claim form requiring the debtor to pay the debt, plus interests and costs within 14 days. We use an online system to register your claim with the Court, which gives a discount on the court fee which we pass on to you. Court fees vary according to the level of debt.

3. County Court Judgment (CCJ)

The Court orders the debtor to pay. Once you have this judgment, you can take steps to enforce this judgment to collect your debt.

4. Enforcement

There are a variety of different ways you can ‘enforce’ a judgment and recover your money. We will advise you on the most appropriate action, depending on the amount of debt and the circumstances of the debtor. Once you have decided how to proceed, we will manage the process on your behalf, making sure you get your money back as quickly as possible.

High Court Enforcement Officer

If your debt is more than £600, this is the most effective way to recover money. The HCEO is employed by a private company and is paid on results, which means they have an incentive to collect your debt. PLC Debt has a long-standing professional relationship with a team of highly skilled Enforcement Officers who promote firm but fair enforcement. Their agents visit the debtor’s premises to secure payment or to take control of the debtor’s assets to the value of your debt.

County Court Enforcement Officer

You can use this method of enforcement for debts under £600. As an employee of the Court, the CCEO is not incentivised to collect debts and therefore this has a limited impact.

Third-Party Debt Order

This allows you to take the money from someone who holds or owes the debtor money. With this order, you can freeze money in the debtor’s bank account and recover your claim directly from their bank or other third-party.

Attachment of Earnings

Through this order, the money you are owed is paid directly to you from the debtor’s salary, as a monthly sum. The money is sent to the Court and forwarded to you. You need to know the name and address of the debtor’s employer to pursue this action.

Charging Order

This enforcement secures the debt against the debtor’s property, this secures it for the long-term until the property is conveyed. You can usually only force an order for sale of a property where your debt is over £15,000.

Order to Attend Court for Questioning

This requires a debtor to attend Court to answer questions on their finances. You don’t gain payments from this process, but it may help you understand the best enforcement method to use. The longer you leave a debt uncollected, the harder it is to recover. Start the process now and complete our no-obligation sign-up form.