Our fixed fees for debt recovery (individuals)
Where the debt is owed by an individual and is not a business debt, we work to a transparent fixed fee structure for each stage of recovery. This means you know what each step will cost before you commit to it, and you only pay for the work you instruct us to carry out.
The fees below are the fixed amounts inclusive of VAT. They do not include disbursements such as court fees, which are payable separately at the prevailing rate.
Pre-action stage
Before any court action, we work with you to put the debtor on notice and try to agree repayment.
- Taking instructions and drafting a Letter of Claim – £240 (£200 plus VAT). We review your papers, draft a bespoke Letter of Claim and send it to you for approval.
- Sending the Letter of Claim – £60 (£50 plus VAT). We finalise the approved letter, send it to the debtor and confirm to you.
- Follow-up telephone calls – £24 (£20 plus VAT) per call. Non-routine calls longer than six minutes are charged at our hourly rate.
- Follow-up letters or emails – £24 (£20 plus VAT) each.
Court proceedings
If the debtor does not respond or pay following the Letter of Claim, the next step is usually to issue a claim at court.
- Issuing the claim form – £420 (£350 plus VAT) for claims under £10,000, or £480 (£400 plus VAT) for claims over £10,000. The court fee is payable in addition.
- Requesting judgment in default – £90 (£75 plus VAT) where the debtor fails to acknowledge or defend the claim.
- Notifying you of a defence or counterclaim – no charge. We will tell you straight away and take your instructions.
- Representation in a defended claim – from £160 plus VAT per hour. Defended claims fall outside fixed fees and we will give you a costs estimate based on the issues in dispute.
Enforcement stage
Securing a County Court Judgment (CCJ) does not always mean the debtor pays. If they do not, we can advise on enforcement.
- Advice on enforcement options – no charge. Once judgment is secured, we review what we know about the debtor and recommend the most appropriate route.
- Instructing County Court Bailiffs – £180 (£150 plus VAT), plus the court fee.
- Instructing High Court Enforcement Officers (HCEOs) – £240 (£200 plus VAT), plus the court fee. HCEO fees are recoverable from the debtor where any part of the debt is recovered. If recovery is unsuccessful, the abortive fee of £90 plus VAT is payable.
- Liaising with bailiffs or HCEOs – from £160 plus VAT per hour.
- Charging Orders and other enforcement options – charged at £160 plus VAT per hour, plus the court fee. These steps fall outside fixed fees.
A note on small claims
Where the debt is under £10,000, the matter is treated as a small claim by the court. Legal costs of representation are generally not recoverable from the debtor in small claims, beyond some limited fixed costs. We will always discuss the commercial merits of each step with you so you can make an informed decision before incurring further costs.
Download the full fixed fees document (PDF)
