Anyone wishing to proceed with a claim should note that:

• Court fees are not included in the above quotation. A list of Court fees in civil claims (Form EX50) can be found on https://hmctsformfinder.justice.gov.uk/HMCTS/FormFinder.do
• If a company search is required, the fee for this disbursement is £50 plus VAT.
• The VAT element of our fee cannot be reclaimed from your debtor.
• Interest and compensation may take the debt into a higher banding, with a higher cost.
• The costs quoted above only apply where the debtor is a limited company or a firm (partnership), not an individual. If the debtor is an individual, please contact us for a quotation.
• The costs quoted above are not for matters which are disputed and where enforcement action, such as the bailiff, is needed to collect your debt. Our fee includes:
• Taking your instructions and reviewing limited documentation
• Sending a letter before action
• Receiving payment and sending onto you, or if the debt is not paid, drafting and issuing a claim form
• Where no Acknowledgment of Service or Defence is received, applying to the court to enter Judgment in default
• When Judgment in default is received, writing to the other side to request payment
• If payment is not received within X days, providing you with advice on next steps and likely costs Our fee does not include:
• Disbursements are costs related to your matter that are payable to third parties, such as court fees and company search fees.

Letters before action sent to companies in the U.K. usually require the debtor to pay within 14 days. If the debt is not paid within this time, subject to your instructions, we will start legal proceedings to recover your money. We may request clarification or further evidence if not already sent in order to draft the Claim Form. It is advisable to undertake a company search prior to issuing court proceedings to try to establish if the company is likely to still be solvent and to have the means to pay.

Timescales

Once court proceedings have been issued, the court will send a copy of the claim to the debtor by first class post.  A debtor has 14 days from the date of service in which to file a defence or acknowledgement of service. After the 14 day period has expired, we can apply to the court to enter Judgment in default provided that the debtor has not filed an acknowledgement or a defence. It usually takes the court about 10 working days to enter judgment following receipt of a request to enter judgment but it does depend on the court. Once judgment has been obtained, we will write to the debtor to request payment. If the debtor does not pay, we will advise you on enforcement action and the likely cost involved.

Your matter will be dealt with by our litigation solicitor, Mr Abdul Halim, who was called to the bar before he qualified as a solicitor in 2007 and has several years experience of dealing with debt claims.