Unpaid invoices
For sole traders, tradespeople and small businesses owed money for work done or goods supplied. We chase in formal, lawful steps that follow the court's pre-action rules, so that if payment does not come, the next step is already in place.
When a customer stops answering
Many unpaid invoices are not disputed at all. The customer is short of money, busy, or waiting to see whether anything happens. A friendly reminder from the business is easy to ignore. A formal letter that sets out the debt, the legal basis for interest, a deadline and the step that follows is much harder to ignore, because it shows the matter is being handled properly.
We act mainly for the businesses we are connected with, and occasionally for other tradespeople and small firms. Every letter goes out in the client's name, or on the client's behalf on their written authority. Every next step a letter mentions is one the client has authorised and intends to take.
What we look at first
- The quote, contract or terms of business, and anything agreed later about changes to the work
- The invoice, and whether it was sent to the right person with a clear due date
- Evidence that the work was finished or the goods delivered
- Any complaint the customer has raised, and how it was answered
- Whether the customer is a company, a sole trader or a private individual, because different rules apply to each
Payments go straight to you
We never receive, hold or pass on the debtor's money. Every letter tells the debtor to pay you directly, into your own account, using the payment details you give us. The money and the record of payment stay with you.
We draft, you file
Anyone may chase a debt before court. Running a court case for someone else is different: it is a reserved legal activity under the Legal Services Act 2007, which only authorised legal professionals may carry on. A party can always run its own claim. So if a claim is needed, we prepare a draft and a checklist, and you issue it yourself. A company can issue its own claim through a director or an employee it authorises.
From first demand to judgment
Letters before claim
Reminders, formal demands and letters before claim, including the Pre-Action Protocol pack for individual and sole-trader debtors.
Read moreLate payment interest
Statutory interest at 8% over base rate, fixed compensation of £40, £70 or £100, and a calculator for business and consumer debts.
Read moreMoney Claim Online
How a county court money claim works, and a draft claim with a checklist for you to check and submit yourself.
Read moreAfter judgment
Warrants and writs of control, attachment of earnings, third party debt orders, charging orders and orders to obtain information.
Read moreCredit control
Written quotes and terms, deposits and stage payments, invoice wording, retention of title, evidence and a chasing timetable.
Read moreThe rules depend on who owes the money
| Limited company or LLP | Sole trader | Private individual | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pre-action rules | Practice Direction on Pre-Action Conduct | Pre-Action Protocol for Debt Claims | Pre-Action Protocol for Debt Claims |
| Time to reply to a letter before claim | A reasonable time, usually 14 days in a straightforward case | 30 days from the date of the letter of claim | 30 days from the date of the letter of claim |
| Statutory interest | 8% a year over Bank of England base rate | The same, if they bought for their business | Not available. Interest only under the contract, or at the court's discretion in a claim |
| Fixed compensation | £40, £70 or £100, depending on the size of the debt | The same, if they bought for their business | Not available |
What we do
- Review the quote, contract, invoice and evidence of the work before anything is sent
- Send reminders, a formal demand and a letter before claim in your name or on your behalf
- Prepare the Pre-Action Protocol pack when the debtor is an individual or sole trader
- Work out statutory interest and fixed compensation on business debts
- Negotiate a payment plan before any claim, and record it in writing once you approve it
- Prepare a Money Claim Online draft and a checklist for you to check and submit
- Explain enforcement options after judgment and the forms each one uses
- Speak for you at a small-claims hearing, if you attend as well
What we do not do
- Receive or hold any money paid by the debtor
- Issue, file or serve a claim, or write to the court for you
- Visit debtors, contact their employers, family or neighbours, or post about them online
- Add charges that neither the contract nor the law allows
- Act as enforcement agents. We are not bailiffs.
- Advise the debtor about their own finances. We point them to free debt advice instead.
If a claim is needed, see how a money claim works.
Debts we do not take on
- Debts due under a credit, finance or hire agreement. Collecting those for someone else is a regulated activity that needs authorisation from the Financial Conduct Authority.
- Statutory demands, winding-up petitions and bankruptcy petitions. These are insolvency steps and need a solicitor.
- Debts already in court where the debtor has filed a defence, if you want someone to run the case. We explain the next stages and you decide whether to instruct a solicitor.
- Debts owed by or to anyone in Scotland or Northern Ireland, where different rules apply.
Common questions
Will the letters come from you or from my business?
Either. Letters can be in your business's own name, or from Appeal Specialists on behalf of your business, acting on your written authority. We never suggest that we are solicitors, a court or an enforcement agent, and there is no need to: a letter that cites the right rules and sets out a real next step is formal enough.
The customer says the work was not done properly. Can you still help?
Yes, but the evidence comes first. We check the quote, any agreed changes, photos and messages before anything is sent, and tell you plainly if the complaint has substance. A customer who is sued may bring a counterclaim, so a disputed debt needs more care than an ignored one.
My customer paid part of the job on finance. Can you recover the rest?
Possibly, but we need to check first. Collecting a debt that is due under a credit or hire agreement for someone else is regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority, and we do not do it. If the customer was given time to pay under any instalment or finance arrangement, tell us at the start so we can see whether the unpaid amount is an ordinary invoice debt.
How long do I have to recover an unpaid invoice?
A court claim for a contract debt usually has to be issued within six years of the date payment was due (Limitation Act 1980, section 5). Acting early is still better: the evidence is fresher, the customer is easier to find, and interest has had less time to become a point of argument.
What if the customer genuinely cannot pay?
Our letters point individual debtors to free, independent debt advice, as the court's protocol requires. If you are told that the debtor is in a Breathing Space under the government's debt respite scheme, or in a formal insolvency procedure, chasing must stop while that protection applies. We pause and explain your options.
Our status
Appeal Specialists is an independent consultancy, not a law firm. We are not solicitors or barristers and we are not regulated by the Solicitors Regulation Authority or any other legal regulator, so you cannot complain about us to the Legal Ombudsman.
We provide non-reserved legal services only. We do not conduct litigation, file or serve court documents, or accept service of court documents for you. Where the law allows, we can speak for you at a small-claims hearing or a tribunal, but only with your agreement and, at small-claims hearings, only if you attend.
What you tell us is not protected by legal professional privilege. We never hold your money. We work on matters in England and Wales only. We do not guarantee any outcome.
All correspondence by email
We deal with everything in writing, so every point and every deadline is on the record. If you are replying to a letter from us, please quote our reference.