How to Write a Letter to a Debt Collector UK: Know Your Rights First
- James Pite
- Jun 15
- 9 min read
Debt collectors count on you not knowing what they are actually allowed to do. Most people who receive a letter or phone call from a debt collector feel immediate pressure, assume they must respond on the collector’s terms, and make decisions from a position of anxiety rather than knowledge. That is precisely the situation debt collectors rely on.
Before you pay anything, before you acknowledge anything in writing, and certainly before you respond to any pressure tactic, read this guide. Understanding your rights changes the conversation entirely. It tells you what the collector can and cannot do, when a debt may no longer be enforceable, what information you are entitled to demand before you engage, and how to write letters that put you in control of how the matter proceeds.
What Debt Collectors Are and Are Not Allowed to Do
Debt collectors in the UK who are chasing regulated consumer credit debts must be authorised by the Financial Conduct Authority. Their conduct is governed by the FCA’s Consumer Credit Sourcebook, known as CONC, which sets out in detail what behaviour is and is not permitted. CONC 7 sets specific rules on debt collection, including rules on contact frequency, communication methods, what information must be provided, and how statute barred debts must be handled.
Since 31 July 2024, the FCA’s Consumer Duty also applies to closed products, meaning firms chasing debts on products that are no longer offered must still treat customers fairly and act to deliver good outcomes. In March 2024, the FCA joined Ofgem, Ofwat and Ofcom in a joint statement setting out expectations that firms across regulated sectors must not contact consumers excessively, must treat customers in arrears with forbearance, and must not use pressure tactics. This joint regulatory position is unusually strong and is directly applicable to any regulated debt collector contacting you.
The specific things a debt collector must not do include:
Contact you excessively, including multiple calls per day or calls at unreasonable times
Contact you at work once you have told them your employer prohibits such calls
Discuss your debt with third parties including family members without your consent
Threaten legal action they cannot or do not intend to take
Suggest they have legal powers they do not have, including implying they are bailiffs when they are not
Attempt to collect a statute barred debt when they know or ought to know the limitation period has passed
Add unreasonable charges or interest to the debt that were not in the original credit agreement
Contact you after you have sent a written request to communicate only in writing
Pursue you if you have entered a Breathing Space moratorium under the Breathing Space Scheme
Debt collectors are not bailiffs. They have no power to enter your home, take your belongings or seize assets. If a debt collector visits your home, you are not required to let them in and they must leave if you ask them to. Only court-authorised enforcement agents with a valid warrant have power to enforce in this way.
The Most Powerful Thing You Can Check: Is the Debt Statute Barred?
Under the Limitation Act 1980, most consumer debts in England and Wales become statute barred after six years. In Scotland the period is five years. A statute barred debt is one where the creditor’s right to take you to court has expired. As CONC 7.15 of the FCA Handbook makes clear, a firm must not attempt to recover a statute barred debt in England, Wales or Northern Ireland if the lender or owner has not been in contact with the customer during the limitation period. Even where contact has been maintained, a debt collector must not pressure someone to pay a statute barred debt or threaten court action they know cannot be pursued.
The six-year clock runs from the date of your last payment toward the debt, the date you last acknowledged the debt in writing, or the date the debt became due, whichever is most recent. This is critically important: making a payment or acknowledging a statute barred debt in writing resets the clock entirely. Do not make any payment or send any letter acknowledging the debt exists until you have established whether it is statute barred.
From 6 April 2025, pursuing a statute barred debt aggressively is also potentially actionable under the Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers Act 2024, which replaced the Consumer Protection from Unfair Trading Regulations 2008 for conduct occurring on or after that date. Aggressive practices in relation to statute barred debts may now constitute an unfair commercial practice under the new Act.
The Three Letters You May Need to Write
Letter One: The Prove It Letter
Before you engage with any debt collector on the substance of a debt, you are entitled to ask them to prove that the debt exists, that they have the right to collect it, and that the amount they are claiming is correct. This is called a prove it letter. Sending one does not acknowledge the debt. It simply asks the collector to demonstrate the basis of their claim before you respond.
Under the Consumer Credit Act 1974, you are also entitled to request a copy of the original credit agreement. For regulated consumer credit debts, the collector must provide this within 12 working days. If they cannot, they may not continue to enforce the debt until they do.
Example: prove it letter
[Your full name]
[Your address]
[Date]
[Debt collector name and address]
Subject: Request for Evidence of Debt – Account Reference [number if known]
Dear Sir or Madam,
I am writing in response to your letter of [date] / your recent contact regarding an alleged debt.
I do not acknowledge this debt. Before I can respond to this matter further, I require you to provide the following:
1. The name of the original creditor and the date the account was opened.
2. The date of the last payment made toward this debt.
3. The date the debt became due.
4. A full breakdown of the amount claimed, including any interest or charges added since the original debt was incurred.
5. Confirmation that you are authorised by the Financial Conduct Authority to collect this debt, and your FCA reference number.
6. A copy of the original credit agreement, which I am entitled to request under Section 77/78 of the Consumer Credit Act 1974.
I also require you to communicate with me in writing only from this point forward. Please do not contact me by telephone.
I am aware of the FCA’s Consumer Credit Sourcebook (CONC) and the Consumer Duty, which set out the standards you are required to meet in your dealings with me. If you continue to contact me without providing the information requested above, I will consider whether your conduct constitutes a breach of CONC and will raise a complaint with the Financial Ombudsman Service if necessary.
Please note that this letter does not constitute acknowledgement of any debt.
Yours sincerely,
[Your name]
Letter Two: Statute Barred Letter
If you have established that the debt is statute barred, write to the collector specifically referencing this. This letter does not need to be long. Its purpose is to put the collector on clear notice that the limitation period has passed, that you are aware of their obligations under CONC 7.15 and that you will not be making any payment.
Important: do not include any details about the original debt in this letter beyond acknowledging that a communication has been received. Avoid anything that could be read as acknowledging the debt exists or as a new acknowledgement of it.
Example: statute barred letter
[Your full name]
[Your address]
[Date]
[Debt collector name and address]
Subject: Statute Barred Debt – Reference [number if known]
Dear Sir or Madam,
I am writing in response to your recent contact regarding the above reference.
I believe this debt is statute barred under the Limitation Act 1980. The last payment toward this debt and the last written acknowledgement of it both occurred more than six years ago. As a result, you no longer have the right to take court action to recover this debt.
I draw your attention to CONC 7.15 of the FCA’s Consumer Credit Sourcebook, which requires that a firm must not attempt to recover a statute barred debt if the lender or owner has not been in contact with the customer during the limitation period, and must not pressure a customer to pay or threaten legal action in relation to a statute barred debt.
I will not be making any payment toward this debt. I am asking you to confirm in writing that you have closed this account and will make no further contact regarding it. If you continue to pursue this debt, I will raise a complaint with the Financial Ombudsman Service and consider reporting your conduct to the FCA.
Please note that this letter does not constitute acknowledgement of any debt.
Yours sincerely,
[Your name]
Letter Three: Harassment Letter
If a debt collector is contacting you repeatedly, at unreasonable times or using pressure tactics that breach CONC, write to them formally identifying the conduct and demanding it stops. As National Debtline’s guidance on harassment by creditors explains, you should keep a diary of every contact attempt, including the date, time and nature of the contact. This diary is your evidence if you need to escalate to the Financial Ombudsman.
Example: harassment letter
[Your full name]
[Your address]
[Date]
[Debt collector name and address]
Subject: Formal Complaint – Harassment and Breach of FCA Rules – Reference [number]
Dear Sir or Madam,
I am writing to make a formal complaint about the conduct of your organisation in attempting to collect the above debt.
I have kept a record of all contact attempts from your organisation, a summary of which is set out below:
[List contact attempts: date, time, method (phone / letter / visit) and nature of contact. For example: 14 May – telephone call at 8.12am / 14 May – telephone call at 12.34pm / 15 May – telephone call at 7.48pm / 16 May – letter stating court action would follow immediately.]
This level of contact is in breach of the FCA’s Consumer Credit Sourcebook (CONC), specifically the guidance at CONC 7.9 on contact with customers, which makes clear that firms must not contact customers excessively or at unreasonable times. [If applicable: The statement that court action would follow immediately is misleading, as no such action appears to be imminent, in breach of CONC 7.3.]
I am asking your organisation to: stop contacting me by telephone immediately; communicate only in writing; and respond to this complaint within eight weeks in accordance with your obligations under the FCA’s Complaints Handling Rules.
If I do not receive a satisfactory response or if the conduct continues, I will refer this complaint to the Financial Ombudsman Service. I may also report your conduct to the FCA.
Yours sincerely,
[Your name]
After the Letters: If the Debt Is Genuine
If the debt is genuine, not statute barred and you accept you owe it, you are entitled to negotiate affordable repayment terms. You are not required to pay in a lump sum. You can propose a repayment plan based on what you can realistically afford after your essential outgoings. If the collector refuses a reasonable offer, you can set up a payment arrangement directly with them or, if the debt reaches court, with the court.
Free debt advice, including help working out what you can afford and negotiating with creditors, is available from StepChange (0800 138 1111), National Debtline (0808 808 4000) and Citizens Advice. These services are genuinely free and do not charge fees or take a percentage of anything. If someone offers to manage your debts for a fee, be very cautious. Free, regulated debt advice is available and there is rarely a good reason to pay for it.
Getting Help
Free debt advice from qualified advisers is available from National Debtline and StepChange. If a debt collector has behaved in breach of the FCA’s rules and has not resolved your complaint, you can escalate to the Financial Ombudsman Service for free. If you want help drafting a prove it letter, a statute barred letter or a harassment complaint that references the correct regulatory framework, the team at LetterLab can help you get the wording right.
Key Rights at a Glance
You are entitled to ask a debt collector to prove the debt exists before engaging with it
You can request a copy of the original credit agreement under the Consumer Credit Act 1974
You can require all communication to be in writing by writing to them and stating this
Most consumer debts become statute barred after six years in England and Wales, five in Scotland
Never acknowledge or make a payment toward a potentially statute barred debt before checking the dates
Debt collectors are not bailiffs and have no power to enter your home or take goods
Excessive contact, threatening language and misleading statements all breach FCA rules
You can complain to the Financial Ombudsman Service if a regulated collector breaches FCA rules
The Consumer Duty has applied to closed products since 31 July 2024, meaning even old debts must be collected fairly
Since 6 April 2025, the Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers Act 2024 governs unfair commercial practices in debt collection
The Key Takeaway: You Have More Power Than They Want You to Know
Debt collection relies on people not knowing their rights. The framework of rules that governs debt collectors in the UK is extensive, enforced by the FCA, and contains real protections that apply the moment a debt collector contacts you. Whether the debt is yours, disputed or statute barred, your first response should never be payment under pressure. It should be a clear, informed letter that establishes the terms on which you are willing to engage.
Know whether the debt is statute barred. Request the evidence. Require written communication. And if the collector steps outside the rules, complain formally. The Financial Ombudsman upholds a significant proportion of complaints about debt collection conduct. Your rights in this situation are real and enforceable.
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