People arrive at this site for two reasons: they were owed money by a company that closed, or they are being chased by a collector and want to know whether it is real. These guides cover both.
How to check whether a debt collection agency is genuine
FCA register and Companies House checks, cloned firms, and the things a genuine collector is not allowed to do.
Making a debt collector prove the debt
The £1 request under the Consumer Credit Act 1974, what counts as complying, and the wording that avoids restarting the clock.
When an old debt becomes statute barred
Six years in England, Wales and Northern Ireland, five in Scotland, what restarts it, and the debts these rules do not cover.
The company that owes you money has been dissolved
Reading the liquidator's final account, whether restoring a company is ever worth it, and the routes that work better.
How these are written
Every guide on this site is written from public sources — legislation, the Companies House register, the insolvency registers, the FCA register and the guidance published by the free debt charities — and links to them so you can check anything yourself. Nothing here is advice about your own circumstances, and none of it is a substitute for speaking to a qualified adviser. More about who writes it and why on the about page.
Free debt advice, whoever you are
Nobody should charge you for debt advice. These services are free, confidential and independent, and none of them will sell you a product.
- StepChange Debt Charity — 0800 138 1111 — stepchange.org
- National Debtline — 0808 808 4000 — nationaldebtline.org
- Citizens Advice — 0800 240 4420 — citizensadvice.org.uk
- MoneyHelper (government-backed) — 0800 011 3797 — moneyhelper.org.uk
- Money Talk Team (Scotland) — 0800 028 1456 — moneytalkteam.org.uk
- Advice NI (Northern Ireland) — 0800 915 4604 — adviceni.net
This page is information, not advice about your own circumstances. If money is tight, ring one of the numbers above before you act on anything you read online, here or anywhere else.