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If you’re offering services to clients, you have the choice of whether to request payment up front, allow them to pay after delivery or set up a payment plan. Many business owners shy away from asking for up-front payment, fearing it will make them less attractive to prospects. However, this can lead to situations of having to pursue the client through the courts for unpaid invoices — or even having to write th

Many sectors of the financial world have their own independent oversight bodies. The best known is probably the FCA (Financial Conduct Authority) but similar organisations operate in various areas of finance. One notable exception, though, has been the debt enforcement sector — but that may be changing. A prominent think-tank has brought together various sides of the sector and proposed a framework for a new oversigh

The perfect balance for any landlord is to ensure a regular, unbroken income from your property with a minimum of effort and hassle. And the best way of ensuring that is to keep any good tenants you already have. The obvious advantage of keeping a good tenant is that you won’t have gaps in the rent coming in, but there are other benefits. If the tenancy isn’t constantly changing, you’ll be spending

If a company that owes you money has debts so extreme that there’s no possibility of payment, you can apply to the courts to have it wound up. This is a drastic measure and usually a final one — once the winding-up order is granted, it normally means the company is finished. Exceptionally, however, you might change your mind. It’s possible to apply to have the order rescinded, but the process is complicat

You don’t have to be a major organisation to form a limited company. Statistically, most companies have only a handful of employees, or are even solo enterprises. However, if you’re running a limited company, you’ll have the status of company director, and as such you’ll have various responsibilities. Unfortunately, not all company directors are aware of what these are. How much do you know? W

If there’s one thing that unites virtually all SME business owners, it’s the scourge of late payments. This is always a problem, especially for those operating on narrow margins, but the pandemic seems to have turned it into a crisis. The Scourge of Late Payments The great majority of SMEs don’t enjoy the huge cash reserves and almost unlimited credit enjoyed by the giant companies. If they’re

Did you know that your business email footer must contain specific pieces of information by law? The Companies Act (UK letterhead legal requirements) states that all business must display the following business details on their letterheads. The name of their business The part of the country that the business is registered The registered company number The address of the registered office Furthermore – if you’re a par

Personal debt is currently at a record high, which means that more people will be consulting debt advisors or insolvency practitioners. In general, it’s the best possible thing to do in this situation — as long as you’ve chosen a reliable advisor. The Current Debt Crisis As I reported in a recent blog, personal debt is at its worst level since the height of the economic crisis following the 2008 crash. With income ha

When you’re signing a commercial contract with a partner, you may find it includes a penalty clause. Or possibly you’ve included one in a contract you’ve drawn up. This is, in essence, a clause which states that a specific sum is payable in the event of a specific failure, such as late delivery of materials or services, or late payment of an invoice. Liquidated and Unliquidated Damages Penalty clauses have a contenti

Let’s face it, none of us read the terms and conditions for the goods and services we buy. In fact, the Telegraph suggests that it would take most of us fifty years to read them all. So, does that mean you don’t have to read the Ts & Cs in the contracts you issue, either? Absolutely not. And, more to the point, it’s essential to apply them. What Are Your Terms & Conditions For? Your Ts & Cs don’t have to