logo

Tag

Bad Debts

Why You Should Always Ask for Payment Up Front

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
Read More

The Enforcement Conduct Authority — New Proposals for a Debt Enforcement Oversight Body

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
Read More

How to Be Sure You’re Charged for Court Costs

If you’re in court, whether bringing a case or defending it, you clearly want to win, but the minimum is that you don’t want to be hit with unnecessary court costs. You’d think that would be obvious to anyone, but it’s surprising how many people behave as if they actually want to be charged. So, for those people, this is how to achieve your aim. For everyone else, this is what to avoid. Variou
Read More

One in Five Renters Finding It Difficult to Meet Their Housing Costs

A Government report released in April shows a stark picture of how households are coping with their housing costs and savings in the pandemic. The problems apply to both the home-owning and rental sectors, but renters seem to have been hardest hit. The Second Wave Household Resilience Study After more than a year of the pandemic, the Government has published a study of how households are holding up in the wake of the
Read More

What to Do if You Want to Rescind a Winding-Up Order — and What Not to Do

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 It’s possible to apply to have the order rescinded, but the process is complicat
Read More

Poverty and Debt — the Legacy of Covid-19

2020 has been a difficult year in so many ways. Quite apart from the struggles of living in lockdown, the disruption has had a devastating effect on many bank balances. Two recent reports show the growing level of hardship many households are facing and the debt burden being taken on to cope with this. 30% of Households Facing Hardship Research by the Resolution Foundation suggests that incomes have fallen significan
Read More

Is There Light at the End of the Tunnel over Late Payments?

Late payment has for a long time been the scourge of small businesses, and this has only got worse during the pandemic. Many businesses are suffering severe cashflow problems as a result, including the risk of closure. However, there are signs the government is finally contemplating action to help struggling businesses facing this issue. The Scourge of Late Payments Most small businesses operate on very narrow margin
Read More

Is This the Time for a Full Review of Debt Options?

The options open for people who fall into debt have needed reform for some time, but the Covid-19 pandemic has made the issue urgent. The Money Advice Trust has now published a new briefing, urging the government to commission a full review of the options for debt management. The Debt Crisis The need for review of debt options was already being urged before this year. In 2018, the Money Advice Service (now part of th
Read More

£70bn Unsustainable Debt for UK Businesses

The past six months have been hard on everyone, and many SMEs have found themselves struggling financially. The government has created a variety of opportunities allowing businesses to borrow money or defer payment, but this has come at a price — high levels of unsustainable debt. Financial Predictions for Business A recent report by TheCityUK has predicted that UK businesses, the vast majority of which are SMEs, are
Read More

SMEs in Trouble — the Insolvency Forecast

Over the past six months, many businesses have had a false sense of security. A raft of government support schemes have been keeping them afloat — but these will be ending soon. So how devastating will the lockdown be on SMEs? The Insolvency Landscape It may seem strange that global insolvencies are actually down on last year’s figures. The UK is typical of this, with a fall of over 20%, in spite of so many hig
Read More