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Services & Pricing
The Smith Partnership Debt Recovery team deliver a comprehensive debt recovery service from the issuing of a Letter before Action or Letter of Claim to the issuing of a claim in the County Court.
Our services include:
- Letters before Action (LBA)
- Letters of Claim
- Issuing of County Court Claims including particulars of claim
- Applying for default judgment/regular judgment
- Enforcing the County Court judgment
- Obtaining a charging order
- Obtaining a third party debt order
- Obtaining an Attachment of Earnings order
- Instructing a bailiff or High Court Enforcement Officer (HCEO) to seize goods to satisfy the judgment
- Agreeing a settlement of the claim
- Settling the claim by agreeing instalment plans
- Consent orders
The team work on a fixed fee basis. A matrix of the fees applied is listed below. Where disbursements (fees payable to third parties) are to be incurred in the debt recovery process, these are also detailed in the matrix.
| COURT FEES ISSUING THROUGH NORTHAMPTON CCBC | Claim Fee |
|---|---|
| Claim not more than £300.00 | £25.00 |
| Claim more than £300.00 but not more than £500.00 | £35.00 |
| Claim more than £500.00 but not more than £1,000.00 | £60.00 |
| Claim more than £1,000.00 but not more than £1,500.00 | £70.00 |
| Claim more than £1,500.00 but not more than £3,000.00 | £105.00 |
| Claim more than £3,000.00 but not more than £5,000.00 | £185.00 |
| Claim more than £5,000.00 but not more than £10,000.00 | £185.00 |
| Claim more than £5,000.00 but not more than £10,000.00 | £410.00 |
| Claim more than £10,000.00 | 4.5% |
| Warrant Fee | £77.00 |
| COURT FEES ISSUING THROUGH CCMCC (NON-STANDARD CASES ONLY | Claim Fee |
|---|---|
| Claim not more than £300.00 | £35.00 |
| Claim more than £300.00 but not more than £500.00 | £50.00 |
| Claim more than £500.00 but not more than £1,000.00 | £70.00 |
| Claim more than £1,000.00 but not more than £1,500.00 | £115.00 |
| Claim more than £1,500.00 but not more than £3,000.00 | £205.00 |
| Claim more than £3,000.00 but not more than £5,000.00 | £108.00 |
| Claim more than £5,000.00 but not more than £10,000.00 | £455.00 |
| Claims over £10,000.00 | 5% |
| Warrant Fee | £110.00 |
| High Court Enforcement Officer (HCEO) Instruction Fee (for Claims over £600.00) | £66.00 |
| Attachment of Earnings Fee | £110.00 |
| Charging Orders Fee | £110.00 |
| Third Party Orders Fee | £110.00 |
| Disbursements (What We Pay Others On Your Behalf) | |
| Order for Debtor to attend for Questioning | £55.00 |
| Bankruptcy/Winding-up Disbursements | £1,200.00/£1,800.00 (approx.) |
| Fees Paid to Other Third Parties | |
| HCEO National Abortive Fee – if unsuccessful | £75.00 plus VAT (VAT at 20%) |
| Tracing Agent’s Fee (individual) | £35.00 - £45.00 plus VAT (VAT at 20%) (no trace – no fee) |
| Tracing Agent’s Fee (company) | £35.00 - £45.00 plus VAT (VAT at 20%) |
| Employment Trace Fee | £37.00 plus VAT (VAT at 20%) |
| Process Servers Fee | £85.00 plus VAT (VAT at 20%) |
| Land Registry Search Fee | £3.00 |
| Land Registry Registration Fee | £40.00 |
| Registry Trust (CCJ) Search Fee | £15.00 plus VAT (VAT at 20%) |
| Solicitor Agents Fees | £75.00 - £175.00 plus VAT (VAT at 20%) (depending on type of hearing) |
| Our Charges for Legal Work (all VATable at 20%) | |
| Issuing a Letter before Action (or second letter) | £10.00 |
| Statutory Demand - Co. or Individual | £100.00 |
| Issuing a County Court Claim Form | |
| Registered Office Search Fee (companies only) | £10.00 |
| Amount of Claim | Our Fee | Fixed Recoverable Court Costs |
|---|---|---|
| £25.01 - £500.00 | £100.00 | £50.00 |
| £500.01 - £1000.00 | £120.00 | £70.00 |
| £1000.01 - £5000.00 | £130.00 | £80.00 |
| £5001.01 plus | £150.00 | £100.00 |
| Getting Judgment (no Acknowledgement) | ||
| £25.01 - £5000.00 | £22.00 | £22.00 |
| £5000.01 plus | £30.00 | £30.00 |
| Getting Judgment (Acknowledgement but no Defence) | ||
| £25.01 - £5000.00 | £25.00 | £25.00 |
| £5000.01 plus | £35.00 | £35.00 |
| Getting Judgment (Debtor offer accepted) | ||
| £25.01 - £5000.00 | £40.00 | £40.00 |
| £5000.01 plus | £55.00 | £55.00 |
| Issue of Warrant (Instructing Bailiff) | £30.00 | £2.25 |
| Re-issue of Warrant | £30.00 | n/a |
| Instructing High Court Enforcement Officer | £81.75 | £51.75 |
| Issue of Bankruptcy/Winding up proceedings | £600.00 | variable |
| Issue of Attachment of Earnings | £100.00 | n/a |
| Issue of Order for Debtor to Attend for Questioning | £100.00 | n/a |
| Application for Charging Order (over property) | £250.00 | £110.00 |
| Application for 3rd Party Debt Order | £250.00 | n/a |
| Protracted and Defended actions (Standard hourly rates) | Solicitor: £155.00 -£175.00 | Associate Partner: £195.00 - £205.00 | Partner: £2 |
It must be noted that should a claim become defended by a debtor, then the matter is passed to the litigation team and a separate cost estimate will be given. The hourly rates for the litigation team range between £180 per hour and £275 per hour.
How long will it take?
A claim can take 6-8 weeks if the debt is undisputed and the court which the claim is issued in does not notify us of any delays at the court. If the claim is defended and the matter proceeds to a trial, then the matter can take between 9-12 months from the issue of the Letter before Action to a final judgment being ordered by the court.
