✅ 1. Act Quickly When You’re Owed Money

Time is your biggest ally in debt recovery. The longer you delay, the more likely the debtor is to:
• Change address
• Hide or dispose of assets
• Shut down their business

Send a Pre-Action Protocol Notice promptly, then apply for a County Court Judgment (CCJ) if there’s no response. Our team can provide a free template to help with this first step.

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✅ 2. Get the Debtor’s Name Right

A judgment is only enforceable if it’s against a legally recognisable person or entity. That means:
• If it’s a limited company, use the full registered name (check Companies House).
• If it’s a sole trader, use: Full Name T/A Business Name.
• Never issue proceedings using only a trading name — it isn’t a legal entity.

If the name is wrong, we can’t lawfully enforce — no matter how strong your claim is.

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✅ 3. Double-Check All Spelling

Misspelt names can delay enforcement or give the debtor legal grounds to challenge your claim. Cross-check spellings from:
• Contracts
• Emails
• Invoices
• Official records (e.g. Companies House)

It only takes a minute and could save you weeks of complications.

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✅ 4. Check Company Status Before You Proceed

Before applying for a CCJ or instructing High Court Enforcement Officers, confirm that the company is:
• Still active
• Not dissolved
• Not in liquidation

Use the Official Companies House search tool to check. Enforcing against a dissolved company is a waste of time and money.

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✅ 5. Add Late Payment Clauses to Invoices

Futureproof your invoices by including a clause like:

“For late payments, we may charge a £45 admin fee, plus interest at 8% above Bank of England base rate and compensation under the Late Payment legislation.”

This strengthens your position legally, deters slow payers, and increases the amount recoverable through enforcement.

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✅ 6. Understand the £600 Threshold for High Court Enforcement

To use High Court Enforcement, your CCJ must be over £600. If you meet this threshold, we can transfer your judgment to the High Court and our enforcement agents can act swiftly to recover the debt.

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✅ 7. Keep All Your Evidence Organised

If the debtor disputes the debt at any stage, you may need to provide:
• Invoices and statements
• Signed contracts or agreements
• Email chains or text messages
• Proof of delivery or service

While a CCJ alone is enough for enforcement, having this evidence to hand ensures you’re covered in case of challenge.

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✅ 8. Provide a Correct and Current Address

Enforcement is only effective if we go to the right location. When instructing us, provide the most recent address where:
• The debtor lives or trades
• Goods or assets are likely to be kept

If unsure, our trace and locate service can help verify or find an address: absoluteenforcement.com/tracing

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✅ 9. Get a Personal Guarantee Where Possible

Whether you’re a business offering credit terms or an individual paying upfront for services (e.g. building work, landscaping, or maintenance), securing a personal guarantee from the person behind the business can be a game changer.

This doesn’t need to be complicated — it can be included as a clause in your contract, terms of engagement, or even confirmed in an email. The key is to get the individual to accept personal liability for the payment.

Why does this matter?
• If a company goes into liquidation or disappears, you can still pursue the individual who gave the guarantee.
• If a business is using a trading name without revealing they’re operating as a sole trader or under a limited company, the personal guarantee gives clarity and recourse.
• It removes the “limited liability” defence that some debtors try to hide behind when challenged for payment.

If someone is unwilling to personally guarantee payment — especially when requesting upfront funds — it raises a red flag. If they’re not confident they’ll pay you, why should you be confident they will?

A personal guarantee gives you the legal leverage to pursue recovery from both the business and the individual, protecting your position in case of default, dispute, or deception.

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✅ 10. Share Every Bit of Information You Have

When instructing us, the more detail you provide, the better. We recommend sharing:
• Full name and known addresses
• Email addresses or contact numbers
• Business name and trading hours
• Details of any known vehicles, stock, or valuable goods

Our enforcement agents use this intelligence to locate the debtor, assess their assets, and act decisively.