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Timescales And Prices

We offer a mix of fixed price and hourly rate services depending on the complexity of your case. Where a fixed price does not apply, we will always provide you with a clear estimate of the costs we think you will incur in taking a particular course.

All our fixed prices assume that the debtor is based in the UK. If your debtor is based outside of the UK, we will provide you with an estimate based on the additional work likely to be involved.

Anchor We will ensure that you are advised as to the most efficient way of recovering what is owed to you.

For more information on the key stages of the Commercial Debt Recovery process click here.

Letter before action

If a Letter Before Action (LBA) is all that is required, assuming that the debtor pays promptly on receipt of our LBA and no further negotiations are required, the matter will usually take 2 to 5 weeks from sending the LBA to receipt of payment from the debtor.

Number of debtors per instruction	Fixed Price (per LBA)
1 - 10	£150 + VAT
10 or more	Please contact a member of our team for a bespoke package.

Anchor

We may be required to undertake searches at this stage, for example, bankruptcy searches. The cost of these is likely to be in the region of £10 per search. There is no VAT applicable.

Post LBA negotiations

The timescale for post LBA negotiations can vary greatly depending on the debtor’s conduct and level of cooperation. However, typically it will take between 4 and 8 weeks.

Negotiations would typically cost between £600 - £1,800 + VAT based on our hourly rates, depending on the complexity of the situation.

Anchor The court expects the parties to take reasonable steps to attempt to settle matters before commencing court proceedings. However, what is ‘reasonable’ depends on the specific circumstances of the claim; we will always advise you as to the commercial benefits or otherwise of engaging in settlement discussions from a cost/benefit perspective.

Pre-issue assessment of case

Depending on the complexity of your case (e.g. the issues, volume of documents/evidence etc), this stage of the process is likely to cost between £600- £1,200 + VAT based on our hourly rates.

We will likely undertake Land Registry and bankruptcy searches at this stage at a cost of around £20 to £40. There is no VAT applicable.

Anchor In some situations, we would also suggest that you commission agents to prepare an asset report (also known as a pre-sue report) for around £175 to £250 + VAT.

The timescale for pre-issue assessment is usually between 1 and 3 weeks.

Issuing money claims

Our costs for preparing the claim to the court are calculated on a fixed price basis, as set out below.

We may have to carry out searches at this point (e.g. insolvency searches) if they have not already been done as part of our pre-case assessment.

Our costs in relation to drafting the claim, including requesting a judgment on an undefended case, will be:-

Value of Claim	Price (per claim)
£10,000 or less	£500 + VAT
£10,000 - £50,000	£850 + VAT
More than £50,000	£1,500 + VAT

In addition to our professional costs, a court fee is also payable to issue the claim. The current court fees are set out in the table below:

Value of your claim	Court Fee - No VAT applicable
Up to £300	£35
Greater than £300 but no more than £500	£50
Greater than £500 but no more than £1,000	£70
Greater than £1,000 but no more than £1,500	£80
Greater than £1,500 but no more than £3,000	£115
Greater than £3,000 but no more than £5,000	£205
Greater than £5,000 but no more than £10,000	£455
Greater than £10,000 but no more than £200,000	5% of the value of the claim
Greater than £200,000	£10,000

Timescale for this stage: 8 to 12 weeks.

Debtor admits the debt

The timescale to receipt of judgment from receipt of any admission that you accept is likely to be in the region of 2 to 6 weeks (depending on the court). If you disagree with the debtor’s proposal for payment, you can ask the court to set the rate based on the available information; that may or may not require the court to list a hearing.

No Court Hearing Required

If the matter can be determined by the court without a hearing, we would typically expect it to cost in the region of £200 - £500 + VAT for us to advise you on the matter and correspond with the court/debtor.

Court Hearing is Required

If a hearing is listed then, typically, we would expect it to cost between £750 - £2,000 + VAT for us to advise you on the matter and correspond with the court/debtor.

Anchor We will also be required to instruct an agent to attend the hearing on your behalf. This would incur a disbursement of approximately £135 + VAT.

The timescale to receipt of judgment from the point at which you reject the debtor’s proposal is likely to be in the region of 10 to 16 weeks (depending on the court).

Defended cases

For Small Claims cases (i.e. claims with a value of less than £10,000), we can manage your case to trial for a fixed fee (excluding disbursements) of £3,000 + VAT. It will usually take between 6 and 12 months from filing of a Defence to the final hearing (depending on the court).

Anchor For claims that are destined for the Fast Track or Multi Track (i.e. complex cases or those with a value of more than £10,000), we will provide you with a clear costs estimate and likely timescales on a case by case basis. Due to the complexities involved, costs and estimated time scales can only be given once we are able to establish what is involved. As an average, Fast Track cases can take between 6 - 15 months and Multi Track cases can take between 12 - 24 months. We will always provide a clear estimate based on the work that will be required.

Judgment enforcement

The fixed prices listed below assume that the action is not contested. If the matter becomes contested or we are required to undertake any work which is excluded from the fixed price package, we will provide you with a clear estimate based on our hourly rates.

Enforcement Type	JCP Fixed Price	Disbursements Searches, Land and Registry Fees and Court Fees do not incur VAT	Incudes	Excludes
Writ of Control (High Court Enforcement Officers (HCEO))	£400 - £700 + VAT	Renewed Bankruptcy Searches at £6 per name High Court Enforcement Fee of £78	Instructing and liaising with the High Court Enforcement Officer Updating and advising you regarding the enforcement process	Dealing with and advising you regarding any interim applications made by the debtor A 'compliance fee' of £75 + VAT payable to the HCEO in the event he is not able to successfully recover the debt
Charging Order (figures quoted per property)	£600 + VAT	Land Registry Searches at around £25 Bankruptcy Searches at £6 per name Land Registry Application Fee of £20 Court Fee of £131	Investigating the property asset to determine ownership Drafting application for changing order Serving and registering the interim charging order Preparing and filing certificate of service Serving the final changing order	Defended applications/ hearings
Order to Attend Court for Questioning	£750 + VAT	Land Registry Searches at around £25 Bankruptcy Searches at £6 per name Court Fee of £65 per debtor Process server fee of around £100 - £150 + VAT per attempt to serve order Agent Fee of £112 + VAT to attend court	Drafting and filing the application Attending to service of the order on the Defendant Instructing an agent to attend the appointment Advising you regarding the outcome	Any application to adjourn the appointment More than 1 attempt to serve the Defendant
Third Party Debt Order	£750 + VAT	Bankruptcy Searches at £6 per name Court Fee of £131 per party Agent Fee of £100 + VAT to attend court	Cursory investigations Drafting and filing the application Serving the interim order Preparing for and instructing an agent to attend the uncontested final hearing Serving the final order	Detailed investigation regarding the Third Party Debt Contested Applications Dealing with any defence to the application by the Defendant or the Third Party
Statutory Demand	£500 + VAT	Bankruptcy Searches at £6 per name Process Server Fee of around £100 - £150 + VAT	Preparing Statutory Demand Arranging service of the Demand on the debtor	More than 1 attempt to serve the Defendant Any application to set aside the demand Detailed/ extensive negotiation post-demand
Bankruptcy Order	£800 + VAT	Bankruptcy Searches at £6 per name Court Fee of £332 Official Receiver Deposit of £1,500 Process Server Fee of around £100 - £150 + VAT Agent/ Counsel Fee between £115 and £500 + VAT to attend court	Preparing and filing Petition Arranging service of the petition on debtor Preparing for and arranging attendance at court hearing	More than 1 attempt to serve the Defendant Contested proceedings Detailed/ extensive negotiations with the debtor
Winding Up Order	£1,100 + VAT	Court Fee of £332 Official Receiver Deposit of £2,600 Process Server Fee of around £100 - £150 + VAT Advertisement Fee of £92.20 + VAT Agent/ Counsel Fee between £115 and £500 + VAT to attend court	Preparing and filing Petition Arranging service of the petition on the debtor Advertising the petition in the Gazette Preparing for and arranging attendance at court hearing	More than 1 attempt to serve the Defendant Contested proceedings Detailed/ extensive negotiations with the debtor

Occasionally we will advise you to instruct counsel to advise you/represent you at Court Hearings. If we do, they will provide an estimate based on the work required. VAT is usually added to counsel’s fees (depending on whether they are registered for VAT or not).

Any reference to VAT above is calculated at the standard rate for goods and services, currently 20%.

To speak to our expert Commercial Debt Recovery Solicitors in South Wales, please contact your local JCP Solicitors office. We have offices in the following locations:

If there is not a local office to you, contact us on 03333 208644 as we are happy to arrange telephone and video meetings where appropriate. Alternatively, please feel free to email us at hello@jcpsolicitors.co.uk, fill in our online enquiry form, or use our live web chat facility.