Creditor Harassment Sample Letter Template
For free & impartial money advice you can visit MoneyHelper. We work with The Debt Advice Service who provide information about your options. This isn’t a full fact-find, some debt solutions may not be suitable in all circumstances, ongoing fees might apply & your credit rating may be affected.
For free & impartial money advice you can visit MoneyHelper. We work with The Debt Advice Service who provide information about your options. This isn’t a full fact-find, some debt solutions may not be suitable in all circumstances, ongoing fees might apply & your credit rating may be affected.
Looking to craft a letter to handle a debt-related issue? This is the place for you.
We’ll guide you on creating a letter to tackle creditor harassment, a problem faced by many in debt. Each month, more than 170,000 individuals visit our website seeking advice on debt matters.
In this helpful guide, we’ll cover:
- The use of our creditor harassment letter template.
- Understanding what counts as creditor harassment.
- Clarifying what doesn’t qualify as harassment by a creditor.
- Ways to stop debt collectors from making phone calls.
- The legality of debt collectors turning up at your doorstep.
- A step-by-step guide on legally writing off debt.
We understand the stress of dealing with debt and the anxiety that comes with creditor harassment. Let us help you with our practical advice and easy-to-use letter template.
Letter Template
To Whom It May Concern
Regarding Case #: [your case number]* (required)
Further to your recent [telephone calls/letters/visits]*(required), I am writing because I think your behaviour towards me in trying to collect the debt is unreasonable and could be considered to be harassment.
I have been advised that, under the Financial Conduct Authority’s Consumer Credit sourcebook, it is an unfair and improper business practice to:
[Explain here exactly which types of behaviour you are complaining about.]* (required)
Please stop trying to recover the debt in this manner. In future, please only contact me by letter and stop the behaviour I have outlined above.
If you ignore this request or do not change your behaviour, I will make a formal complaint to the following body:
[citizens advice consumer service/trading standards/the financial conduct authority/the financial ombudsman service/the legal ombudsman/trade association.]* (required)
Yours faithfully
Downloadable Resource
The download links below take you to a Google document template where you can make a copy or save in any document format you like. Note, you may have to login to your Google account.
What is considered harassment?
Creditor or debt collector harassment is when either of these groups make repeated contact asking you to make a payment throughout the day. This includes all forms of communication, not limited to text messages, calls and emails. Creditors are allowed to contact you to discuss a debt, but they should not be communicating with you every hour or day. This is excessive and they should be reminded that harassment is a criminal offence.
Pursuing debt with threats or illegal statements is also a form of creditor harassment. One example may be the caller saying they will tell your family or colleagues about your debt if you don’t pay. It is illegal to divulge debt information to anyone not named on the debt.
How a debt solution could help
Some debt solutions can:
- Stop nasty calls from creditors
- Freeze interest and charges
- Reduce your monthly payments
A few debt solutions can even result in writing off some of your debt.
Here’s an example:
Situation
| Monthly income | £2,504 |
| Monthly expenses | £2,345 |
| Total debt | £32,049 |
Monthly debt repayments
| Before | £587 |
| After | £158 |
£429 reduction in monthly payments
If you want to learn what debt solutions are available to you, click the button below to get started.
What doesn’t count?
Communicating with you to remind you of a repayment date or calling to ask why a payment has been missed is not harassment, unless it is part of a series of communications or the communication includes threats.
Can you stop debt collectors from calling?
You can stop debt collectors from calling on specific days and times. They must adhere to these contact preferences or they are breaking the law. Alternatively, you can stop debt collectors and creditors from calling you at all, as long as you permit them to contact you about your account in writing.
Thousands have already tackled their debt
Every day our partners, The Debt Advice Service, help people find out whether they can lower their repayments and finally tackle or write off some of their debt.
Natasha
I’d recommend this firm to anyone struggling with debt – my mind has been put to rest, all is getting sorted.
Reviews shown are for The Debt Advice Service.
How do I stop the harassing phone calls?
To relay your communication preferences and stop calls completely, you should inform your creditor in writing. That’s why we made our free creditor harassment letter template. We want to make the process easier and less stressful.
If they don’t adhere to your preferences, you can escalate the warning as a complaint to the Financial Ombudsman Service.
Can they turn up on your doorstep?
A debt collection worker or creditor can come to your home to discuss the debt, but you do not have to answer the door or speak to them. And you certainly don’t have to let them inside. If they refuse to leave your property, you should call the police.
Creditors and debt collectors are not bailiffs who may have the right to use appropriate force to enter your property (after court action takes place). If they give the impression that they are bailiffs who can remove goods, they are again breaking the law and you should make a formal complaint.
