Intrum Debt Collection - Should You Pay? UK Guide

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.

Receiving an unexpected letter from Intrum Debt Collectors can be a stressful event, but don’t worry, you’re not alone. Each month, over 170,000 people seek help from our website on debt matters, just like this one.

You may be confused about where this debt has come from and if you should, or indeed have to, pay it. This guide will provide clear and simple advice to help you understand your options and rights, answering common questions, such as ‘Is this a genuine debt?’ and ‘Could I write off some Intrum debt?’

In this article, we’ll cover:

Who Intrum Debt Collectors are, and why they may be contacting you.
Your legal rights when dealing with debt collectors.
How you might be able to write off some of your debt.
Understanding if the debt is money that you owe.
Where to get free advice if you’re struggling with unmanageable debt.

We’re here to assist you with our expert knowledge on debt solutions, backed by data from Intrum. Since research shows that 64% of UK adults find interactions with current debt collectors stressful¹, our aim is to help you feel less worried and more confident about handling this situation.

Let’s explore your options together.

Why are Intrum Justitia Debt Collectors trying to reach out to you?

Intrum is trying to reach out to you as they believe you owe them a debt.

They buy debts from many other companies, so even if you’ve never heard of Intrum debt, they may have purchased your debts, and you could owe them.

Debt problems are so common these days, and debt collection has become big business, and quite profitable for some organisations, especially as making a debt purchase is becoming more and more common.

The Intrum business model is based on buying debt from customers at a much lower than the face value, sometimes even for only 20% of the real value, and they then make a profit by taking in all or some of the debt.

This is a very common practice, as several other debt collection agencies buy billions of debt annually at rock bottom prices – at an average of 10p to £1!²

The debt collection industry contains many businesses with low morals. We don’t know how Intrum group will conduct themselves with you, but we do know that many debt collectors don’t care much about you and your own personal circumstances, even if you are in dire straits.

In fact, some debt collectors will try to chase you for a debt that you don’t have to pay! Sometimes, they’ll chase you and hope that you pay off the money without checking that you have to. We go through the debt verification processes below.

Is this debt money that you owe?

Do you really owe this debt, or does it belong to someone else? This is the initial point you want to establish. Debt verification is essential – you don’t want to pay a debt that you don’t necessarily have to.

You should try to find out where the debt originated and the total amount you owe. It is highly likely that the original debt, if it does exist, has become inflated by a number of charges and interest, and it could even be substantially more than you thought you owed.

You can write to Intrum Group and ask them to send a copy of your original credit agreement. If they are not able to provide this or they refuse to do so, you have the right to refuse to pay them. Intrum must provide you with evidence, especially if you don’t recognise the debt.

You can use our free letter template to ask for evidence that you are liable for 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.

Get Started

Intrum Justitia Debt Collectors and the legalities

The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) introduced guidelines that debt collectors must now adhere to. In summary, Intrum Debt Collectors have a responsibility to:

Ensure debtors are treated fairly and without using any aggressive practices, which may include harassment, bullying etc.
Always be transparent about the debt and provide concise information related to it, without confusing or misleading the debtor.
Show consideration towards debtors who are experiencing difficulty, whether it’s in relation to money or not.
Ensure the account debtors’ circumstances are taken into account when establishing what action to take.

If you feel intimidated by Intrum Debt Collectors and they are failing to abide by these guidelines, you would have grounds for a complaint.

Don’t want to pay?

If you owe the money, then the best course of action is to repay Intrum, especially if you are in a financial position to do so.

If you are unable to afford to repay the debt, or if doing so would stop you from being able to take care of your more important expenses, such as your mortgage or rent, then you should endeavour to come to an arrangement with Intrum Debt Collectors to repay it, you may even want to offer to pay them a partial repayment to clear off the debt.

In many cases, Intrum will offer you a repayment plan first.

We always recommend responding to debt collectors – even just to question the debt’s validity. Remember, you have the right to request proof of the debt. They have to prove it, or they can’t charge you.

Intrum Debt Collection is legally obligated to offer you a few different repayment plans so you can choose the best one for you. But if none of these will work, you can opt for a debt solution.

If you are in a similar position to the person in this case study, we recommend getting some advice from a debt charity.

They will be able to offer you advice and tell you what will be best if you can’t afford Intrum’s suggested payment plans.

We go through the different debt solutions available in the UK below.

» TAKE ACTION NOW: Fill out the short debt form

How Can You make a complaint about Intrum Justitia debt collectors?

If you think that Intrum Justitia has been unreasonable or behaved inappropriately, you can make a complaint.

You can also make a complaint if you feel that they have broken any of the Financial Conduct Authority’s (FCA) guidelines.

Make your first complaint to Intrum Justitia so that they have the chance to sort out the issue themselves. If you feel that they have not taken your complaint seriously enough or have not addressed your issue properly, you can escalate matters.

You can make any secondary complaint to the Financial Ombudsman Service (FOS). They will investigate and, if your complaint is upheld, Intrum Justitia may be fined. You could even be owed compensation.

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.

I’d recommend this firm to anyone struggling with debt – my mind has been put to rest, all is getting sorted.

Get started

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Know Your Rights

In situations of debt, it’s always important to know your rights so you don’t get taken advantage of. There are many things that debt collectors can’t do, and being aware of them can help you have an edge over the situation.

To learn more, please check out our related article on this and take a quick look at the table below.

Debt Collectors Can	But They Can’t
Contact you by phone or mail.	Call you after 9pm or before 8am.
Conduct home visits (on rare occasions) and knock on your door.	Forbily enter your home, or stay if you ask them to leave.
Threaten to take you to court by suing you for payment on a debt.	Harrass you, including threats of violence, repeated calls and visits, or abusive language.
Negotiate a debt settlement. Tip: make sure to get this new arrangement in writing.	Visit your workplace.
Access your bank account, but only after a court judgment has been made.	Take anything from your home or threaten to do so.
Sell your debt.	Speak to other people about your debt without your permission.
Contact you frequently.	Keep doing so if you request that they reduce communications.

Intrum Debt Collectors Contact Details

Company Name:	Intrum
Other Names:	Intrum Holdings Ltd
Address:	Intrum UK Limited, The Omnibus Building, Lesbourne Road Reigate, Surrey, RH2 7JP
Phone:	01737 237 370 Monday to Friday – 08:00am to 20:00pm Saturday – 09:00am to 13:30pm
Email:	[email protected]
Website:	https://www.intrum.co.uk/

FAQs

Who owns Intrum Justitia?

Intrum Justitia merged with Lindorff in 2017 to form the Intrum Group, the world’s leading debt collection and credit management company. The group trades in the UK as Intrum UK Limited, which was formerly known as 1st Credit Limited.

Are Intrum Justitia financially regulated?

Intrum UK Limited is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority. The company’s registration number is 718918.

Do HMRC use Intrum Justitia?

Intrum UK Limited does not collect debts on behalf of HMRC so they should not be contacting you about any such debts.

Does Intrum Justitia buy debt?

Intrum UK Limited collects debts on behalf of other organisations, but they mostly specialise in buying debts at a discount in the hope that they are more successful at collecting those debts than the original lender had been.

What happens if you ignore debt collectors?

If you ignore debt collectors at first they may send doorstep collectors. Secondly, they may apply for a County Court Judgement, which if successful would force you to pay and would show on your credit report.

Can Intrum Justitia take you to court?

Intrum UK Limited can take you to court in order to claim the money owed. If you have been taken to court you will have received a County Court Judgement letter.

Can you go to jail for debt collections?

You cannot go to jail for debts owed to debt collection agencies.

What happens if I ignore a CCJ?

If you ignore a CCJ you won’t get sent to prison, however, bailiffs may be sent to your house to collect items equal to the value of the money that owe.

Can Intrum Justitia issue a warrant?

Intrum UK Limited cannot issue an arrest warrant or have you sent to prison. At most they can request a CCJ and if successful send bailiffs to your property to recover items to cover the debt owed.

Are Intrum Justitia bailiffs?

Intrum UK Limited are not bailiffs. They could, however, request a County Court Judgement which means that the courts could send bailiffs. You would have received a lot of warning letters if this was going to happen.

Can Intrum Justitia come to your house?

Intrum UK Limited have been known to send people to your house, however, they have no legal powers so you can ignore them or tell them to go away. If you have received a County Court Judgement then the courts could instruct bailiffs to come to your house.

Can Intrum Justitia force entry?

Intrum UK Limited cannot force entry, they have no legal powers over you. However, if you have received a County Court Judgement then the courts could instruct bailiffs to come to your house.

Will Intrum Justitia give up?

Intrum UK Limited won’t give up chasing you for the debt until they’ve exhausted all of their legal options. This usually means being chased for up to 6 years.

Can a debt be too old to collect?

A debt can be too old to collect from you. Under the Limitation Act 1980 they have a maximum of 6 years to chase a debt. This 6 years is counted from your last payment or the last time that you acknowledged the debt.

How long can you legally be chased for debt?

As per the Limitation action 1980, you can be legally chased for up to 6 years from your last payment or the last time that you acknowledged the debt. If a County Court Judgment is raised against you the Limitation Act no longer applies and you can be chased indefinitely.

Are debts ever written off?

Debts collectors are only likely to write off your debt if they are no longer legally allowed to chase you. This is typically six years since you last made a payment or last acknowledged the debt.

How do I contact Intrum Justitia?

Intrum UK Limited has a live chat facility on their website or you can contact them via email. You can phone them although they do not have a freephone number. However, if you send them a text message they will call you back. Alternatively, you can contact them by post.

How do I pay Intrum Justitia?

Intrum UK Limited has an automated phone line and an online portal where you can make card payments. Alternatively, you can pay by online banking, standing order, direct debit, or by posting a cheque or postal order.