If you have received a letter from Moriarty Law about debt, you may be wondering who they are and how to deal with it.
You may even have received a visit at your house from the debt collectors, and this may be causing you severe anxiety and stress.
Perhaps you’re worried they’ll take you to court next. This information should help you understand what to do if you have received contact Moriarty Law, and whether you should be making payments to them…You might not have to pay them back.
It’s not your fault. Complaints to the Financial Ombudsman have risen this year from 830 to 2,006, so it’s safe to say that you’re not alone.
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Can a Debt Collection Agent Visit My Home?
It’s important for you to know that not all debt collection companies will send agents to visit you at home to get in touch. In most cases, they’ll get in touch via a letter, a phone call or an email.
This is because it takes a lot more resources and time to send someone to your residence rather than to just send you a message using an email or via a phone call.
Please be aware of the fact that even if a debt collector wants to visit you, they can’t just show up at your residence out of the blue. They have to give you prior notice before paying you a visit at your home address.
What Kind of Company Is Moriarty Law?
Firstly, if you have received a letter from this company, you are not alone.
If you look on forums such as Trustpilot, you will see that many customers are commenting on the contact they’ve had with this debt collection company. Some quotes about Moriarty Law include:
“Why are they pretending to be legally trained and a legal firm not debt collectors.”
Moriarty Law call themselves a law firm, who specialise in debt collection. They chase debt for a wide range of organisations, including council tax, gas and electricity, mobile phone and catalogues.
They buy the debt from companies at a much smaller amount than the original value and make money if you pay the debt back.
The original company you owe the debt to are happy, as they don’t need to spend time chasing the debt themselves.
You’ll generally find that debt collectors like this are quite demanding, as they want to make their money back, as well as gain profit from the repayments.
They can be quite persistent, and often, this can be quite distressing for recipients of the debt collecting letters or home visits.
Case Studies
A debt letter can be stressful, and if you have received one from Moriarty Law, you might be wondering what other people are experiencing with the company. There are many case studies on Moriarty Law.
Let’s take a look at one case study from Money Saving Expert, so you can get an understanding of how you might want to approach this.
“I received a letter from a firm called Moriarty Law and thought it looked a bit dodgy, it was asking for £176.00 for an outstanding debt. As I didn’t recognise it I asked them to send me proof in writing.
They have now responded and want payment in 30 days, it is for an old car insurance policy that I cancelled and disputed in 2013. Can I dispute this?”
It is important to remember that Moriarty Law are acting on behalf of other companies, and in this case, you may want to contact the debtor directly and discuss the debt with them.
You should not just pay the debt for the sake of stopping the letters. If you don’t owe it – don’t pay it. Make sure any contact is in writing, so you have proof in case you need it in the future.
If you are in a similar situation, you should always clarify the details of the debt, including the dates and make sure the debt is valid.
If you have received a letter from Moriarty Law, you should make sure the debt is correct and that you owe it.
If you are unsure about where the debt came from, you should clarify this by calling Moriarty Law on 0845 218 2021 or via their website https://moriartylaw.co.uk/.
It is important that you pay your debt, but you must ensure this debt is correct and that you are liable for it. Mistakes can be made, and it is vital that you are paying debt that you owe.
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Ignoring Debt Letters from Moriarty Law
If you owe the debt to Moriarty Law, it is essential that you take steps to deal with it, as much as it may be tempting to throw the letter in the bin.
It can be highly stressful to deal with debtors, but it’s more stressful to ignore letters. If the debt is legitimate, you owe it, and Moriarty Law have the right to chase you for it.
You can ask them to stop calling you though and ask them to contact you via another method, such as email or letter.
What Rights do Moriarty Law Have?
Moriarty Law are a debt collection agency. They may send you threatening emails which state that they will send bailiffs round or arrest your wages.
The company don’t have the right to do this, unless they take you to court first. In some cases, they may send an agent out to your home, but they can’t access your home without permission.
If they want to issue a CCJ, send bailiffs round or a charging order, they must take you to court first.
Can I Lose My House because of Moriarty law Limited Debt?
It’s highly unlikely that you’ll lose your home because there are a ton of steps that would need to be taken by Moriarty Law before that happens. Furthermore, at every step, you can take some action to prevent this from happening.
Moriarty Law mostly deals with unsecured debts. Unsecured debts refer to debts that have not been secured against any valuable asset. Thus, with those kinds of debts, you’re not in danger of losing any valuable asset such as your home.
That being said, if you fall behind on your payments by an extremely large amount, then Moriarty Law could take some action to get your unsecured debt secured against your home.
This is accomplished with a Charging Order. A Charging Order can only be obtained if Moriarty Law is successful in obtaining a County Court Judgment against you.
Step by Step Guide to Dealing with Moriarty Law Debt
If you have been faced with a debt letter from Moriarty Law, you may not know what to do. There are different circumstances which may be associated with this kind of debt, so we’ll look at a range of scenarios.
Scenario 1 – You are receiving constant phone calls, letters etc from Moriarty Law. You don’t dispute the debt, but despite asking them to refrain from phone calls, they keep harassing you. In this case, you may complain to the lender.
Scenario 2 – You don’t owe the debt, but you are receiving letters from Moriarty Law. Firstly, check with the original letter and your credit file. If you confirm you don’t owe the debt, you can send a letter stating that you don’t owe the debt. This letter template can be used to send to Moriarty Law to let them know that it’s not your debt.
Scenario 3 – You owe the debt, but you can’t afford to pay it all back. This is not an excuse to ignore it, as it won’t just go away. The main thing to do is to get in touch with them and let them know your circumstances.
It always better to be honest, then bury your head in the sand when it comes to your financial situation. In this case, there are several options available to you.
- Agree a Payment Plan – sit down and work out how much you can realistically pay, bearing in mind your bills, rent/mortgage and any other debt you have.
It is important to take care of your rent/mortgage and bills, before you even attempt to pay it back. Give them a call to discuss your payment plan offer with them, including the timeframe.
Most companies will allow you to pay back a small amount, if that’s all you can afford. Paying something is better than paying nothing.
- Write Off Debts – If you can’t afford to pay anything back, you may be able to write the debt off. There are different options available.
There is the IVA (Individual Voluntary Agreement) which is available in Wales, Northern Ireland and England, and will allow you to enter a debt consolidation scheme. Scotland have a Trust Deed in place, which is another form of debt consolidation.
If you wish to enter a Trust Deed, you must have £5,000 of debt. This is something you must consider carefully as you won’t be able to take out any credit if you go down this route.
FAQ’s on Dealing with Debt from Moriarty Law
There is no doubt that receiving a letter from Moriarty Law chasing you for debt can be stressful, and there may be all sorts of questions you have about dealing with this debt, as well as your general financial situation.
These are some of the most common questions being asked, and hopefully some useful answers.
Can a Debt Collection Agency Enter My Premises?
Debt collection agents cannot enter your property. The job of a debt collection agency is to collect debts owed from another company, such as an energy supplier or mobile phone company. The debt collection agency would need to take you to court, before they could take any further actual. If they try to force entry to your property, they are breaking the law, and you must contact the police in this case.
How Do I Complain About Moriarty Law?
If you have any complain about Moriarty Law, you should contact them in the first instance. If they fail to respond or take notice of your complaint, you can contact the Financial Conduct Authority to make your complaint, and they will investigate it.
Can the Debt Management Company Force Court Action, even if I Agree to a Repayment Plan?
Most debt management plans are informal, which means it is not legally binding. A debt management company could take you to court, however, realistically, they’d rather not go down this route. Most debt management companies will accept your offer, although they may ask you to send in proof of your earnings. It is not really within anyone’s interest to take it to court, if you’re willing to pay it back and making efforts to stick to a repayment plan.
What if I Can’t Stick to my Repayment Plan with Moriarty Law?
Circumstances can change all the time. You may have a period where you are out of work, your hours are cut or another reason why you can’t stick to the repayment plan you agreed with Moriarty Law. In this case, it is important to let them know well in advance. They may be able to reduce the payment for you, give you a month off or come to another arrangement. Although you may feel nervous about discussing this, it is important to do so, as they can’t help you if they don’t know your circumstances have changed. Honesty is always the best policy!
Will My Debt with Moriarty Law Affect My Credit Rating?
If you have failed to make payments to a company who have supplied you with a service, this is likely to affect your credit rating. However, if you start to make payments to the account, you can get your credit file back into order quickly.
How Can I Improve My Credit Rating?
If your credit rating is less than perfect, you need to start setting up repayment plans, including one to Moriarty Law if you owe to them. The more you pay off, the better your credit rating will be. Other steps include, registering on the electoral register and refraining from applying for any further credit.
How Do I Negotiate a Repayment Plan?
It is always better to pay off the full balance of your debt, if you can afford it. If not, you should set up a repayment plan. The creditor may accept your first offer of payment, but in many cases, they will ask to see details of your affordability. This is usually the case if they consider the monthly payment to be too low.
What is a Full and Final Settlement Offer?
When you discuss your debt with Moriarty Law, you may want to suggest paying a lump-sum, which is less than the full balance. This is a ‘full and final settlement offer’ and will involve you paying less but having the rest of the debt wiped off. This is a good way to clear your debt, even if you can’t afford to make a full payment.
How Should I Contact Moriarty Law?
It is a good idea to contact Moriarty Law by letter or email, rather than by telephone. If you contact them by letter, make sure you keep a copy of any correspondence, as you may need this in future. If you contact them by telephone, there is no proof of contact. There is no valid reason why Moriarty Law should not accept this form of contact.
My Offer Has Been Rejected, What Should I Do?
If your offer has been rejected, have a look at your incomings and outgoings, and work out what you can realistically afford to pay them back. Any creditor should accept an offer, if it’s a realistic offer. If you can start making the payment straight away, this will also give you a better chance of getting your offer accepted.
References
CONC 7.9 Contact with customers
*Note: This is a real life example based on a customers’ savings data in October 2020.