Phillips & Cohen UK Debt Letters: Your Rights and Next Steps

Phillips & Cohen Associates (UK) handles account recovery, including debts relating to people who have died. A letter to a relative does not automatically make that relative personally responsible for the debt.

With our knowledge and experience, we’re going to help you understand:

•  Who Phillips & Cohen Associates are.
•  What to do when discussing the debt with them.
• How to distinguish estate payments from your own liability.
•  What to do if you don’t owe the money they say you do.

Take time to verify the account and your role before agreeing to pay, particularly if you are dealing with a bereavement.

Don’t worry; we’re here to help you find the best way to handle this situation. 

Discuss It with Them

The first thing to do after you receive a letter or call from Phillips & Cohen is to understand what the debt is referring to.

First establish whether the demand concerns your own debt, a joint obligation, a guarantee or an estate you are administering.

Use the UK contact details on the firm’s official website to verify the letter. Its current consumer enquiry number is 0333 555 1051.

Ask for the creditor, account reference, balance and basis of the claim in writing. If the account belongs to someone who died, ask how it relates to their estate and your role.

Follow our ‘prove it’ guide with letter templates and get them to prove that you owe the money.

What If You Don’t Owe the Money?

You do not become liable for an individual debt simply because you are a spouse, relative or next of kin. Liability can be different for joint borrowing, guarantees or your own contractual obligations.

An executor or administrator generally deals with valid debts from estate funds before distributing assets. If there may not be enough money, get probate or debt advice before paying creditors or beneficiaries.

Do not use your own money to pay a deceased person’s debt without establishing a personal obligation. Equally, do not assume that a valid estate debt disappears on death. Mishandling an estate can expose a personal representative to liability.

Your Rights

Collectors must not harass or mislead you, including about whether you owe an estate debt personally. Keep evidence of any conduct you want to challenge.

We’ve prepared this table that explains what debt collectors are allowed to do. If you’d like to learn more about your rights or require further advice, please read our complete guide.

Remember that even if you’ve missed a payment, debt collectors should never harass you. If needed, you can make a complaint to stop them.

Making Payments

For your own valid debt, make a budget and protect essential costs and priority bills before offering repayments. For an estate debt, use the estate administration process and the proper payment order rather than your personal budget.

If acting for an estate, establish its assets, debts and your authority to act. Obtain specialist advice if it may be insolvent.

For personal repayments, a proportionate income-and-expenditure statement can support an affordable offer. Do not agree to unaffordable instalments merely to stop calls.

Confirm the account, liability and payment destination before making any payment. Get advice about an old or disputed debt first.

» TAKE ACTION NOW: Fill out the short debt form

What If You Can’t Afford to Pay?

The options differ depending on whether this is your own debt or a debt of a deceased person’s estate.

Explain the circumstances to the verified firm and seek the appropriate free debt advice or probate advice.

If you are personally liable, a debt adviser can compare informal arrangements and any suitable formal solution. An Individual Voluntary Arrangement or Scottish protected trust deed has eligibility requirements, fees and serious consequences; neither is a routine response to a bereavement letter.

A relative should not enter a personal insolvency arrangement simply to pay an estate debt for which they are not personally liable.

An IVA normally appears on a credit file for six years from approval, or longer if it continues beyond that. Credit restrictions and asset risks depend on the arrangement; this is not a universal five-year credit ban.

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Natasha

Very helpful and informative thank you

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Phillips & Cohen UK Contact Details

Resources

1. FCA: contacting customers
2. Ofcom: caller ID spoofing
3. Citizens Advice – IVA
4. Citizens Advice – Trust Deed in Scotland