Free Commercial Debt Recovery by the UK’s Leading Debt Collection Agency

Although the terms are often used interchangeably, debt collection generally refers to recovering unpaid invoices from debtors, while debt recovery can include the wider legal and commercial process of securing payment. 

Most debt collection agencies charge a commission on the money they recover, typically between 5% and 15% of the debt. Many operate on a no-win, no-fee basis, while others charge instruction fees or annual subscription fees. We always recommend checking for any hidden fees before instructing an agency.

Solicitors will usually charge a fee to issue a Letter Before Action and, if payment is not received, further legal proceedings can result in additional costs.

Advocate offers an alternative. Our commercial debt recovery service is completely free to the creditor because we recover our costs from the debtor under the Late Payment of Commercial Debts Regulations. This means you receive 100% of the invoice sum owed, without paying commission or hidden charges.

Advocate specialises in enforcing the Late Payment of Commercial Debts Regulations, which give creditors a statutory right to recover the costs of instructing a third party to collect unpaid commercial invoices.

When you instruct us to recover payment of a debt, we claim those costs on your behalf and add them to the total amount payable by the debtor in accordance with the legislation. Once payment has been recovered, you receive 100% of the invoice value, while the debtor pays the debt recovery costs.

Yes. Instructing Advocate to recover payment of unpaid invoices is entirely cost-free to the creditor and therefore risk-free.

If we are unable to recover payment, you will never be asked to pay charges, fees or commission for the work we have carried out. We only receive payment when we successfully recover payment of the invoices and the debt recovery costs.

Our firm has been recovering unpaid commercial invoices for over ten years, with more than 60 years of combined industry experience and over 500 independently submitted five-star reviews. We encourage prospective clients to conduct their own research and compare Advocate with other debt recovery providers before making a decision.

The Government introduced the Late Payment of Commercial Debts Regulations to help businesses tackle the problem of late payment. It is UK legislation, enforced through His Majesty's Courts, and when applied correctly it is a highly effective debt recovery tool.

While some people believe adding recovery costs to an overdue debt makes payment less likely, our experience shows the opposite. Demonstrating that the debtor has breached statutory legislation creates a sense of seriousness and urgency that is difficult to ignore.

Businesses that delay payment often prioritise the creditors who take action first. Our aim is to move your invoices to the front of that queue. Our experienced case managers combine professional debt recovery with expert enforcement of the legislation, resulting in payment being recovered in over 80% of instructions within 14 days.

Many debtors pay as soon as we contact them, sometimes within 24 hours, while others wait until the final stages of the recovery process.

We keep you updated whenever there is meaningful progress on your case, using your preferred method of contact, either by phone or email. If you have not heard from us for a few days, it simply means we are continuing to work on your case and have not yet received a response from the debtor.

Unlike some debt collection agencies, we do not operate a client portal. Our collection process takes a maximum of 14 days, so we believe regular personal updates from your dedicated case manager provide a better experience.

If your debtor contacts you after receiving our correspondence, simply advise them that the matter is now being handled by Advocate and ask them to contact us directly.

Some debtors try to pay the creditor directly or delay payment with further excuses. Entering into discussions with the debtor may weaken the process, so we recommend referring them back to your dedicated case manager.

If they contact you by telephone, let your case manager know. If they contact you by email, simply forward the message to us and we will deal with it on your behalf.

We receive instant notification when payment is received from the debtor and transfer your funds using a same-day Faster Payment.

Although banks advise this can take up to two hours, payments are usually credited within minutes. We will notify you as soon as the transfer has been processed.

Unless you tell us otherwise, payment will be sent using the bank account details shown on your invoices.

Occasionally, a debtor will pay the invoice amount directly to the creditor in an attempt to avoid paying the debt recovery costs.

If this happens, simply let us know that payment has been received. We will continue pursuing the debtor for the recovery costs in accordance with the legislation.