Debt Recovery & Probate costs

DEBT RECOVERY

The costs below apply to a claim for an outstanding debt which is not disputed and enforcement action is not needed. If the other party disputes your claim at any point, we will discuss any further work required and provide you with revised advice about costs if necessary, calculated at our hourly rate.

Debt value Court fee Our fee (incl. VAT) Total

Up to £10,000 £35-£455 £1,500 (Exc VAT)£1,835 - £2,255

(Depending on the value of the claim)

£10,001 – £50,000 5% of the value of the claim £2,000 (Exc VAT)£2,900.05 – £4,900

£50,001 – £100,000 5% value of the claim £3,000 (Exc VAT)£6,100.05 – £8,600

£100,001 – £2000,000 5% value of the claim £5,000 (Exc VAT)£11,000.05 – £16,000

£200,000 and above £10,000 3% of the value of the Claim (Exc VAT)

Anyone wishing to proceed with a claim should note that:

The VAT element of our fee cannot be reclaimed from your debtor.
Interest and compensation may take the debt into a higher banding, with a higher cost.
The costs quoted above are not for matters where enforcement action, such as the bailiff, is needed to collect your debt.
The costs quoted above are not for matters relating to bankruptcy of winding up

Our fee includes:

Taking your instructions and reviewing documentation
Undertaking appropriate searches
Sending a letter before action
Receiving payment and sending onto you, or if the debt is not paid, drafting and issuing claim
Where no Acknowledgment of Service or Defence is received, applying to the court to enter Judgement in default
When Judgement in default in received, write to the other side to request payment
If payment is not received within 14 days, providing you with advice on next steps and likely costs.

If the debtor does not reply to the letter of claim and/or fails to make payment, the matter will usually take between 4 – 6 weeks from the date of issue of the claim to obtain a default judgment provided the debtor does not file an acknowledgement of service or 6- 8 weeks if an acknowledgment of service is filed but no defence.

PROBATE FEES

Probate fees are usually charged at 1.5% of the gross estate plus VAT. This is on the basis that there is a valid Will, no more than one property, no more than 2 bank accounts and no more than 4 beneficiaries. if this is not the case then there will be additonal fees which can be agreed before we are formally instructed. . This rate does not apply if the Will is disputed, there is a claim against the estate the Solicitor is the appointed Executor of the Will There may be Court fees (£155) and other expenses (£3 for extra copies of Grant of Probate) Statutory notice (£309 approximately) payable in addition to this. the fee also does not include dealing with any sale or transfer of Property. Each case is assessed on it’s own merits and you will be provided with a detailed estimate after a consultation. You will also be kept advised of costs incurred throughout the transaction and at any point when the costs exceed the amount initially quoted to you.

COMPLAINTS PROCEDURE

We are committed to providing a high quality legal service to all our clients. When something goes wrong we need you to tell us about it. This will help us to improve our standards. If you have a complaint, write to us with the details. The following will then happen:

What will happen next?

1. We will record your complaint in our central register and open a separate file for your complaint . We will send you a letter acknowledging receipt of your complaint within three days of us receiving the complaint, enclosing a copy of this procedure.

2. We will then investigate your complaint. This will normally involve passing your complaint to our Doroulla Petrou, who will review your matter file (and if applicable speak to the member of staff who acted for you.)

3. Doroulla Petrou will then invite you to a meeting to discuss and hopefully resolve your complaint. She will do this within 14 days of sending you the acknowledgement letter.

4. Within 3 days of the meeting, Doroulla Petrou will write to you to confirm what took place and any solutions he has agreed with you.

5. If you do not want a meeting or it is not possible, Doroulla Petrou will send you a detailed written reply to your complaint, including her suggestions for resolving the matter, within 21 days of sending you the acknowledgement letter,

6. At this stage, if you are still not satisfied, you should contact us again and we will arrange to review the decision.

7. We will write to you within 14 days of receiving your request for a review, confirming our final position on your complaint and explaining our reasons.

We will also give you details of the Legal Ombudsman. If you are still not satisfied or a period of 8 weeks has elapsed, you can contact the Legal Ombudsman about your complaint. This must be done within 6 months of our final response to your complaint. The Legal Ombudsman can investigate complaints up to six years from the date of the problem happening or within three years from when you should reasonably have known there was cause for complaint. Their contact details are PO Box 6806, Wolverhampton, WV1 9WJ, 0300 555 0333, enquires@legalombudsman.co.uk or www.legalombudsman.org.uk. Not all Client’s are eligible to resort to the Legal Ombudsman, full details appear in our Complaints Policy which is available on request.

If we have to change of the timescales above, we will let you know and explain why.

If you are unhappy about our behaviour as opposed to our service, for instance you think we have been dishonest, taken or lost your money, or have treated you unfairly because of your age, a disability or other characteristic, then you may contact our regulatory body, the Solicitors Regulation Authority. their contact details are as follows:

The SRA

The Cube
199 Wharfside Street
Birmingham
B1 1RN
DX 720293 BIRMINGHAM 47

0370 606 2555