Tag: <span>Small Businesses</span>

How to approach rental arrears in a COVID world

In the wake of COVID-19, local councils and housing providers have been jolted into finding new ways of delivering services and interacting with their tenants – especially when it comes to income collection and rent arrears. Increasingly, we’re seeing providers employ innovative strategies while moving from debt recovery to support provision. Behavioural insights tell us…




The pros and cons of taking legal action against late paying customers

With two in five small business owners (40%) saying that they are taking legal action against customers not paying them on time, we consider the pros and cons of taking legal action to recover what’s owed. According to new research from Hitachi Capital Business Finance, three in five small businesses are affected by late payments (62%)….




WHAT HAPPENS IF A SERVICE CHARGE DISPUTE IS TAKEN TO COUNTY COURT

Sometimes, despite the best efforts of property managers, service charge arrears continue to be a problem in blocks where property owners find themselves in financial difficulties, or they are simply unwilling to pay. In cases where demand letters are ignored and payment deadlines missed there is often no option other than to take matters to…




Service Charge Dispute

How to handle a service charge dispute Service charge disputes can be costly and time-consuming if not handled efficiently. Landlords have a responsibility to maintain the condition of all their residential and commercial properties. They may be able to recoup some of the costs of doing so by issuing tenants with service charges. There are…




FCA says credit card companies are not doing enough to aid those in persistent debt

The FCA has told credit card companies that they must do more to help customers who are in persistent debt. In 2018 the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) introduced new rules aimed to help those customers who had been in persistent credit card debt for the last 36 months. Their recent research though has found that…




3.4% increase in funeral costs sees more people pushed into funeral debt

During 2019, the cost of dying increased by 3.4%, pushing more people than ever before into funeral debt. Last year saw funeral costs and funeral debt both rise to record highs, a trend that looks set to worsen in 2020. The ‘Cost of Dying’ report by SunLife found that during 2019 funeral costs continued to…




‘Buy now, pay later’ credit options pushing consumers into high-cost debt

Buy now, pay later loans have been around for many years, but recent deals have been accused of pushing young consumers into unaffordable debt. Buy now, pay later credit allows consumers to acquire items without paying for them upfront, instead they spread the cost over a set period of time. Sometimes referred to as shop…




How and why your business should consider tightening up its credit terms

Tightening up your business’ credit terms could help to save you time and money on chasing up late and non-paying customers. Businesses across the UK are facing serious financial consequences due to the late payment culture that is leaving them waiting months for the money owed to them. If you’re struggling to get your invoices…




How to improve your business’ cashflow at Christmas

Use the tips and advice in this blog to help your business to maintain a healthy cashflow this Christmas. Most businesses will experience some level of seasonality over the Christmas period. For many retail and catering businesses it is their busiest time of year, but for businesses in other industries, sales can come to a…




Why do so many people get into debt over Christmas?

The demand for debt recovery services is expected to surge in the new year as businesses struggle to collect money owed by customers who have fallen into debt over Christmas. A 2017 article in the Independent found that more than three quarters of UK families with children make financial sacrifices at Christmas in order to…