Tag: Small Businesses

  • Council tax support options explained

    COUNCIL TAX, as many bill payers will know, can be a substantial outgoing when it comes to monthly bills. A few weeks ago, the temporary ban on face-to-face collection of debts came to an end – leaving some no doubt wondering what forms of support may be out there. The government’s five-month emergency suspension on…

  • Bailiffs return but are told not to shout

    A report from BBC News has reported Bailiffs that are resuming operations in England and Wales are being told to keep their voices down to protect against coronavirus transmission. They will be chasing unpaid council tax after a five-month suspension. Debt charities have warned of a surge in cases, prompting financial and health risks. But…

  • 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…