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Letter before claim for money a private person owes you (England and Wales)
England and Wales · in English · for creditors
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11 questions · about 5 min
Made for use in England and Wales
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For a private individual owed money by another individual — an unrepaid loan, a share of a bill, money paid for something never handed over. The letter sets out the debt and gives 14 days to pay or reply, as the Practice Direction on Pre-Action Conduct expects, and says you will otherwise claim in the County Court through Money Claim Online. It is not the letter of claim a business sends an individual, which follows the Pre-Action Protocol for Debt Claims. Send it first class with a certificate of posting, and by email.
- Made for use in England and Wales
- Last updated October 28, 2026
- Document in English
Where a UK document reproduces the words of legislation or of a government publication — UK, Scottish or Northern Irish — it contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
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When to use this document
- You lent money to a friend in England or Wales and they will not pay it back.
- A former flatmate never paid their share of the bills.
- You paid a private seller for something they never handed over.
- You want a letter before action to get your money back from a private person.
What you fill in
The details the document asks for.
- Sender
- Sender's address
- Town or city
- Sender's postcode
- Date
- Debtor
- Debtor's address
- What the debt is for (e.g. a loan made on …)
- Amount due
- Repayment date
- Bank account
Common questions
- Do I need a letter before claim before suing a friend for money in England and Wales?
- Yes. The Practice Direction on Pre-Action Conduct expects you to write first, set out the claim and give a reasonable time to reply, 14 days in a simple case. If you skip it, the court can hold it against you on costs or interest, even if you win.
- Can I add interest to the money a private person owes me?
- If the loan agreement set interest, you can claim it as agreed. If not, you can ask the court for simple interest under section 69 of the County Courts Act 1984 from when the money was due; the rate is for the court to decide, and claims commonly ask for 8% a year.
- When is a private letter before claim the wrong document for a debt?
- When a business or sole trader is claiming from an individual: it must follow the Pre-Action Protocol for Debt Claims, with its information sheet, reply form and 30 days to answer. A consumer's claim against a business has its own letter before claim. And a debt more than six years old may be statute-barred.
How you can sign this document
- Print it and sign by hand. The signature lines in the document are left blank on purpose — sign on them in ink.
- Sign it yourself with a qualified electronic signature. If you already hold a QES — Evrotrust, B-Trust, StampIT, ZealiD or any qualified provider on the EU Trusted List, on a card, a USB token, in a mobile app or in the cloud — our signing guide explains step by step how to sign this exact file without invalidating it. Step-by-step help, and a way to check it worked
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