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Letter before a small claim for money a private person owes you (Northern Ireland)
Northern Ireland · in English · for creditors
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Made for use in Northern Ireland
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For a private individual in Northern Ireland 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, and says that otherwise you will make a small claim in the county court, which hears claims of up to £5,000, or bring proceedings in court for a larger sum. Northern Ireland has no fixed pre-action rule, but the letter shows the court that you asked for the money first. Send it by recorded delivery (Royal Mail Signed For), and by email.
- Made for use in Northern Ireland
- Last updated October 29, 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
- A friend in Northern Ireland borrowed money and has stopped answering your messages.
- Your former flatmate never paid their share of the bills.
- You paid someone for an item they never handed over.
- You want to send a final demand before going to the small claims court.
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
- Is a written demand needed before taking a friend to the small claims court in Northern Ireland?
- No fixed rule like England's applies, but asking in writing first is still the sensible step. A dated letter setting out the debt, with 14 days to reply and a copy kept, shows the court that you asked for the money and gave a fair chance to pay or explain before claiming, and it often settles the matter without a claim.
- What happens in Northern Ireland if the person still does not pay after a small claims judgment?
- The Enforcement of Judgments Office enforces unpaid small claims and county court judgments on the creditor's application, for a fee; among other things, it can take goods to sell. Nothing happens by itself: you apply once the judgment is unpaid. Before claiming, think about whether the person has money or goods to pay with, as enforcement has its own cost.
- When is this private letter the wrong one for a debt in Northern Ireland?
- When you claim as a consumer against a trader, which has its own letter; when the debt is more than six years old, as it may be statute-barred (Article 4 of the Limitation (Northern Ireland) Order 1989); and when the claim is of a kind small claims exclude, such as personal injury. Over £5,000 the claim is not a small claim and needs other proceedings.
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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