Debt Recovery Plus Notice of Intended Court Action – Guide

Did you get a Debt Recovery Plus notice of intended court action? If so, you need to know how to respond to avoid things escalating.

I explain what’s involved in a Notice of Intended Prosecution and why ignoring a debt letter about a parking charge notice may not be the best option. Check out the paragraphs that follow to find out more!

Do you have to pay Debt Recovery Plus?

You might not have to pay Debt Recovery Plus.

If you genuinely can’t afford your debt repayments then looking into whether you could have your written off might be just what you need. 

If you want to find out whether you qualify for having debt written off or payments lowered then fill out the short form below.

Who is Debt Recovery Plus?

Debt Recovery Plus is one of the many leading collection agents in the UK that specialises in recovering an outstanding parking charge on private land. The company name is often abbreviated to just DRP Debt or simply DRP.

The company provides a full debt recovery service for many private car park management companies throughout the UK.

They are also members of the British Parking Association (BPA) and the International Parking Community (IPC). Both organisations oversee private car park operators in the UK.

Interestingly the DVLA routinely audits Debt Recovery Plus!

Is DRP a legitimate debt collection agency?

Yes. DRP is a legitimate business with offices in London. Not only do they chase people for debts but they offer their clients debt enforcement services as well.

DRP Debt is regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA). They are also members of the Credit Services Association and therefore must follow the CSA Code of Practice.

Can you lower your repayments?

If you’re struggling to pay back your debt, then you might qualify for a debt solution.

Some solutions lower your monthly payments while others write off a portion of your debt. 

To find out whether they could work in your situation, hit the button below.

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Who uses DRP Debt?

As mentioned, many car park management companies use DRP to chase down motorists who don’t pay for private parking tickets. As such, the letter you’re sent should contain the car park operator’s details.

One of their clients is Parking Eye who they recover money for.

It’s worth noting that DRP Debt also chases people down for payment once County Court Judgements (CCJs) are registered by the courts against them. So when they contact you it’s about unpaid parking charge notices!

Check out what happened to one unfortunate motorist who receive a notice from DRP:

Source: Moneysavingexpert

Should you ignore Debt Recovery Plus?

No. It’s never a good move to ignore a debt collection agency as demonstrated above. More especially when they send you a Notice of Intended Prosecution (NIP)! The notice could be just a threat tactic to get you to pay.

But on the other hand, the threat could be real and DRP may follow through on it!

Moreover, when you ignore a debt collector, things only get worse. Plus you could be missing out on some very important information relating to the debt in question.

For instance, you may not find out the following:

• That the debt is too old to enforce and deemed statute barred
• That the debt is someone else’s and not yours at all. In short, DRP Debt is chasing the wrong person!

Other reasons why it’d be a mistake to ignore DRP debt are:

• You’d not be aware of losing court action taken out against you
• You wouldn’t know that a CCJ has been recorded on your credit file
• The debt collector may have wiped some money off the debt making it easier to settle if you’d responded to them
• DRP would’ve offered you an affordable repayment plan if you’d let them know you were seeking advice from a debt expert

What can debt collection agencies do?

Debt collection agents can do the following without breaking the law:

• Contact you by letter, email, text, phone or in person
• Talk to you civilly about a debt you’re accused of owing
• Ask you to pay them directly

What can’t debt collection companies do?

A debt collection company would be breaking the law and the CSA Code of Practice if they do any of the following:

• Force their way into your property
• Contact you at your place of work
• Discuss things with your family, neighbours, employer or your friends
• Pretend they have the same powers as court-appointed bailiffs now known as enforcement officers
• Use documents that look like they are court issued
• Clamp your vehicle or seize your possessions
• Use confusing legal jargon
• Harass or threaten you

What happens after you get a NIP over a parking charge notice?

Parking Charge Notices are effectively parking fine on private land which is only enforceable when a court orders you to pay. When you don’t pay on time or you ignore the ticket altogether, chances are you’d get a few reminders that you owe money!

If a private operator can’t get hold of you, they could well pass your details on to DRP and they’ll chase you for payment. You’d get a Notice of Intended Prosecution demanding payment or face court proceedings!

However, you should check several things before paying any money to DRP! But you should do so sooner rather than later just in case DRP debt collectors take the matter further!

Is the debt statute-barred?

The first thing to check as soon as possible is whether the debt is statute-barred. If it is at least six years old, you may not have to pay! 

Also, courts won’t hear cases involving debts that old so you can’t get a County Court Judgement so it can’t ruin your credit rating!

That said, there are criteria to meet for a debt to be deemed too old to enforce. These are:

• You haven’t been in touch or admitted the debt with the original creditor in the last six years
• You didn’t pay any money to settle the debt in the last six years
• There is no CCJ already registered against you

If none of the above applies, the DRP debt collectors can’t force you to pay and they can’t take you to court. However, the debt doesn’t go away even when it’s statute barred.

It will still show on your credit history!

Should you ask DRP to prove the debt is yours?

Once you’re certain the debt isn’t statute barred, the next step is to get DRP to prove it’s yours and not someone else’s. You have every right to make this request and Debt Recovery must respect it.

An unscrupulous recovery agency may try to fob you off with a verbal confirmation that you owe the money. However, you should always ask them to produce written proof. Verbal confirmation is not enough!

A judge would throw out a case where Debt Recovery Plus can’t prove the debt is yours and you won’t get a county court judgement.

The sort of proof you owe the money could be a copy of a Credit Agreement or Contract you entered into. But the copy must be authenticated or it’s not worth the paper it’s written on.

What if Debt Recovery Plus can’t prove the debt?

When Debt Recovery Plus can’t prove a debt, they can’t make you pay. Moreover, you can’t be taken to court and a judge won’t issue a County Court Judgement against you!

So, you should write back to the debt collection agency telling them you won’t pay because they failed to prove the debt is yours!

Debt Recovery Plus should stop contacting you and if they don’t, you should file a complaint with them. Next, report Debt Recovery Plus to the Financial Ombudsman Service!

How do you contact Debt Recovery Plus?

I’ve listed how you can contact Debt Recovery Plus in the table below:

What debt advice is there?

More people are seeking free debt advice these days thanks to the rise in the cost of living. So, if you’re experiencing financial hardship and get a Debt Recovery Plus Notice of intended court action, you’re definitely not alone!

Whether the debt is yours or not, you must be treated correctly at all times which means DRP debt collectors must give you enough time to seek independent advice.

Debt recovery companies must allow you sufficient time to assess which debt solution would best suit your needs. As such, I’ve listed a few of the major ones here:

• National Debtline 
• Citizens Advice
• Step Change Debt Charity

“It will only get worse” 😩

It’s cliché to say, but with debt it’s true; the longer you leave it, the worse the problem gets. 

There are straightforward and effective ways to deal with debt, but you have to know your options. 

Fill out the short form to find out about the debt solutions that could reduce your monthly payments or even write off some of your debt.

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Lastly, Debt Recovery Plus Ltd notice of intended court action

When you get a Debt Recovery Plus notice of intended court action, don’t ignore it! Even when you believe they are chasing the wrong person. The same applies when you think it’s too old to enforce.

It’s much wiser to respond in writing to Debt Recovery Plus explaining the situation and asking them to prove you owe the money. Even if the debt is yours!

You should complain to their head office if you’re unsure what to do or feel threatened or harassed by a debt collection agent.

If they don’t respond or you feel they’re not addressing the problem, contact the Financial Ombudsman Services to report them.