Can I Ignore Trace Debt Recovery Letter? UK Laws

Getting a letter out of the blue about a debt can leave you worrying about what it’s all about. Especially when you don’t recognise the name on the letterhead. You may ask, ‘can I ignore Trace Debt Recovery letter or not’.

There are things you can do and things you should avoid when you get a letter from the debt collector, which I cover in my post!

Do you have to pay Trace Debt Recovery?

You might not have to pay Trace Debt Recovery.

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 Trace Debt Recovery?

Trace Debt Recovery is one of the many debt collection agencies that operate in the UK. Their head office is based in Northampton and their core business centres around the parking industry.

The debt collector is a member of the Credit Services Association (CSA) and is regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA).

The services Trace Debt Recovery provide include:

Debt recovery
High Court enforcement
Enforcement services
Trace managed services

Is Trace Debt Recovery legit?

Trace Debt Recovery is a legitimate business registered with Company House. The registered corporate address is in Northampton. So, you shouldn’t ignore a letter from Trace when it drops through your post box.

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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What is the trace enforcement group?

Trace enforcement group provides High Court Enforcement solutions working with private companies and local authorities.

Why would Trace Debt Recovery contact you?

Chances are you got a letter from Trace Debt Recovery over an unpaid parking ticket. Car park management companies often use the debt collector to chase people for payments.

So, in short, you may have been given a Parking Charge Notice by a car park management company which remained unpaid. Unfortunately, it happens mainly because parking tickets on private land often end up in the bin.

Take a look at what happened to the person below:

Can I Ignore Trace Debt Recovery Letter?

Source: Monesavingexpert

The belief is that parking tickets on private land are not enforceable, which is true, to begin with. But, if the car park management company takes you to court and you’re ordered to pay, the fine is enforceable!

This is where a debt collection agency like Trace Debt Recovery comes into the picture. Moreover, they are persistent when they contact you.

How does Trace Debt Recovery find you?

The car park management company that issued the fine will pass all your details onto Trace. However, if you’ve moved house, Trace Debt Recovery has the tools to track you down over an unpaid parking fine.

What can Trace Debt Recovery do?

Trace Debt Recovery must abide by the law and the Code of Practice when they contact you. I’ve listed what debt collection agencies can and cannot legally do here:

Contact you over an unpaid debt by letter, email, phone
Visit you at your home address
Discuss a debt with you discreetly and politely
Ask you to pay them directly

A debt collection agency cannot do any of the following when they contact you:

Force entry into your home
Talk to other people about your alleged debt problem including neighbours, family, friends, or your employer. It breaches privacy laws
Pretend they are bailiffs and therefore have the same powers as an enforcement agent which is unlawful
Make out the documents they show you are court-issued
Talk in legal terms to confuse you
Seize any of your possessions
Clamp your vehicle
Apply pressure for you to take on another loan to pay a debt

Who uses Trace Debt Recovery?

As mentioned, their core business is recovering unpaid parking tickets. Their client base includes:

NCP Car Parks
Councils
Residential properties
Hospital car parks

That said, the debt collection agency only works with car park operators who are recognised by the British Parking Association (BPA) and the International Parking Community (IPC).

Can you prevent Trace Debt Recovery from contacting you?

You can’t prevent Trace from contacting you, but you can write to the debt collector telling them when and how to contact you. For instance, if you prefer to be contacted by letter, Trace must respect your wishes.

If Trace Debt Recovery refuses to respect your wishes, it could be seen as them harassing you which they are not allowed to do! It’s deemed unlawful to be harassed by a debt collection agency!

How should you respond to a Trace Debt Recovery letter?

You should never ignore correspondence you get from Trace Debt Recovery. They could be contacting you over an unpaid parking fine or they could be enforcing a High Court order!

So, the first thing to do is find out whether the debt is really yours. You should write to Trace asking them to ‘prove’ it is! Send the letter by registered post to make sure the debt collector gets it.

Next, find out when the parking ticket was issued. If it’s at least six years old, Trace can’t make you pay. Unless there’s a Court Order issued or a CCJ has been levied against you!

Trace Debt Recovery must provide you with authenticated proof the debt is yours.

Don’t just take their word for it!

Find out your debt options

What happens when you ignore Trace Debt Recovery?

You could be missing out on things when you ignore letters from Trace Debt Recovery. Moreover, a bad situation could suddenly become a lot worse when you ignore a debt collector.

For example, you could be missing out on:

Discovering the debt isn’t yours or its statute barred
Being offered an affordable plan to get the debt resolved
Having some of the debt wiped off

However, ignoring Trace when they contact you could lead to:

Having to face court proceedings if it hasn’t already happened and there’s a CCJ and court order for you to pay!
Having Enforcement Officers show up at your home
Having to pay a lot more than the original debt

Should you pay Trace Debt Recovery?

Not necessarily. As mentioned, first ask Trace to prove the debt is yours. Then establish it’s not statute-barred. Only after Trace Debt Recovery has proved the debt is yours and that it’s still current should you pay.

You should seek advice from a debt charity if you’re unsure about anything. Plus getting advice before you negotiate a payment plan with Trace is always a good move.

Another thing to bear in mind is that you may be able to settle things with the original creditor rather than deal with the debt collection agency!

How do you contact Trace Debt Recovery?

I’ve listed the contact details for Trace Debt Recovery here:

Phone number	0333 577 4447 (Contact Centre)
Website	https://thetracegroup.co.uk/
Payments	03300 080 477 (24-hour automated payment)
Address	Trace Debt Recovery UK Ltd PO Box 1448 Northampton NN2 1DW
Opening hours	9am to 5pm, Monday to Friday

What debt help is there?

You can contact any of the debt charities if you need advice or are concerned about your finances. Charities provide free, impartial debt advice which could be invaluable when you’re faced with a letter from Trace Debt Recovery.

I’ve listed three of the main debt charities here:

“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.

Get Started

Lastly, can I ignore Trace Debt Recovery letter or not?

No. It’s never a good idea to ignore any correspondence you get from Trace Debt Recovery. Things can quickly get out of control and at the end of the day, it may cost you even more!

Moreover, you could end up with a County Court Judgement (CCJ) on your credit history.

It’d ruin your financial standing!

So, at the end of the day, it’s wiser to stay in touch with Trace and get them to prove you owe the money! Next, find out if the debt is statute-barred because they can’t chase you if it is. Not unless there’s a CCJ already issued that is!

Thanks for reading my post. I hope the info helps you deal with Trace Debt Recovery so the outcome is positive!