Do I Pay LCS Debt Recovery? HMRC and Other Debts

Did you get a letter from a debt collector? Has it got you panicking? If so, this post is for you because I answer the question, do I pay LCS Debt Recovery? HMRC and other debts in my post.

Read on to find out how to respond to LCS Debt Recovery so the experience is less stressful and less costly!

Do you have to pay LCS Debt Recovery?

You might not have to pay LCS 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 LCS Debt Recovery?

LCS Debt Recovery is among the many debt collection agencies in the UK. Their head office is based in Leeds. That said, it’s a trading name for 1st Locate (UK) Ltd.  

Their other trading names are Leeds Consultancy Services and Credit Management Investigations which sounds pretty ominous!

The debt collector chases people for payment on behalf of their clients rather than buying the debts themselves.

Is LCS Debt Recovery a legitimate business?

Yes. LCS is legit and a member of the Credit Services Association (CSA) and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA). So, in short, they must abide by the Code of Practice as set out by the CSA.

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 LCS Debt Recovery?

LCS Debt Recovery has a range of clients which includes:

• HMRCBritish Gas
• Other large utility providers

LCS is a debt collection agency and not bailiffs (Enforcement Agents) which means their powers are limited!

Why would LCS Debt Recovery contact you?

LCS Debt Recovery typically contacts you over an unpaid debt. So, when you owe money to a utility provider, the debt collector will chase you for payment on their behalf.

Moreover, like all debt collectors, LCS can be pretty persistent and don’t just go away!

That said, mistakes happen! Take a look at what LCS did to one unfortunate person:

Source: Moneysavingexpert

How should you respond to LCS Debt Recovery?

You may panic when you get a letter from LCS Debt Recovery. So, after the initial shock, you should contact them sooner rather than later.

Sit down and write a letter to LCS asking them to provide evidence that the debt is actually yours. Send the letter by registered post. Some debt collectors are unscrupulous and could say they never receive it.

LCS can’t just tell you that you owe the money. Debt collection agencies must provide you with ‘hard’ proof the debt is yours. Plus, a copy of an agreement must be authenticated by the original creditor or an authorised person!

Is the debt LCS is chasing you for statute-barred?

You should check the age of the debt because if it’s at least six years old, it is statute-barred. Therefore, LCS can’t force you to pay and a court won’t issue a CCJ against you!

That said, there are specific criteria that must be met for a debt to be statute barred. I’ve listed them here:

• You never admitted liability
• You haven’t paid anything towards the debt in the last six years
• There are no current, ongoing proceedings to recover the debt

How does LCS Debt Recovery contact you?

LCS Debt Recovery could contact you by post, email, or by phone. You could even get a text message from the debt collector!

Don’t ignore LCS no matter how they contact you. However, you should first check, the messages and correspondence you receive are indeed from the debt collector and not a scammer.

Should you pay LCS Debt Recovery?

You should only pay LCS Debt Recovery when the debt collector has proved the debt is yours. Next, find out if you’ve already paid the debt off, or if it is statute-barred.

You should do this before admitting, signing, or paying anything to LCS Debt Recovery. 

Debt collection agencies must give you enough time to assess your situation, and to seek debt advice if needed!

Can you prevent LCS Debt Recovery from contacting you?

No. You can’t stop debt collection agencies from contacting you. But you can dictate when and how LCS Debt Recovery contacts you.

In short, you should write to LCS informing them of the following:

• When to contact you. For example in the afternoon after 2pm
• How to contact you. For example, in writing

LCS Debt Recovery must respect your wishes and if they don’t, their actions would be seen as unlawful harassment!

What can LCS Debt Recovery do?

There are things that LCS Debt Recovery can legally do which I’ve listed here:

• Contact you
• Visit your home
• Talk to you about a debt politely and with empathy
• Request that you pay them directly

However, there are things that debt collectors cannot legally do, which I’ve outlined here:

• A debt collector can’t force their way into your home
• They can discuss a debt with other people, this includes your family, friends, neighbours and employer. If a debt collector does, they would be in breach of privacy laws
• Pretend they have more powers than they really have. This includes leading you to believe they are bailiffs which is deemed unlawful
• Pretend the documents they show you are court-issued
• Use legal jargon to confuse you
• Clamp a car or seize your possessions
• Pressure you to take out a new loan to pay a debt

What happens when you ignore LCS Debt Recovery?

LCS Debt Recovery claims to take people to court if they ignore their correspondence. Moreover, by ignoring their letters you may not find out the following in time:

• That the debt isn’t yours
• The debt is statute-barred
• Paying a reduced amount because some of the debt is wiped off
• Paying a reasonable payment plan you can afford

Plus, ignoring an LCS letter could lead to:

• Being sued in a court by HMRC if the debt is tax-related
• Having to deal with enforcement officers who turn up at your home to seize possessions
• Having a lien placed on your earnings (attachment of earnings)
• Having a Charge Order placed on your home

How can you contact LCS Debt Recovery?

I’ve listed how you could contact LCS here:

Is there any free debt help?

Yes. You could contact any of the debt charities to get free, impartial advice when you need to.

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

• Citizens Advice
• National Debtline
• StepChange

“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, do I pay LCS Debt Recovery? And other debts?

Whether you pay LCS Debt Recovery or other debts depends on a few things. For instance, the debt might not be yours. Or it could be statute barred. So, you shouldn’t pay LCS until they get back to you with proof that it is.

You shouldn’t pay before establishing the debt is current and not statute-barred too!

That said, try to negotiate an affordable payment plan with LCS if they provide solid proof in writing that you owe the money. Don’t sign, admit or fork any money out until they do!

Contact one of the debt charities if you’re worried about anything. Moreover, file a complaint with the LCS head office if a debt collector harasses you. Then lodge a complaint with the Financial Ombudsman!

Thanks for reading my post. I hope the info helps you deal with the debt collector so the outcome is positive. In short, the answer to the question, do I pay LCS Debt Recovery is not before you get them to prove the debt is yours in writing!