When do they have to stop hassling you?

beginner52

I am new to this site and following a bad time in the 90s had at last managed to get debt free although due to the credit crunch things are starting to go downhill again. Amongst my current problems which I hope will be resolved following Martin's advice on PPI, I have received a letter from a Debt Collection Agency regarding an alleged debt to Goldfish of over £2,000. The last time I can recall possibly having one of these cards was over ten years ago. Can they still chase me for this debt and carry out their threat of home visit to claim the money?

catmiaow

beginner52 wrote: »

I am new to this site and following a bad time in the 90s had at last managed to get debt free although due to the credit crunch things are starting to go downhill again. Amongst my current problems which I hope will be resolved following Martin's advice on PPI, I have received a letter from a Debt Collection Agency regarding an alleged debt to Goldfish of over £2,000. The last time I can recall possibly having one of these cards was over ten years ago. Can they still chase me for this debt and carry out their threat of home visit to claim the money?

I think it is over 6 years that the debt gets written off, I am sure someone will come along shortly and confirm this.

Tixy

hi beginner and welcome

As catmiaow says, the key time is 6years (or 5 in Scotland).
If you have not made payments towards a debt for 6 years and have not acknowledged it in writing for the same amount of time and, providing they have no CCJ against you, then the debt becomes statute barred. That means they can write and ask if you would 'like' to settle the balance but if you write to them and tell them the debt is statute barred and you will not be paying then they are not allowed to continue to hassle you.

here is a factsheet which may help you and contains a sample letter to write to them - http://www.nationaldebtline.co.uk/england_wales/factsheet.php?page=25_liability_for_debts_and_the_limitation_act.