Debt Recovery Plus Ltd – How To Deal With DRP Chasing You For Debt Payment
Debt Recovery Plus Ltd was established in 2009. It is one of the UK’s leading debt recovery companies. With its head office based in Manchester, Debt Recovery Plus covers the UK with over 70 collection agents, certificated enforcement officers and investigators.
Accreditations
- Member of the International Parking Community (IPC)
- Member of the British Parking Association (BPA)
Why Are Debt Recovery Plus Contacting Me?
Debt Recovery Plus (DRP) is the UK’s leading collector of Parking Charge Notices so, if you’ve received a letter from DRP, chances are it’s in relation to one of these. DRP is employed to recover the money you owe to their clients.
What Is A Parking Charge Notice?
As the name indicates, a Parking Charge Notice is a fine issued for parking in contravention to displayed terms and conditions or road markings. This could include:
- Failure to display a valid ticket
- Overstaying permitted hours
- Parking on yellow lines
- Parking in a hatched area
- Parking in a private area without a valid permit
- Parking in a disabled bay without displaying a valid Blue Badge
- Parking in a parent and child space without a child
- Parking in customer-only area and leaving the site
- Parking outside a bay or over the lines of the bay
The majority of DRP’s clients are operators of private parking schemes, for example: hospital or supermarket car parks.
Who Are DRP’s Clients?
Debt Recovery Plus work with a number of parking operators, including:
- CP Plus
- ParkingEye
- Smart Parking
- G24
- UKPC
- Euro car parks
I don’t Owe This Money – What Should I Do?
If you think there has been a mistake, and you are not the person DRP are trying to contact, or you have already settled the account, contact DRP straight away. If you don’t, further action could be taken against you.
Appealing A Parking Charge Notice
If you wish to appeal a Parking Charge Notice, you can do so with the parking operator who issued the notice (their details will be on the notice you received). There is, however, a time limit for making an appeal – you should contact the issuer within 28 days.
If your appeal is rejected (for tickets issued in England and Wales), you can present your case to Parking on Private Land Appeals (POPLA) or the Independent Appeals Service (IAS).
I Can’t Afford To Pay
If you are facing financial hardship and cannot afford to pay your notice, you should contact Debt Recovery Plus asap. You can explain your circumstances to DRP and try to come to a payment arrangement.
What Will Happen If I Don’t Pay?
Failure to pay your Parking Charge Notice may lead to DRP’s client taking legal action against you to recover the money you owe. Legal action may have a negative impact on your credit score, and cause your debt to increase.
A relatively small fine can quickly escalate into a significant debt as fees begin to stack up.
Parking Charges And CCJs
Parking operators are increasingly turning to court action in order to recover the money they are owed. This means they often seek County Court Judgements and Decrees against those who do not pay their debts on time.
What Is A County Court Judgement?
When you owe money, the person or company you owe it to can make an application to the county court for the court to formally decide whether you are liable for the debt.
If granted, a CCJ against you will state the amount owed, who to, how to pay and the payment deadline.
Unless settled within one month of issue, a County Court Judgement is registered on the Record of Judgements, where is stays for 6 years.
I’ve Received A Letter Of Claim
Before the issuer of your Parking Charge Notice can proceed with a County Court Judgement against you, you will receive a letter of claim in the post. You need to make sure you respond to it, using the reply form included. This form gives you the opportunity to:
- Fill in the financial statement, outlining your ability to repay
- Say why you can’t afford to repay in full
- Make an offer of repayment at an affordable rate
- Tell the company you are seeking advice on your debts
If you can come to an arrangement at this stage, you could prevent court action being taken and avoid the CCJ.
What Impact Will A CCJ Have On My Credit Record?
Credit Reference Agencies consult the Record of Judgements when performing a credit check, in order to determine your creditworthiness. CCJs stay on the register for 6 years, during which time you may struggle to get credit as lenders do not look favourably upon outstanding debts.
What Can I Do About A CCJ?
If you have a CCJ against you, make sure you pay it. If you can settle your County Court Judgement within a month, you can ask for it to be removed from the Record of Judgements, leaving your credit record unscathed.
If you can’t afford to settle your CCJ in full, you may be able to pay in instalments. Paying in instalments will limit any further action the parking operator can take, if you pay the correct amount and on time.
If you’re a homeowner, the issuer of the ticket could apply for a ‘charging order’ to secure the debt against your property, but there is little else they can do while you are keeping up with your payments.
Will I Lose My Home?
A ‘charging order’ does not necessarily mean you will lose your home. A charging order turns your unsecured debt into a secured debt, so if you remortgage or sell your home before paying your debt, the proceeds will be used to clear it. As long as you keep up payments, your creditor will not be able to force the sale of your property.
What Will Happen If I Don’t Pay A CCJ?
Non-payment of a CCJ can result in a number of steps being taken against you in order to recover the debt. This includes:
- Arrestment of earnings order – to take the money directly from your earnings
- Bailiff action – to take control of your goods and sell them to recover the debt
- Charging order – to secure the debt against property you own
I Need Help With My Debts
Starting to receive letters and calls about your debts can be a daunting experience, but don’t panic. Scottishtrustdeed.co.uk’s debt specialist advisors can offer you the help, support and expertise you need to get debt-free. We will talk through your options and explain everything in terms that you understand, without judgement.
Making A Complaint
Complaints about Debt Recovery Plus Ltd should be put into writing and sent to:
Debt Recovery Plus Ltd, PO Box 411, Dukinfield, SK14 9DD
Make sure you include your reference number.
If you are not satisfied with DRP’s response, you could take the matter up with the British Parking Association.
FAQs
You should notify DRP that you have made an appeal so they can refer it back to the parking operator, and stop contacting you in the meantime.
For Parking Charge Notices issued on private land in Scotland and Northern Ireland you can only appeal to the parking operator who issued the ticket. If the appeal is rejected, you would then only be able to contest the ticket in court if court action is taken against you for non-payment.
If you pay off your CCJ within a month, it won’t appear on your credit file. After this, if you clear it, it will still be visible to lenders but will show as ‘satisfied’. It may still affect your ability to get credit, but lenders are likely to look on satisfied CCJs more favourably, particularly as they get older.
