BW Legal Services: Who are they and do I need to pay them?

If you’ve received letters and calls from a company named BW Legal which state that you owe money, you’re not alone. Debt collectors like BW Legal contact hundreds of people like you every day, but how do you know whether or not you should pay them?

In this guide we’ll explain who BW Legal Services are, whether they’re a regulated debt collection agency, and give you some advice on how to handle those distressing letters from debt collectors.

Who is BW Legal debt collection agency?

BW Legal is a UK debt collection company who specialise in consumer debt collection. Their key debt recovery services include collecting unpaid debts from sectors including the public sector, parking operators, and utilities.

The company was founded in 2009 and has since grown to nearly 300 employees. The BW website states that they are now the largest independent debt recovery law firm in the UK.

Are they a legal firm or a debt collection agency?

As a ‘debt recovery law firm’, BW Legal straddles the debt collection and legal industries.

Their primary focus seems to be the recovery of debts they’ve purchased from creditors like utility companies and local councils, however they also employ solicitors who specialise in the debt recovery process.

They refer to themselves as a ‘one-stop shop for debt recovery and litigation’, which essentially means that they have the ability not only to recover debt in the traditional sense, but can also deploy solicitors to defend themselves during the debt recovery process.

Are BW legal regulated?

Solicitors Regulation Authority and Financial Conduct Authority

As a debt collection agency that’s equipped with a team of solicitors, BW Legal are actually double-regulated.

Like most debt collection companies, BW Legal are regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA), which means their debt recovery practices should always fall within FCA guidelines.

Unlike most debt collectors, however, BW are also regulated by the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA), the independent legal regulator for England and Wales.

Where are BW Legal based?

BW Legal are based in Leeds, West Yorkshire, in the UK.

Their main UK business address is as follows:

Enterprise House,

1 Apex View,

Holbeck,

Leeds,

LS11 9BH

Why would debt collectors contact me?

If you’re receiving phone calls from companies like BW Legal, the chances are that you owe money to a previous creditor who has since passed on the debt to a debt collection agency.

Whether you owed money in unpaid council tax, or you failed to pay a parking fine, it’s common for debt collectors to ‘purchase’ the original debt from creditors at a discounted rate.

Once they complete that purchase, they have the right to use debt recovery tactics in order to attempt to collect what you owe. These tactics usually involve phone calls, debt letters, and potentially visits to your home.

How do I stop BW Legal from contacting me?

If you’re being harassed by BW debt collectors, the easiest way to get rid of them is to offer to pay towards what you owe.

Ask for proof that you owe money

Before you set up any sort of payment arrangement, you should first ask BW Legal for proof of the debt you owe.

They should be able to give you information including how much debt you owe, and which creditor held the original debt.

You can get in touch with BW Legal in the following ways:

Phone number: 0113 487 0430

Email: [email protected]

Pay BW Legal debt

If BW Legal does provide proof that you owe them money, the next step is to decide how you will pay. There are two ways to go about this.

pAY UPfront

If you have the money, the easiest way to put a stop to the debt collection process is to repay what you owe upfront.

BW Legal allows you to repay your debt in various ways, including using their online payment portal, making a payment over the phone, or repaying via BACS transfer.

Set up a payment plan

Not everybody can afford to repay their debt in one go, so you may want to set up a payment plan. This might involve offering to repay your debt in full over a set period of time, for example 12 or 18 months.

You could also make a debt settlement offer, where you offer to repay a portion of your debts to BW Legal in return for them writing off a portion of what you owe. This might save you money in the short term, however any debt settlement offer you make will be noted by a credit agency and be listed on your credit report for six years.

Can BW Legal Services Limited take legal action against me?

Yes, if you consistently ignore contact by BW Legal Services or refuse to repay your debt when they provide proof of the money you owe, it’s possible they will take you to court.

The most common form of legal action taken by debt collectors is a County Court Judgement.

County Court Judgement

A County Court Judgement (CCJ) is a court order that creditors and debt collectors can apply for if they believe you are unfairly withholding money.

They will present their case to a county court judge and, if the judge agrees with them, you will be ordered to repay the money owed within a prescribed period of time.

A CCJ will be listed on your credit file for six years, and will have a negative impact on your credit rating. Failure to repay a CCJ can result in further action being taken against you, including having money directly taken from your wages.

What if I can’t afford to repay BW Legal debts?

If you can’t afford to repay the debt you owe to BW Legal, don’t panic. There are formal debt solutions available in the UK to help people like you deal with unaffordable debt.

If you owe debts of at least £6,000 to more than one creditor, for example, then you could be eligible for a solution known as an Individual Voluntary Arrangement.

An Individual Voluntary Arrangement, or IVA, turns all of your unsecured debts into lower monthly repayments which you repay over 5 or six years. At the end of the arrangement, any remaining debt will be written off by your creditors.

You can find out more about how an IVA could help you by clicking here.

Can BW Legal collect debts that are more than six years old?

If you owe a debt to BW Legal or another debt collector and it’s more than six years old, you may not have to repay it.

If enough time passes and your creditor makes no attempt to contact you or recover the debt in question, then the debt may become ‘statute-barred’. When a debt becomes statute-barred, it effectively ceases to exist, meaning you have no obligation to repay it.

In England and Wales, debts typically become statute-barred after six years of no contact from the creditor, whereas in Scotland a debt will be considered statute-barred after a five-year limitation period has run out.

How can I protect myself and my family from debt collection agencies?

If you owed money to a creditor that has since been passed on to a debt collector like BW Legal, you may be receiving harassing letters and phone calls. Perhaps you’re even being threatened with legal action.

We can help you put a stop to hassle from debt collectors. At Creditfix we have years of experience dealing with companies like BW Legal, and can advise you on solutions that can make your unaffordable debt a thing of the past.

For more information on how to protect yourself and your property from debt collectors, get in touch with a friendly Creditfix adviser today on 0800 0431 431.