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Nine of the most useful UK debt letters, written in plain English and formatted as PDFs you can print and post the same day.

Fill in the bracketed fields, sign, send by tracked post and keep a copy. That's the whole workflow.

The nine templates

PDF · A4 · UK English

Limitation Act 1980

Statute barred letter

Tells a creditor or DCA that the six-year limitation window has expired and further collection must stop.

Use it when: No payment and no written acknowledgement for at least six years.
Do not use if: You have made any payment or written to the creditor about the debt in the last six years.

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Consumer Credit Act 1974 · s.78

Prove the debt (CCA request)

A £1 statutory request forcing the creditor to produce the original signed credit agreement and current statement.

Use it when: The debt is a regulated credit agreement, such as a credit card, catalogue, personal loan, or store card.
Do not use if: The debt is a utility bill, council tax, mortgage shortfall or overdraft (not regulated under s.78).

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UK GDPR · Article 15

Subject Access Request

Requires the creditor to send you every piece of personal data they hold on you within one month, free of charge.

Use it when: You want the full account history, call recordings, notes, and any third-party data the firm holds.
Do not use if: You only need the credit agreement. The CCA request is quicker and cheaper.

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CONC · DISP

Formal complaint · creditor or DCA

Opens a regulated complaint under DISP that a firm must acknowledge and respond to inside eight weeks.

Use it when: The firm broke a CONC rule, misled you, ignored an affordability issue, or refused reasonable payment plans.
Do not use if: You have not raised the specific issue with the firm at all yet. Try that first.

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Financial Ombudsman Service

FOS escalation letter

Takes an unresolved complaint to the Financial Ombudsman after the firm has issued a final response you disagree with.

Use it when: The firm gave a final response and you have less than six months to escalate to FOS.
Do not use if: The firm has not yet issued a final response and less than eight weeks have passed since your complaint.

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Standard Financial Statement

Income and expenditure covering letter

Sends an SFS or budget summary to a creditor with a clear offer of what you can pay each month based on the numbers.

Use it when: You have already produced a Standard Financial Statement (the Budget Planner does one for you).
Do not use if: You have not worked out your real income and expenditure. Send that first, otherwise the offer is just a guess.

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CONC 7.9 · Harassment Act 1997

Harassment cease and desist

Puts the firm on notice that its contact pattern is unfair or harassing and instructs written-only contact from receipt.

Use it when: You have logged excessive calls, texts, emails, or doorstep visits that you can list by date.
Do not use if: The firm has only contacted you a handful of times over several weeks. That alone is unlikely to meet the CONC 7.9 threshold.

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Short-term hardship

Token payment offer

Offers a symbolic £1 per month while your circumstances are too tight for a proper affordable offer, with a review date built in.

Use it when: Your income and expenditure shows you have nothing left after essentials, and you expect the situation to change within a few months.
Do not use if: You can afford a small realistic monthly amount. Use the income and expenditure covering letter instead.

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CCA 1974 s.140A · FCA DISP · Johnson v FirstRand

Motor finance commission complaint

Formal complaint to a motor finance lender about undisclosed or partially disclosed commission on a PCP, HP or personal contract hire agreement. Works whether the FCA industry-wide scheme covers your deal or not.

Use it when: You took out motor finance and were not told the commission the dealer or broker received, or the effect it had on your interest rate.
Do not use if: Your agreement was a straight cash purchase or a lease with no credit element. This letter is for regulated credit agreements only.

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How to use these letters

Pick one Read the "use it when / do not use if" notes on the card so you send the right letter for the situation.
Fill the fields Every bracketed placeholder in the PDF needs replacing before you send. Print the PDF, hand-write or overtype the fields.
Sign and post Send by tracked post so you have proof of delivery. Keep a copy and note the date sent.
Wait for the reply Most letters give the firm 14 or 28 days to respond. If they miss it, the next step is usually a complaint or FOS escalation.

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The small print

These templates are provided for information only. They are not personal financial advice or regulated debt advice. The Real Debt Guy is not FCA regulated. Reading, downloading or sending a template does not create a client relationship between you and The Real Debt Guy.

If a debt is more than six years old (five in Scotland) and you have not paid or acknowledged it in writing during that period, it may be statute-barred. Sending any letter that acknowledges the debt could reset that clock. The Statute Barred Letter, Prove the Debt (CCA) letter, and Subject Access Request in this pack are worded to avoid that risk. If you are unsure whether a debt is statute-barred, check with Citizens Advice before sending anything.

Templates are updated when the underlying regulations change. If you notice something outdated, please let us know at info@therealdebtguy.com.