Useful documents

Free letter templates. Send yourself.

Eight templates Branded PDFs Free forever

Eight 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 eight 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.

Download PDF

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).

Download PDF

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.

Download PDF

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.

Download PDF

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.

Download PDF

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.

Download PDF

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.

Download PDF

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.

Download PDF

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.

Not sure which letter fits?

Have your letters looked at before you send them.

Upload up to four creditor letters. Get a plain-English breakdown of what each one really means, whether the timelines are right, and which of these templates (or something better) actually fits your situation.

£99 One-off · No subscription

Up to 4 letters Per audit

48 hours Turnaround

See how the Letter Audit works Compare all support options

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.

Every template contains a statute-barred safeguard clause where relevant. If you are unsure whether that clause applies to your situation, do not send the letter until you have checked with a free regulated service such as MoneyHelper or Citizens Advice.

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 If you notice something outdated, please let us know at info@therealdebtguy.com.