Deceased debtor recoveries are another niche area of ASC related debt in which we are helping local authority clients to make significant recoveries. Again, this is an area often over-looked, because of the complexities and sensitivities involved in handling such cases.
In addition to the usual debt recovery obstacles, pursuing debts from a client’s estate creates new hurdles such as:
- How much time do you provide to a client’s family before seeking recovery of a debt?
- What do you do if the family refuses to engage with you?
- What steps can you take if there is no known next of kin for you to contact?
- How do you respond if the family suggests that there is no money left to pay the debt owed, but you have evidence to suggest the client should have left considerable assets?
- At what point should you write off these debts and focus your collection resources on other cases?
We can help you to understand and action the most appropriate approaches to these and other issues unique to this complex area of debt recovery. We will again work in partnership to:
- Review and prioritise outstanding deceased debtor cases
- On a case by case basis, advise on the best approach and the likelihood of a successful outcome
- Propose a cost neutral fee agreement to limit your exposure to fees and costs in the event of an unsuccessful outcome
- Ensure we treat all customers involved fairly and with due regard for vulnerability issues to protect your good reputation
- Regularly feedback on progress and review the further options available
- Pursue the case to its settlement or closure as agreed.
If you are regularly writing off deceased debtor accounts, we believe it would be in the financial interest of your authority to discuss the J&P Credit Solutions Deceased Debtor Recoveries product in more detail.