Terms of Business.

1. About these terms

South Coast Collections (“SCC”, “we”, “us” or “our”) is a trading style of ORegan Ltd, company number 17441775, registered in England and Wales. These terms apply to commercial debt recovery services supplied to a business client (“the Client” or “you”). They do not cover consumer-debt collection.

No instruction is accepted until we confirm acceptance in writing. The engagement agreement, any agreed case schedule and these terms together form the agreement between us.

2. Scope of our service

We review the information supplied, contact the debtor, seek payment, discuss proposals and report material progress to you. Where appropriate, recovery activity may include a face-to-face visit to the debtor’s verified business premises. We may recommend legal action, insolvency action, tracing or another specialist service, but we do not begin those services without separate written authority.

We are not bailiffs or enforcement agents, do not exercise enforcement powers and do not provide legal advice. Where legal advice or proceedings are required, an appropriately authorised independent professional may be instructed under separate terms.

3. Your instructions and information

You confirm that you are entitled to instruct us and that, to the best of your knowledge, the debt is genuine, due and supported by accurate records. You must disclose any dispute, counterclaim, insolvency process, assignment, invoice-finance arrangement, previous settlement or other fact that could affect recovery.

You authorise us to communicate with the debtor and relevant representatives for the purpose of recovering the debt. You must provide requested documents promptly and tell us immediately about any direct contact, offer, payment or settlement.

4. Engagement fee

A £195 engagement fee is payable before work begins. It covers initial review, case setup, commencement of recovery activity and one face-to-face visit to the debtor’s verified business premises within our agreed South Coast service area, where we consider a visit appropriate, lawful and safe. It is non-refundable once we accept the instruction and begin work.

A premises visit does not guarantee access, a meeting or payment. If we attend but the premises are closed, access is refused, the debtor is unavailable or the visit cannot safely continue, that attendance counts as the included visit. Any additional visit or travel outside the agreed service area must be agreed in writing and may incur an additional charge.

If a success fee becomes payable, the £195 engagement fee is credited against it. Where the calculated success fee is less than £195, no refund or further credit is due.

5. Success fee

Our success fee is 15% of all money recovered in relation to the instructed debt, unless a different rate is agreed in writing. The fee applies whether payment is made to SCC, directly to you, to another person on your behalf or through an agreed payment arrangement.

For instalment arrangements, the success fee becomes payable as each instalment is received. You must notify us promptly of every direct payment and provide reasonable evidence of the amount received. Fees are stated exclusive of VAT where VAT is applicable.

6. Settlements, interest and costs

We will not agree a reduction, full-and-final settlement or material payment plan without your authority. Where lawful and instructed, a claim may include contractual or statutory interest, compensation or recovery costs. Unless agreed otherwise, recovered interest and costs form part of the amount on which the success fee is calculated.

7. External costs and legal action

Court fees, solicitor fees, tracing charges, process-server fees and other external costs are not included in our engagement or success fees. We will obtain your separate written approval before incurring an external cost on your behalf. You remain responsible for approved external costs whether or not the debt is recovered.

8. Recovery activity

We decide how to conduct day-to-day recovery activity within the agreed authority and will act lawfully and proportionately. You must not give us instructions that are unlawful, misleading or inconsistent with our professional judgment. We may refuse or stop any action that we reasonably consider inappropriate or legally risky.

9. No guarantee

We cannot guarantee recovery, a particular timescale or a specific outcome. Recovery depends on factors outside our control, including the debtor’s financial position, the quality of the evidence and whether the debt is disputed.

10. Suspension and termination

Either party may end an instruction by written notice. We may suspend or terminate work immediately if fees are unpaid, information is incomplete or misleading, the debt is disputed in a way that makes continued recovery unsuitable, an insolvency process intervenes or continuing could create legal, regulatory or reputational risk.

For three months after termination, the agreed success fee remains payable on any amount recovered where SCC’s work materially contributed to that recovery. This includes payment made directly to you or under an arrangement negotiated or initiated during the engagement. You must promptly notify SCC of any such payment.

11. Confidentiality and data protection

Each party will protect confidential information received through the engagement and use it only for the agreed purpose, except where disclosure is required by law or reasonably necessary to perform the service.

You confirm that you have a lawful basis to share personal information with us. Each party is responsible for its own compliance with applicable data-protection law. Our handling of personal information is also governed by our privacy notice.

12. Responsibility and complaints

You remain responsible for decisions about settlement, legal proceedings, writing off a debt and the commercial relationship with the debtor. You should obtain independent legal advice where needed.

If you are dissatisfied, contact hello@southcoastcollections.com with the case reference and details. We will acknowledge the complaint and explain the next steps.

13. General

You may not transfer the agreement without our written consent. A delay in enforcing a right is not a waiver of that right. If one provision is found unenforceable, the remaining provisions continue to apply.

The agreement is governed by the law of England and Wales, and the courts of England and Wales have jurisdiction. We may update these website terms from time to time; the version accepted for an existing instruction continues to govern that instruction unless a change is agreed in writing.