Ex owes you money. Now it was 'a gift'.
You paid the deposit, the car, the holiday, the loan to tide them over — on the understanding it was coming back. Then the relationship ended and so did the understanding. A formal letter before action turns "we'll talk about it" into a date. Yours is written free, today.
If your messages look like this…
Read. No reply. Then the number changed.
Alongside the money itself, courts may award simple interest on money you have been kept out of — commonly 8% a year under the County Courts Act 1984 — and the court fee is typically added to a successful claim. Interest is discretionary. The letter sets this out so the other side can see what ignoring it costs.
How people describe it when they reach us
The sorts of things people tell us. Illustrative, based on patterns in the cases that reach us.
Your legal rights when an ex-partner owes you money
In England and Wales a loan between individuals is a contract, whether or not anything was written down. The whole argument is usually about whether it was a loan or a gift — which is a question of evidence, not of who is more upset.
Case lawContract law — a loan is a debtMoney lent on the understanding it would be repaid is usually recoverable.
A loan between individuals is typically a contract, even without paperwork. If the money was handed over on the understanding it would be paid back — and messages, bank references or witnesses show that — a court may order repayment. Money that was clearly a gift is different, which is why the evidence of what was said at the time matters most.
Case lawContract law — breach of contractFailing to do what was paid for may amount to breach of contract.
A job, a purchase or a loan is typically analysed as a contract. If one side does not perform a central promise — work not done, money not repaid, goods not handed over — a court may find a breach and will then consider what loss flowed from it. The measure is normally the money you are out of pocket, proved with evidence.
This is general information about the law in England and Wales, not advice about your case. Which provisions apply, and how, depends on the facts.
Four things you'll hear. None of them end it.
Then the evidence decides. Money handed over on a promise to repay — a message, a bank reference, a plan you both mentioned — is a loan. Courts weigh what was said at the time, not what's convenient now.
A relationship isn't a joint account. Ordinary shared spending is one thing; a specific sum lent for a specific purpose is another. The letter sets out exactly which this was.
Then the letter asks for a plan. A 14-day deadline to pay or propose instalments. Not answering is what turns a conversation into a claim.
The letter is the step before that, and it's the one that works most often. It sets out the sum, the basis and the deadline the way a court would expect.
Five things worth gathering now
The letter first. Court only if they ignore it.
Your side, your words
What happened, what was agreed, what you are out of pocket. We ask what a court would ask, so the letter says what a court would need to hear.
Written for you, free
A formal letter before action with a 14-day deadline, setting out what is owed and why. You see it at no charge. Posting it by tracked mail and watching the deadline is £15.
Court claim, prepared
If the deadline passes: one tap turns the letter into a small claim, drafted, checked and filed. The £15 comes off our fee. The decision is the court's.
What JustClaim is: we prepare and file the paperwork for your claim, for a fixed price shown before you pay. We're not a law firm, this isn't legal advice, and no outcome is ever guaranteed — what you get is the strongest honest version of your case, properly made.
Questions people in this exact spot ask
Can I get money back from an ex-partner if nothing was written down?
Often, yes. A loan doesn't need paperwork; it needs evidence that repayment was expected — a message saying so, a bank reference, a repayment plan you both referred to. The letter sets that evidence out and asks for the money by a date.
They say it was a gift. Who has to prove what?
You have to show, on balance, that it was a loan. Messages from the time carry the most weight. If the money paid for something they kept — a car in their name, a deposit on their flat — that usually helps.
We were never married. Does that matter?
Not for a straightforward loan. Married couples have a separate regime for dividing assets; a specific sum lent between unmarried partners is an ordinary debt claim.
What if I don't know their new address?
The letter has to reach them. A workplace, a relative's address, a tenancy you know of — tell us what you have and we'll say whether it's enough or what else is needed.
How much does it cost if it goes further?
If the letter is ignored, a court claim has a court fee set by the amount: £35 up to £300, £50 up to £500, £70 up to £1,000, £115 up to £3,000. If you win, the fee is normally added to what the other side is ordered to pay. Our fixed price is shown before you pay anything.
Is the letter really free?
Yes. Tell us what happened and the letter before action is written and shown to you at no charge. If you want us to post it by tracked mail and watch the 14-day deadline, that is £15, shown before you pay — and it comes off our fee if it later becomes a court claim.
Still waiting for it back?
Tell us what happened. The letter before action is written free and shown to you today; posting it and watching the deadline is £15.
Write the letter — free →