Family owes you money. Nobody wants to be the one to say it.
You helped when it mattered. It was going to be paid back "when things settled". Things settled; the money didn't move. A letter before action is formal without being hostile — it says the amount, the basis and a date, and leaves the shouting out. Written free, today.
If the thread looks like this…
Seen. Nothing since. Christmas is going to be awkward.
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 a relative owes you money
In England and Wales a loan between relatives is a contract like any other. The law does not treat family loans differently; it asks the same question — was repayment expected — and looks at the same evidence.
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.
A letter is how you avoid something worse. It puts the amount and a date on paper, calmly, and stops the subject poisoning every gathering. Most people pay, or propose a plan, at this point.
The evidence decides. A message saying it would be repaid, a bank reference, a plan mentioned once — that is a loan. Courts look at what was said at the time.
Then the letter asks when. 14 days to pay or propose instalments. A plan you can hold them to beats an open-ended promise.
There rarely is, in families. A loan is a contract whether or not it was written down; what matters is the evidence that repayment was expected.
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 really send a legal letter to a family member?
Yes, and it is often the least damaging option: it states the amount and a deadline once, in writing, and takes the argument out of every phone call. Many family loans are repaid, or put on a plan, at this stage.
Nothing was written down. Do I have a case?
A loan doesn't need paperwork; it needs evidence that repayment was expected. Messages from the time, a bank reference, a plan you both mentioned — the letter sets these out.
They say it was a gift.
Then the evidence decides. If the money was for something specific and repayment was mentioned at any point, that usually points to a loan. Money given with no strings at a wedding or a birthday is different.
Is there a time limit?
Generally six years from when repayment was due, or from the last acknowledgement or part-payment. A "sorry, I'll sort it" message can restart the clock.
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.
Time to put it in writing?
Tell us what happened. The letter before action is written free and shown to you today — calm, factual, with a date.
Write the letter — free →