They've got your stuff. They won't hand it back.
You left it with them in good faith — to store, to borrow, to look after. Now the answer is always 'next week'. Property stays yours wherever it is; a letter before action puts a date on its return, or its value. Written free, today.
If your messages look like this…
Two ticks. No reply. The van's still outside their house.
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 someone keeps your belongings
In England and Wales your property stays yours wherever it is. Someone who has it and refuses to return it on request may be liable in conversion, and the remedy is return of the goods or their value. A clear written demand is the first step — and the letter is that demand.
Case lawBailment and conversion — keeping someone else's propertyHolding on to goods that belong to someone else may be actionable.
Where one person is entrusted with another's goods, or simply has them, and refuses to return them on request, the law of bailment and the tort of conversion may allow the owner to demand their return or their value. Courts typically ask whose the goods are, whether return was demanded, and what they are worth.
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.
Leaving things somewhere doesn't hand them over. Property stays yours until you give it away. A written demand for its return — the letter — is what the law looks for.
The letter fixes a date and a method. Hand them over by then, or pay their value. Not answering is what turns this into a claim.
Two separate things. If they think you owe them, they can claim it; holding your belongings hostage is not a lawful way to collect a debt.
Then the letter claims their value. Disposing of someone else's property is conversion; the remedy is what it was worth.
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 force them to return my things?
A court can order the return of specific items or, more usually, payment of their value. The first step the court expects is a written demand with a deadline — the letter.
Do I need proof the items are mine?
It helps a lot. Receipts, photos of the items in your possession, messages referring to them as yours. For everyday belongings the presumption is usually with the person who bought and used them.
They say I owe them money so they're keeping my stuff.
Those are two separate claims. Keeping your property is not a lawful way to collect a debt; if they think you owe them, that is for them to claim.
What are my things worth for the claim?
Their value now — replacement cost for what you have to buy again, or resale value for the rest. The letter lists them with a figure each.
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 don't have your things back?
Tell us what they have. The letter before action is written free and shown to you today; posting it and watching the deadline is £15.
Write the letter — free →