The MAR Legal Blog

The Late Payment of Commercial Debts (Interest) Act 1998 gives a business the right to charge interest, and a fixed sum towards its recovery costs, when another business pays late. It applies in most business-to-business contracts, but your own payment terms can change the position, and a new Bill is working its way through Parliament….

How long can a debt be chased? In England and Wales, most business debts can only be pursued in court for six years. After that, the debt still exists, but the creditor can no longer use a court claim to recover it, and a debtor who raises the point will usually win. The detail matters,…

The new debt collection laws in the UK that took effect in 2026 change how a business recovers a debt, and one major Bill is still on its way. The biggest change already in force is longer notice before enforcement agents can take control of a debtor’s goods. The biggest change still to come is…

Debtor tracing means finding a business or trading individual that owes you money when you no longer have a working address or contact. It matters because most formal steps, from a letter before action to serving court documents, need a current address. This guide explains how to tell whether a debtor has gone, what to…

When a customer stops paying, the instinct is to chase harder or write the invoice off. Neither is a plan. Debt recovery for small business works best as a short sequence: check the debt, chase it, add what the law lets you add, send a formal letter, and only then decide whether a bigger step…

If you keep doing work for the same client, or keep buying from the same supplier, negotiating a full contract every time slows everything down. A master service agreement fixes that. You agree the legal terms once, and each new piece of work is ordered underneath them. This guide explains what a master service agreement…

A statutory demand is a formal written demand for payment of a debt, issued under the Insolvency Act 1986. If the debtor does not pay or agree terms within 21 days, you can apply to bankrupt an individual or wind up a company. It is a powerful way to prompt payment of a clear debt,…

Business relationships rarely stand still. Prices move, suppliers change, projects grow, and the deal you signed two years ago stops matching how you work together. A contract variation is how you bring the written terms back in line with reality, without tearing up the agreement and starting again. Done properly, a variation of contract is…

A letter before action is the formal letter you send to a debtor before starting a court claim. It sets out what is owed, why it is owed and the date by which you expect payment. If you are chasing an unpaid invoice, it is usually the last step before court, and getting it right…

If you run a professional practice, consultancy or service business, you may use the term ‘terms of business’ rather than ‘terms and conditions’ to describe the document that governs how you engage with clients. This guide explains what a terms of business agreement typically covers, how it differs from consumer-facing terms and conditions, and what…

If you have come across a non-compete clause, a non-solicitation restriction, or a similar term in an employment contract, shareholder agreement or the sale of a business, you are dealing with a restrictive covenant. This guide explains what these clauses do, when they are enforceable under UK law, and what businesses and individuals should check…