Landlord services guide
Tenant tracing and unpaid rent: the lawful route and the firms
How to find a former tenant who owes rent without breaking the law, the court route and its fees in England and Wales, and nine tracing, collection, legal and enforcement firms with the fees each publishes, read on its own site on 25 October 2026. Listed A to Z, not ranked. LetCompliance, the software that runs the let and keeps the rent ledger a claim is built on, is set out first and is not a collection agency.
- Reviewed
- Editor
- Erdem Volkan
- Firms
- 9, A to Z
LetCompliance, the publisher’s own software
Runs the let beside every firm here
Landlord software for the whole let: adverts and applications, the tenancy and its signatures, rent and Direct Debit, arrears and the Section 8 notice, repairs, deposits, certificates and Making Tax Digital for UK property income.
From £7.99 a month for one property.
Start with the address: a claim form goes to the tenant’s usual or last known home, and if you have reason to believe they have left it you must take reasonable steps to find where they live now (Civil Procedure Rules, rule 6.9). Issuing the claim costs £35 to £455 up to £10,000, and a county court warrant of control £96 (GOV.UK, updated 13 July 2026). Each month’s rent can be claimed for six years from the day it fell due (Limitation Act 1980, section 19). A tenant trace costs a private landlord £46.80 including VAT at Nationwide Tracing, refunded if no current address is found; Vilcol charges £45 + VAT for an automated trace and £225 + VAT for a doorstep trace. LetCompliance runs the let the claim comes from: every rent charge and payment on record, and a statement for each former tenant who still owes. From £7.99 a month for one property.
LetCompliance, the publisher’s own software
What LetCompliance does beside a tracing or collection firm
A firm finds the tenant, brings the claim or enforces the judgment. LetCompliance runs the let the debt comes from, so what is owed, when each rent fell due and what was paid are on record, dated, when the firm or the court asks.
The rent ledger, charge by charge
Rent is raised on each tenancy’s rent day, and every payment, part payment and missed rent is recorded against it, so the date each rent fell due, the day its six-year clock starts, is on record.
On every plan
Former tenants who still owe
The rent page lists former tenants with a balance, each with a statement: month by month, what was charged, what was paid and the balance carried forward.
On paid plans and the trial
The last details you held
Past tenants stay on the tenants page with the email, phone and tenancy dates you held, and the guarantor on the tenancy, so a trace starts from what you already know.
On every plan
The guarantee and the deposit
The guarantee deed, drafted and sent from the tenancy, and each deposit with its scheme and protection date, kept with the tenancy the debt came from.
On every plan
The bundle, when possession came first
Where a possession case was brought, one zip with a numbered index: the notice as sent, the rent ledger, the agreement, the deposit protection and Prescribed Information, and a list of what the record does not hold.
On every paid plan, not in the trial
What it does not do. LetCompliance does not trace tenants, act as a collection agency or make visits, and it does not issue claims or enforce judgments. It is not a law firm and gives no legal advice: the ledger and statements are records for you, a firm or the court to work from.
LetCompliance publishes this guide and is landlord software. It is not one of the firms compared below and is not ranked against them.
Plans are one price for each size of portfolio, never a charge per property, a month: £7.99 for 1 property, £14.99 for up to 3, £19 for up to 10, £29 for up to 20 and £49 for any number. Every new landlord account starts with a 3-day trial and no card.
First, the address
Find the tenant lawfully
- A claim form is served on an individual at their usual or last known home. If you have reason to believe the tenant no longer lives there, you must take reasonable steps to find their current address. If you cannot, consider another place or method of service, which needs the court’s permission, and only then use the last known address (Civil Procedure Rules, rules 6.9 and 6.15).
- Start with what you hold: the forwarding address and contact details the tenant gave, and the guarantor named in the deed.
- The open register, a version of the electoral register, is available to anyone who buys a copy. People can opt out of it, so a name missing from it proves nothing (GOV.UK).
- It is an offence knowingly or recklessly to obtain personal data without the consent of the controller, the organisation responsible for it (Data Protection Act 2018, section 170). Ask a tracing firm where its data comes from before you instruct it.
- Chasing must not become harassment. To make someone pay a contract debt, it is an offence to harass them with demands that by their frequency, manner or publicity are calculated to cause them or their family or household alarm, distress or humiliation, to say falsely that criminal proceedings lie for not paying, or to pose as someone with official authority to collect it (Administration of Justice Act 1970, section 40).
Then, the court
The letter of claim, the claim and its fees
- The Pre-Action Protocol for Debt Claims applies to any business, sole traders included, claiming a debt from an individual; it does not say whether a private landlord counts as one. The letter of claim, sent by post, gives the amount, whether interest or charges continue, the agreement, how to pay and an up-to-date statement of account, with the protocol’s information sheet, reply form and financial statement. If there is no reply within 30 days of the date at the top of the letter, proceedings may start, and the court takes a failure to follow the protocol into account (Pre-Action Protocol for Debt Claims, paragraphs 1.1, 3.1, 3.3, 3.4 and 7.1).
- If you are unsure whether the protocol applies to you, the court still expects a letter before you issue: concise details of the claim and how the figure is worked out, and a reasonable time to reply, 14 days in a straightforward case (Practice Direction on Pre-Action Conduct and Protocols, paragraph 6).
- If the tenant replies that they are getting debt advice, allow a reasonable time for it, and do not start proceedings less than 30 days after the completed reply form arrives, or after you send any documents they asked for, whichever is later (paragraph 4.2).
- Issuing a money claim: £35 up to £300, £50 up to £500, £70 up to £1,000, £80 up to £1,500, £115 up to £3,000, £205 up to £5,000 and £455 up to £10,000; then 5% of the claim up to £200,000, and £10,000 above that. The fee is on the amount claimed plus interest, and online and paper claims cost the same. Money Claim Online takes claims up to £99,999.99 (GOV.UK, civil court fees (EX50), updated 13 July 2026; money claim fees).
- If the tenant does not respond by the date the court gives, ask the court for judgment: online if you claimed online, or on form N225 for a fixed amount claimed on paper. Enforcement comes after judgment (GOV.UK).
- If the tenant defends and the claim goes to a small claims hearing: £27 to £346 by value; on the fast track, £619.
- Enforcing the judgment: a warrant of control for the county court bailiffs £96, and £38 for a further attempt at a new address; an attachment of earnings order £139 for each defendant; an order to obtain information £69 (£139 more for bailiff service of it); a third-party debt order £139; a charging order £139; a High Court writ of control £82.
- Against goods, a county court judgment for less than £600 is enforced only in the county court, one of £5,000 or more only in the High Court, and one in between in either (High Court and County Courts Jurisdiction Order 1991, article 8). Form N323 asks the county court for a warrant; N293A is the High Court route (GOV.UK).
- High Court enforcement officers’ fees are set by law and paid by the debtor: £79 at the compliance stage, £200 plus 7.5% of the sum over £1,200 at the first enforcement stage, £520 at the second, and £550 plus 7.5% over £1,200 at sale, from 1 May 2026 (Taking Control of Goods (Fees) Regulations 2014, Schedule, Table 2, as substituted by S.I. 2026/366; enforcement action taken before that date is not affected). If the writ recovers nothing, The Sheriffs Office’s terms charge the creditor the £79 compliance fee plus VAT.
On the way
The six-year limit, Breathing Space and the FCA
- Each rent has its own six-year clock: no action to recover arrears of rent can be brought more than six years after the date on which they became due (Limitation Act 1980, section 19).
- Once a breathing space has started, you, and anyone acting for you, must not start a court claim against the tenant, ask for a default judgment on a money claim, contact the tenant to ask for payment without the court’s permission, or take any enforcement action against them or anyone jointly liable for the debt. Rent arrears are among the debts it covers, and a standard one lasts up to 60 days. If you are told of one, tell any firm you have instructed (Insolvency Service, Breathing Space guidance for creditors, updated 9 June 2023).
- Taking steps to procure payment of a debt due under a credit agreement or a consumer hire agreement is an FCA-regulated activity (Regulated Activities Order 2001, article 39F; FCA Perimeter Guidance, PERG 2.7). Neither text mentions rent. A plan that lets the tenant pay arrears over time can itself be credit, which the Order defines to include any other form of financial accommodation (article 60L), so take advice before agreeing a long plan or one with interest or charges.
Listed A to Z, not ranked
Nine tracing, collection, legal and enforcement firms, A to Z
Fees as each firm’s own page showed them on 25 October 2026, with VAT as the page states it. Tracing, collection, claims and enforcement are different jobs with different fee models: a fixed fee for each step, a commission on what is recovered, no find no fee, or enforcement fees the debtor pays.
| Firm | What it offers | Published fees (read 25 October 2026) | Regulator, as stated | Company (Companies House) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Court Enforcement Services | High Court enforcement of county court judgments over £600, transferring them up to the High Court, for commercial and residential landlords, as its site says. |
Read on courtenforcementservices.co.uk | Not stated on the page read. | COURT ENFORCEMENT SERVICES LTD, 08397825 Incorporated 11 February 2013. |
| Frontline Collections | Collection of unpaid rent and other sums a tenant was liable for, from current and former tenants and guarantors: letters, calls, visits by its collection officers, debtor tracing and insolvency demands. |
| Federal Management Ltd is on the FCA’s published list of firms with debt collecting or debt administration permission at 2 April 2024, as firm 692583 (FCA). The live register was not checked. | FEDERAL MANAGEMENT LTD, 05292720 Incorporated 22 November 2004. Found on the register by name: the pages read give no company number. Its footer says Frontline Collections is a division of Federal Management Ltd; this is the company of that name in Skelmersdale. |
| JustClaim | Prepares the court documents for people bringing their own claim: the letter before action, the claim form, a request for default judgment and the enforcement forms. |
Read on justclaim.co.uk/pricing | Not stated on the page read. | THE CLAIM IS JUST LTD, 17120706 Incorporated 27 March 2026. |
| Landlord Action | Tracing, letters, money claims and enforcement for landlords at fixed fees, beside its eviction work. |
Read on landlordaction.co.uk/debt-recovery and its instruct page | SRA 605660, licensed body since 1 October 2013 (SRA register, read 24 October 2026). | Incorporated 14 May 2012. |
| LegalforLandlords | Address tracing, small claims and enforcement for landlords, beside its eviction and insurance services. |
| Its site says it is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority, FRN 528518 (authorised since 1 April 2011 on the FCA register, read 24 October 2026). | LEGALFORLANDLORDS LTD, 06957943 Incorporated 9 July 2009. |
| Levi Solicitors | Rent arrears claims for landlords, on a fixed fee for many claims, as its page says. |
| States that it is regulated by the Solicitors Regulation Authority: SRA 440411. | Incorporated 24 November 2005. |
| Nationwide Tracing Services | Address, tenant and debtor tracing, with no find, no fee, no prepayment for business customers and results guaranteed for 60 days, as its site says; five working days as standard. |
Read on nationwidetracing.co.uk/tenant-tracing; its prices page says prices are being adjusted and points to each service page. | States that it abides by the Credit Services Association guidelines. | NATIONWIDE TRACING SERVICES LTD, 09376215 Incorporated 6 January 2015. Found on the register by name: the pages read give no company number. The company of that name at the Solihull address in its footer. |
| The Sheriffs Office | High Court enforcement of judgments for rent arrears, including against assets away from the property, and evictions under a writ. |
Read on thesheriffsoffice.com/landlords and its terms | States that it is accredited by the Enforcement Conduct Board; not checked on the board’s register. | Incorporated 9 November 2007. Its terms name SHCE Limited, trading as The Sheriffs Office. |
| Vilcol | Debtor tracing: an automated trace, an in-depth trace and a doorstep trace, with a no trace, no fee guarantee on almost all its services, as its site says. |
Read on vilcol.com, debtor tracing | No regulator’s register number is given on the pages read. | Incorporated 20 July 2016. Found on the register by name: the pages read give no company number. The company of that name at the Surbiton address in its footer. |
Before you choose
What to check
Which job you are paying for
A trace finds an address, a collector asks for payment, a solicitor or a claim service brings the claim, and an enforcement officer acts on a judgment. Some firms do several; price each step.
Where the data comes from
Ask a tracing firm what sources it uses and what you pay if it finds nothing. Several here publish no find, no fee.
What is in the fee
Some totals include VAT and the court fee, and some add them. Compare the figure in all, not the headline.
Whether it can be paid
A judgment against someone with no income or assets may recover nothing. Ask what the firm can find out about employment or property before you pay for enforcement.
Before you rely on this page
This page is not legal advice. It sets out the rules as the official texts read on 25 October 2026, and what each firm publishes, read the same day; fees change. Get the scope and the fee in writing before you instruct anyone.
Check a solicitor on the SRA register and a firm’s permissions on the FCA register. No link on this page earns LetCompliance a fee.
Method
How this page was put together
- Fees: each firm’s own pages, read on 25 October 2026, without making an account, booking anything or asking for a quote. Every fee is given as the page gave it, with VAT as the page states it, and a fee a page does not publish is marked as not published.
- Companies: Companies House for the company behind each firm, read the same day. Where a firm’s pages give no company number, the company found on the register under the name it gives or trades as is shown, and the cell says so; where none could be matched, the cell says that too.
- Regulators and memberships: as a register shows them where the line names the register and the day it was read, and otherwise in the firm’s own words. A membership a firm states has not been confirmed with the body unless the line says so.
- Not ranked: the firms are listed A to Z. Nothing was bought or tried; this is a desk comparison of published pages and public registers. Any link that pays LetCompliance a fee is marked Sponsored; the links here go to the pages that were read.
- LetCompliance publishes this guide and makes landlord software. It is set out first because it is the publisher’s own product, and it is not compared with the firms.
Official sources read
- Civil Procedure Rules, Part 6 (rules 6.9 and 6.15)
- GOV.UK: the open register
- Data Protection Act 2018, section 170
- Administration of Justice Act 1970, section 40
- Pre-Action Protocol for Debt Claims (Ministry of Justice)
- Practice Direction on Pre-Action Conduct and Protocols
- GOV.UK: civil court fees (EX50), updated 13 July 2026
- GOV.UK: after you make your claim
- GOV.UK: enforce a judgment
- High Court and County Courts Jurisdiction Order 1991, article 8
- Taking Control of Goods (Fees) Regulations 2014, Schedule
- Taking Control of Goods (Miscellaneous Amendments) Regulations 2026 (S.I. 2026/366), regulation 1
- Limitation Act 1980, section 19
- Insolvency Service: Breathing Space guidance for creditors
- Regulated Activities Order 2001, article 39F
- FCA Perimeter Guidance, PERG 2.7
- FCA: debt collection and debt administration firms, April 2024
- Companies House: each company named above
FAQs
Questions landlords ask
How do I trace a former tenant who owes rent?
Start with what you hold: the forwarding address and contact details they gave, and the guarantor in the deed. Anyone can buy the open register, though people can opt out of it. A tracing firm can search further; ask where its data comes from, because knowingly or recklessly obtaining personal data without the consent of the organisation responsible for it is an offence. A tenant trace costs a private landlord £46.80 including VAT at Nationwide Tracing, paid in advance and refunded if no current address is found (business customers from £30 + VAT); a residential address trace is £109 at Landlord Action and £130.80 at LegalforLandlords, each including VAT, and Vilcol’s doorstep trace is £225 + VAT.
Can I make a claim if I do not know where the tenant lives now?
A claim form goes to their usual or last known home. If you have reason to believe they have left it, the Civil Procedure Rules ask you to take reasonable steps to find their current address; if that fails, consider another place or method of service with the court’s permission, and only then serve at the last known address.
How long do I have to claim unpaid rent?
Six years from the date each rent fell due (Limitation Act 1980, section 19). Each month has its own clock, so the oldest months run out first.
How much does it cost to claim unpaid rent through the court?
The issue fee is £35 for a claim up to £300, rising to £455 for one up to £10,000, and 5% above that (GOV.UK, updated 13 July 2026). A county court warrant of control costs £96 and an attachment of earnings order £139. Firms here charge £360 including VAT, plus the court fee, for an online claim (Landlord Action), and £658.80 including VAT to start small claims proceedings (LegalforLandlords; its page does not say whether the court fee is included); JustClaim prepares the claim form for £39 to £99 plus the court fee if you bring it yourself.
Does a firm collecting rent arrears need FCA authorisation?
Taking steps to procure payment of a debt due under a credit agreement or a consumer hire agreement is an FCA-regulated activity; article 39F of the Regulated Activities Order and the FCA’s perimeter guidance on it (PERG 2.7) do not mention rent. A repayment plan can itself be credit, so take advice before agreeing a long plan or one with interest or charges, and check a firm’s permissions on the FCA register.
Does LetCompliance trace tenants or recover debts?
No. LetCompliance is the software that runs the let: it keeps every rent charge and payment, a statement for each former tenant who still owes, the details you held and the guarantor, so a firm or the court has the record. It does not trace anyone, act as a collection agency or enforce a judgment.
