An interesting guidance is the Office of Fair Trading's Debt Collection Guidance which can be downloaded from their website.

For example one interesting unfair practice found under section 2.8 Examples of unfair practices are as follows: (k). Not ceasing collection activity whilst investigating a reasonabaly queried or disputed debt.

This could be used if you are challenging a shortfall that may fall under the council of mortgage lenders agreement not to persue a shortfall after 6yrs and that there is a dispute regading whether or not they had or had not made contact. Check it out it also covers areas such as:when and does the guidance apply, Unfair practices of communication, false representation, physical & physchological harrassment, deception, charging for debt collection, debt collectors visits, statute barred debts.

-- jiexu (jiexu@btinternet.com), October 08, 2003