Letter to complain about a loan

This advice applies to England. See advice for See advice for Northern Ireland, See advice for Scotland, See advice for Wales

If you have a problem with a loan you can use this letter to complain - you can use it for most types of loans.

Don’t use this letter to complain about a mortgage or hire purchase agreement. You can talk to an adviser instead.

You can use this letter to complain about different kinds of problems with a loan - you should explain your situation. For example, if:

  • you think your lender shouldn’t have given you the loan

  • your lender didn’t explain the terms and conditions

  • you’ve had problems paying it back because your lender won’t accept your offer or freeze interest 

Making a complaint will show your lender what they have done wrong and help make sure they follow the rules in the future.

You can also ask your lender to put things right - for example, by agreeing a more reasonable repayment plan and freezing interest and charges. If they don’t put things right, you can find out how to complain to the Financial Ombudsman Service on the Financial Ombudsman Service website.

This template is to be used for guidance and may not suit your specific situation. If you need more detailed advice and guidance, you can talk to an adviser.

Check if your creditor can still take action against you

Your creditors have a limited time to take you to court to repay a debt. For most debts, the time limit is 6 years. The time limit restarts if you write to your creditor or make a payment. If it’s a joint debt, this includes if the other person makes a payment. 

If you haven’t got court papers after 6 years, your debt becomes ‘statute barred’ - this means your creditor can’t take court action to get their money back. 

Don’t use this letter if:

  • it’s been over 6 years, because they might not be able to force you to pay

  • it will soon be 6 years, because contacting them might restart the time limit

Check if the time limit has passed or will pass soon. If you’re not sure, talk to an adviser.

Sam Hoolin

8 Park Avenue
Arlton
AL1 4CA

sam123@mail.com

01632 960001

Giltham Loans

24 Station Road
Giltham
GT16 3LP

28 March 2024

To whom it may concern,

Account No: 12345678

Account name: Sam K Hoolin

I would like to make a complaint against your company. The details are set out below.

On 20 November 2022 I took out a loan of £1000 with you.

You did not check that I could afford to pay back the loan when I took it out. My only income is £50 a week from Universal Credit and I pay £30 a week maintenance for my children. I also have other bills to pay and food to buy. I've never been able to afford to pay back what I owe.

I contacted you to say I feel you shouldn't have given me the loan. You didn't ask about my other bills or check if I could afford to pay you back. You just told me I'd passed a credit check and would have to pay the loan back.

Taking out the loan means I can't afford to keep up with my maintenance payments and my ex-partner won't let me see the children.

What I would like you to do is to write off the debt, as I feel you shouldn't have given me the loan in the first place.

If you fail to resolve my complaint within 8 weeks, or if matters are not settled to my satisfaction, I will have no alternative but to refer my complaint to the Financial Ombudsman Service.

I look forward to hearing from you.

Yours faithfully,

Sam Hoolin

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Page last reviewed on 24 March 2021