Debt recovery · Czechia and Slovakia
Out-of-court debt recovery
We take over all communication with the debtor. Reminders on a lawyer's letterhead, regular emails and SMS messages, telephone calls and instalment negotiations. A sequence that becomes firmer at each step while you focus on your business. We monitor the debtor continuously and you receive an overview of every step. No claim until one is truly needed; when it is, we tell you in time.
- Reminders by letter, email and SMS
- Lawyer registered with both Czech and Slovak Bars
- Ongoing reporting and deadline monitoring
What we'll do for you
Systematic out-of-court collection from taking over communication to agreeing payment, for an individual claim or a regular client's portfolio.
Select an item to see the details.
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Taking over communication with the debtor
From the day we take over, the debtor communicates with a lawyer rather than with you. The tone and weight of every message change, and you stop spending time chasing payment.
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Escalating sequence of reminders
Reminders on a lawyer's letterhead, emails and SMS messages at set intervals. Each further step is firmer, from a reminder to a final deadline before court, with default interest calculated.
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Telephone calls and payment negotiations
We speak directly with the debtor about a payment date, instalment plan or settlement. We conduct negotiations so that every promise ends up in writing, rather than remaining a telephone conversation.
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Debt acknowledgement with safeguards and settlement agreement
We link agreed instalments to a written debt acknowledgement and an acceleration clause on default. If the debtor stops paying, you have a substantially stronger position in court.
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Debtor monitoring
We continuously monitor the debtor in commercial, enforcement and insolvency registers. If insolvency appears, we change strategy immediately: timely lodging of the claim matters, rather than another reminder.
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Ongoing reporting
At agreed intervals, you receive an overview of every claim: what we did, how the debtor responded and the next step we recommend. For a batch of claims, one report covers the entire portfolio.
Deliverabledebtor communication taken over, a reminder sequence underway and an outcome: payment, an instalment plan backed by a debt acknowledgement, or timely advice to go to court
How it works
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- Handover of the claimday 0
Send us the documents and debtor contact details. No sorting is needed; we go through them together.
- Assessment and reminder plantypically within 24 h
We check the claim, limitation deadlines and the debtor's register status, and propose the timing and tone of the sequence, from a polite reminder to a final demand.
- Reminder sequence
Letters, emails, SMS messages and telephone calls follow the plan. If the debtor responds, we negotiate payment or instalments backed by a debt acknowledgement with safeguards. You receive ongoing reports.
- Outcome or escalation
The matter ends with payment or agreement. If the debtor does not respond, limitation approaches or insolvency appears, we recommend court recovery in good time, seamlessly and without delay.
Not every claim belongs in court. If the debtor is communicating, the business relationship matters to you or the claim is smaller than the costs of litigation, the fastest route to payment is often systematic out-of-court pressure: regular, professional and documented. We take over all of that work, from the first reminder on a lawyer’s letterhead through emails, SMS messages and telephone calls to instalment negotiations and a debt acknowledgement with safeguards.
What the reminder sequence looks like
We tailor the sequence to the debtor and the history of the debt. It generally starts with a factual reminder and becomes firmer at each step: a letter on a lawyer’s letterhead with default interest calculated, email and SMS reminders between letters, and a telephone call where writing is not enough. The debtor sees that the debt will not be forgotten and that inaction only makes it grow. We record every step. If the matter does end up in court, the entire reminder history works in your favour.
An honest view of the limits of out-of-court recovery
Reminders alone generally do not stop the limitation period from running. For Czech obligations, an agreement to conduct out-of-court negotiations may affect its running under Section 647 of the Civil Code. The out-of-court route also has limited effect where the debtor refuses to communicate and has no assets available for enforcement. Alongside reminders, we therefore monitor limitation deadlines and the debtor’s entries in enforcement and insolvency registers. When the out-of-court route stops making sense, we recommend court recovery, most often through a payment order or, in a disputed matter, a claim. The full range of routes and how we choose between them is explained on our debt recovery page.
No-obligation enquiry
Ready to start?
Send us an enquiry. We usually reply within 24 hours with a price confirmation and next steps. The first 30-minute consultation is free and commits you to nothing.
- 1Send your enquiry via this form
- 2Usually within 24 h you get a price confirmation and plan
- 3We start work only after your approval
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What clients ask
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How does out-of-court recovery differ from a letter before action?
A letter before action is one letter setting a final deadline: a strong but one-off step before court proceedings. Out-of-court recovery is an ongoing process. A lawyer takes over communication and runs a regular sequence of reminders, calls and negotiations until the debt is resolved. It suits cases where you do not want to go to court yet and want persistent but professional pressure towards payment.
Why does a lawyer's reminder work better than my own?
It tells the debtor that the matter has moved beyond business correspondence: a lawyer is handling it, the debt is growing with default interest and court proceedings may be next. Payment priorities also matter: creditors who issue regular, professional reminders tend to be higher on the debtor's payment list than those who chase once a quarter.
Do reminders stop limitation from running?
Reminders alone generally do not stop the limitation period from running. For Czech obligations, however, an agreement to conduct out-of-court negotiations may suspend the limitation period under Section 647 of the Civil Code. Acknowledgement of debt and filing in court have their own effects, which we assess under the applicable law. We therefore monitor deadlines continuously, actively seek a debt acknowledgement during negotiations and recommend a payment order or claim in good time while the claim remains protected.
What if the debtor proposes instalments?
Instalments are often the fastest route to payment, but only if properly structured. We prepare an instalment plan linked to a written debt acknowledgement and an acceleration clause. If the agreed and statutory conditions are met, the entire outstanding balance may be claimed. Special restrictions apply to consumer obligations. The acknowledgement strengthens the evidential position in any subsequent court recovery.
Can you take over several claims or ongoing collection?
Yes, that is exactly what this service is designed for. We take over batches of claims against different debtors and ongoing collection for regular clients. You hand over new claims continuously and receive one regular report for the entire portfolio. We agree the approach and price in advance according to the number and nature of claims.
What if the debtor becomes insolvent?
The strategy changes immediately. Individual reminders no longer make sense against an insolvent debtor: timely lodging of the claim in insolvency or bankruptcy proceedings is decisive. That is why we monitor debtors continuously in registers, so you are not the last to learn of insolvency. We do not promise recovery beyond our control; we promise that you will not miss a deadline.
Legal Q&A
Common questions on this topic
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When and where may we contact a debtor who is a consumer?
Anyone recovering a contractual claim in their own name or for a creditor must not visit a consumer or their close persons at home or work without prior express consent. Contact or harassment of any kind is prohibited on Saturdays, days of rest and, on other days, between 18:00 and 08:00 the next day. These prohibitions do not apply to the professional activities of enforcement officers, lawyers and notaries.
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The debtor wants instalments. How should an acknowledgement and payment schedule protect us?
Prepare a written acknowledgement precisely identifying the debt and an instalment schedule with an acceleration clause. Under the Commercial Code, acknowledgement creates a presumption that the obligation exists to the acknowledged extent and starts a new four-year limitation period; the clause allows the full debt to be made due on the first missed instalment. However, acceleration must be exercised no later than the due date of the next instalment, and stricter rules apply to consumers.
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The debtor has sent only part of the debt. What will its payment be allocated to?
What matters first is whether the debtor specified what the payment was for. If not, then between businesses the Commercial Code allocates the payment first to interest and only then to the principal, whereas the Civil Code does the opposite and starts with the principal. With several invoices, under the Commercial Code the payment goes first to the one that is least secured and only then to the one that fell due first; where the contract is governed by Czech law, priority goes to the invoice for which you have already sent the debtor a reminder. It is therefore worth agreeing the order in writing in the instalment schedule.
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Further reading
When to end out-of-court recovery: five signals that it is time to go to court
Reminders and negotiations about instalments are often the quickest route to the money, but not indefinitely. Five situations in which further reminders harm the creditor, and how to set escalation rules where there are dozens of debtors at once.
Read more →
Debt acknowledgement in a notarial deed: enforcement without a claim, and its limits
An acknowledgement of debt reverses the burden of proof, yet if the debtor stops paying you must still sue. A notarial deed with consent to enforceability skips that stage. What it must contain, what cannot be recovered through it and how it works with a Czech debtor.
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Acknowledgement of debt under Slovak and Czech law: three regimes, three different outcomes
A written acknowledgement of debt reverses the burden of proof and extends limitation, but not to the same extent everywhere. We compare the Slovak civil and commercial regimes with the Czech one and show what to bear in mind when negotiating instalments with a debtor.
Read more →