Public Sector Debt Recovery

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Every pound of uncollected debt is a pound unavailable for vital services. However, public bodies, including local authorities, rightly hold their collection partners to a higher standard than the private sector: residents are not just debtors; their vulnerabilities must be identified and respected. Additionally, every action taken must withstand audit, FOI, and member scrutiny. Recovia is designed to operate at that ethical standard of debt collection.

Who we work with

Local authorities · NHS trusts and health boards · housing associations and ALMOs · central government bodies · universities and colleges.

What we recover

•  National Non-Domestic Rates (business rates) arrears

•  Sundry debt and commercial income — trade waste, markets, licensing, facilities

•  Housing rent arrears for current and former tenants

•  Adult social care contributions

•  NHS income recovery: private patient, overseas visitor, and salary overpayments

•  Invoice and contract debt of every kind

How we work with public bodies

•  Ethical debt collection as standard — We have a fair collections and vulnerability policy that identifies vulnerabilities at every contact point, signposts to free advice (Citizens Advice, StepChange), and prohibits doorstep activity on accounts flagged for vulnerability.

•  Audit-ready by design — Every action taken on every case is logged and reportable. Complaint volumes are tracked and shared as management information.

•  No recovery, no recovery fee on suitable cases — This is our core model for public sector debt recovery. Fixed-fee and hybrid structures are available for framework and contract work when preferred.

•  Data protection by design — We are ICO registered (ZC115879); data processing agreements are standard; UK data residency is ensured; secure transfer arrangements are in place for case data.

•  Management information — Monthly performance reporting includes collection rates, case ageing, contact outcomes, and complaint tracking.

Procurement & tenders

We actively engage in public sector procurement, including Crown Commercial Service frameworks, and we respond to tenders and quick quotes throughout the UK. Our compliance pack, addressing anti-bribery, modern slavery, AML, client money, complaints, and privacy documentation, is available on our Legal & Compliance page. Furthermore, our procurement team can provide DPA templates and policy documents upon request.

Frequently asked questions

Do you recover NHS debts? Yes. We work with NHS trusts and health boards on private patient charges, overseas visitor charges and salary overpayments, as well as invoice and contract debt.

How do you protect vulnerable residents and patients? Our fair collections and vulnerability policy identifies vulnerability at every contact point, signposts people to free advice such as Citizens Advice and StepChange, and prohibits doorstep activity on any account flagged for vulnerability.

How is public sector debt recovery priced? Our core model is no collection, no fee on suitable cases. Fixed-fee and hybrid structures are available for framework and contract work.

Related: Our Services · Debtor Tracing · Legal and Compliance · Contact Us