Letter from Opos? Read this before you reply

A letter from Opos Limited typically relates to a debt the original creditor still owns. Opos Limited is a Glasgow-based contingent collector — Scottish headquarters but UK-wide work — chasing accounts for telecoms providers, utility companies, finance lenders and other consumer-credit creditors. They don’t usually buy debt portfolios; they collect on a fee for the original creditor.

This guide covers who Opos are, what they can legally do, the two checks worth running, and how an IVA legally stops them.

Who Opos Limited are

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Opos Limited is a UK debt-collection business headquartered in Glasgow and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority for consumer-credit collection activity. They operate within the FCA’s Consumer Credit Sourcebook (CONC), the Consumer Credit Act 1974, and the Credit Services Association Code of Practice.

Their client base typically includes:

• Telecoms providers (mobile and broadband)
• Energy and water utilities
• Finance houses and short-term lenders
• Banking and consumer-credit creditors

Because Opos is contingent rather than a debt purchaser, the original creditor still owns the debt in most cases. That means:

• The underlying account remains your account with the original creditor
• Settlement decisions sometimes need to be ratified by the original creditor
• If Opos fails to recover, the file often returns to the lender or is sold on to a debt purchaser like Lowell Financial or Cabot Financial

The first letter you receive should name the original creditor. If it doesn’t, write and ask — under CONC they must tell you.

What Opos can and cannot legally do

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Opos are debt collectors, not bailiffs. They can:

• Write to you and call you on numbers held by the original creditor
• Recommend that the original creditor takes county-court action (or sheriff court action in Scotland)
• After a CCJ or sheriff court decree, support enforcement on behalf of the creditor
• Hand the file back or refer it onward if collection fails

They cannot:

• Force entry to your home
• Take goods (only court-instructed enforcement officers can attempt that, and only after a CCJ or decree)
• Threaten arrest — the matter is civil, not criminal
• Continue contacting you after a written request that they stop
• Add fees not provided for in the original credit agreement

If a field agent ever turns up at your door, you have no legal obligation to speak to them, let them in, or sign anything.

Two checks worth running first

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1. Section 77/78 CCA request. Write to Opos asking for a true copy of the original signed credit agreement and current statement of account. Enclose the £1 statutory fee. They have 12 working days to respond. While they cannot comply, the debt is legally unenforceable in court.
2. Limitation / prescription check. Six years in England and Wales (statute-barred) or five years in Scotland (prescribed) since the last payment or written acknowledgement, with no court action, blocks enforcement. In Scotland a prescribed debt ceases to legally exist; in England a statute-barred debt is unenforceable but still legally exists.

Don’t make a token “goodwill” payment before checking the dates. Even £1 can reset the clock — and the impact differs in Scotland and England.

How Opos tend to operate

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Opos’s typical contact track:

1. Initial letter naming the original creditor and balance
2. Phone calls to numbers held by the lender
3. Settlement offers, sometimes with a discount on older accounts
4. Where collection fails, the account is returned to the creditor or sold to a debt purchaser

Because the underlying account is still with the original creditor, you can sometimes deal directly with them — particularly for utilities and telecoms.

What happens if you ignore Opos

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Ignoring Opos doesn’t make the debt go away. The typical escalation:

1. More letters and calls, often from withheld or 0844 numbers
2. A possible doorstep visit (no enforcement powers at the door)
3. The file passes back to the original creditor or to a debt purchaser
4. The new owner may issue a county-court claim (England) or sheriff court action (Scotland)
5. Default judgment is entered if you don’t respond — sits on your credit file for six years

If a claim form or sheriff court writ arrives, respond before the deadline. Even a holding acknowledgement of service prevents a default judgment.

Routes out

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• Pay the original creditor directly if you can identify them — often the simplest route for telecoms and utilities
• Affordable repayment plan through Opos, based on the Standard Financial Statement, with confirmation in writing
• IVA to combine Opos-handled debt with every other unsecured debt over a 5–6 year term, with the unpaid balance written off at completion. Eligibility starts at £5,000 of total unsecured debt
• Scottish Trust Deed for Scottish residents — the Scottish equivalent of an IVA
• Debt Management Plan for situations where total debt is manageable
• Debt Relief Order for total debt under £50,000 with very low spare income (Minimal Asset Process in Scotland)
• Bankruptcy / sequestration for severe situations with no realistic monthly contribution

Pitfalls when dealing with Opos

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• Don’t ignore the underlying creditor. Settling fully with Opos without confirmation that the debt is closed at the lender’s end can leave a residual balance.
• Don’t make a token payment before checking dates — it can reset the limitation/prescription clock.
• Don’t share bank details by phone unless you have independently verified the line.
• Don’t confuse English and Scottish rules. Limitation, enforcement and insolvency frameworks differ.

Frequently asked questions

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Are Opos bailiffs? No. Opos are debt collectors. They can write, call and occasionally visit, but they cannot force entry or take goods.

Who do Opos collect for? Opos chase on behalf of various UK creditors including telecoms providers, utilities, finance houses and consumer-credit lenders. The first letter should name the original creditor.

Will an IVA include my Opos debt? Yes. The underlying debt is unsecured and goes into an IVA on the same basis as any other unsecured debt. Scottish residents may also consider a Trust Deed.

The debt isn’t mine — what now? Tell Opos in writing that you do not acknowledge the debt and request proof of assignment plus the original agreement under sections 77/78 of the CCA. Until they provide it, the debt is unenforceable. Identity-theft cases should also be reported to Action Fraud.

Related guides

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• Aberdein Considine — Scottish solicitors
• Aberdeen Financial — Scottish lender
• Advantis Credit — contingent collector
• How long can I be chased for a debt?
• How do I apply for an IVA?