5 minutes. £0 to start.

Answer a few questions and walk away with a draft Letter Before Action that complies with the Pre-Action Protocol for Debt Claims (or the Practice Direction on Pre-Action Conduct).

Builder / tradesperson

What kind of dispute is it?

Pick the closest match — we will tailor the letter to the right pre-action protocol.

Who is the Letter Before Action from and to?

Use full legal names. For a company, use the registered name (e.g. "Acme Builders Ltd").

For a limited company, use the registered office address (find it free on Companies House).

The sum claimed, and the dates the obligation arose and fell due.

Small claims jurisdiction is up to £10,000.

e.g. invoice date or purchase date.

In plain English. We'll fold it into the formal LBA.

Phone calls, emails, ignored letters, anything you've tried already.

The remedy you're seeking, the deadline you're giving, and whether to claim statutory interest.

Default is 14 days from today — the minimum reasonable period under the pre-action protocols. The Debt Claims protocol requires 30 days for individual debtors; consider extending if the recipient is an individual rather than a business.

Include 8% statutory interest

Under section 69 of the County Courts Act 1984. Standard practice for all small claims unless interest is already provided for by contract.

Your Letter Before Action draft

A protocol-compliant starting point. Sign up for the full case build to refine the wording, attach evidence, and unlock the N1 / MCOL particulars builder if you have to issue.

Sent the letter already and the deadline expired?

On this browser, your answers carry across to the N1 claim form builder — parties, amount, dates and facts already filled in. The builder is part of Small Claims Preparation, £49.

Want the full case, not just a letter?

The £49 plan gives you: the refined letter with your evidence in it, the N1 and particulars builder, a defence builder if they claim against you, document storage and a deadline tracker. The AI Case Companion comes with the £119 plan, not this one. You keep 100% of any award.

Small Claims — Free Intake

5 minutes. £0 to start.

Your answers are saved in your browser only. Nothing is sent to our servers until you sign up for the full case build.

Not legal advice. Start My Claim is document-assembly software that produces a draft Letter Before Action from the details you enter; it does not create a solicitor–client relationship. Review everything carefully before sending, and for high-value or complex disputes consider taking independent legal advice.