Receiving contact from Link Financial?
A letter or phone call from a company called Link Financial — or its full legal name, Link Financial Outsourcing Limited — often comes as a surprise. Many people receiving their correspondence have not dealt with the original lender for months or even years. Understanding who Link Financial are, what they are entitled to do, and what statutory protections exist is an important starting point for anyone in this situation.
UK Debt Team is not affiliated with Link Financial and this page is not their official website. The information below is drawn from publicly available legislation and GOV.UK guidance, and is intended to set out the factual position for people who want to understand their rights.
Who Is Link Financial Outsourcing?
Link Financial Outsourcing Limited is a debt purchaser and collector operating in the UK. Debt purchasers buy portfolios of consumer credit accounts — credit cards, personal loans, store cards, overdrafts — from original lenders, typically at a fraction of the face value of the debt. Once purchased, the legal right to collect that debt transfers to the buyer.
According to the Financial Conduct Authority's (FCA) public register, Link Financial Outsourcing Limited holds FCA authorisation, which means it is regulated and must follow the Consumer Credit sourcebook (CONC) rules that govern how debt collectors communicate with customers, what they can and cannot say, and how they must treat people in financial difficulty.
Debt purchasing and collection is a legitimate industry in the UK. The fact that a debt has been sold does not make it invalid — the legal obligation to repay transfers with the account. However, the rules governing how that debt can be collected are strict, and a number of statutory protections apply.
Struggling with debt being chased?
We refer you to FCA-regulated specialists who can review your situation properly — no obligation, no judgement.
What Link Financial Can and Cannot Do
What debt collectors are permitted to do
Under FCA CONC rules, an authorised debt collector such as Link Financial is permitted to contact debtors by letter, telephone, and electronic means to request repayment. They may propose repayment plans, apply interest or charges where the original credit agreement permitted this, and ultimately refer accounts to solicitors or seek a County Court Judgment (CCJ) if a debt remains unpaid and is not statute-barred.
They are also entitled to carry out credit reference checks, record information on a debtor's credit file, and pass an account to an external tracing agent if contact has been lost — provided all activity remains within FCA CONC guidelines.
What debt collectors are not permitted to do
FCA rules are explicit about prohibited conduct. According to CONC 7, a debt collector must not: contact debtors at unreasonable hours, use misleading or deceptive language, threaten action it does not intend to take or is not legally entitled to take, or refuse to acknowledge a debt is statute-barred when it clearly is. Collectors must also not pressure vulnerable customers in ways that could cause harm.
If someone believes Link Financial has acted outside these rules, a formal complaint can be made directly to Link Financial first, and then — if unresolved within eight weeks — escalated to the Financial Ombudsman Service (FOS) at no cost to the consumer.
Understanding Statute-Barred Debt
One of the most significant protections available to people contacted about old debts is the concept of statute-barred debt. In England and Wales, the Limitation Act 1980 provides that a creditor has 6 years from the date the debt became due (or the last payment or written acknowledgement, whichever is later) to bring a court claim. In Scotland, the equivalent period under the Prescription and Limitation (Scotland) Act 1973 is 5 years.
Once a debt is statute-barred, a court will normally refuse to enforce it. This does not mean the debt ceases to exist in a moral sense — but it does mean that a debt collector cannot obtain a CCJ for it. It is worth noting that making a payment or writing to acknowledge the debt in writing can restart the limitation clock, so it is important to understand the position fully before responding to any correspondence about an old account.
People who believe a debt being chased by Link Financial may be statute-barred may wish to seek regulated debt advice before making any payment or written acknowledgement. The free organisations listed below can assist with this.
What about debts with a CCJ already in place?
If a County Court Judgment was obtained before the limitation period expired, the position is different. A CCJ is enforceable for 6 years from the date of judgment, and a creditor can apply to the court to enforce it again after that point with permission. The rules around enforcement — including the use of bailiffs — are set out in the Taking Control of Goods Regulations 2013 and are separate from the question of whether the underlying debt is statute-barred.
Struggling with debt being chased?
We refer you to FCA-regulated specialists who can review your situation properly — no obligation, no judgement.
Formal Debt Solutions Available in England and Wales
For people who are struggling to repay debts being collected by Link Financial — or by any other creditor — a number of formal statutory solutions exist. These are set out below as factual descriptions. Whether any particular solution is appropriate in a given situation depends on individual circumstances and is a matter for a regulated debt adviser to assess.
Debt Management Plan (DMP)
A DMP is an informal arrangement under which a person makes a single monthly payment to a DMP provider, which is then distributed to creditors. DMPs are not legally binding on creditors, but many creditors — including debt purchasers — will accept reduced payments through a DMP. Interest and charges may or may not be frozen depending on the creditor's agreement. There is no formal eligibility threshold.
Individual Voluntary Arrangement (IVA)
An IVA is a formal insolvency procedure under the Insolvency Act 1986. It is a legally binding agreement between a debtor and their creditors, supervised by a licensed Insolvency Practitioner. If creditors representing 75% by value of the debt vote in favour, the IVA binds all unsecured creditors — including those who voted against. An IVA typically runs for five or six years, after which any remaining unsecured debt included in the arrangement is written off.
Debt Relief Order (DRO)
A DRO is available to people in England and Wales who have relatively low income, low assets, and manageable levels of debt. According to GOV.UK, since changes introduced in June 2024, the debt threshold for a DRO is £50,000, the asset limit is £2,000 (with a vehicle worth up to £4,000 permitted), and the application fee of £90 was removed. A DRO lasts 12 months, after which qualifying debts are written off.
Bankruptcy
Bankruptcy is a formal insolvency route under the Insolvency Act 1986. A person can apply for their own bankruptcy online via GOV.UK. The application fee is currently £680. Bankruptcy typically lasts 12 months, after which most unsecured debts are discharged. Assets above a certain threshold — including equity in a property — may be used to repay creditors. Bankruptcy appears on the Insolvency Register and affects credit files for six years.
How to Respond to Contact from Link Financial
Receiving contact from a debt purchaser can feel unsettling, but there are practical steps that are relevant in most situations. The following describes the factual position — it is not personalised advice.
- Check the debt is yours. Under FCA CONC rules, a creditor must provide information about the debt on request. Asking for a copy of the original credit agreement is a recognised step. If Link Financial cannot produce an enforceable credit agreement, their ability to pursue the debt through the courts may be limited.
- Check the age of the debt. Consider when the last payment was made. If more than 6 years have passed in England and Wales (5 in Scotland) with no payment or written acknowledgement, the debt may be statute-barred.
- Do not ignore correspondence. If a debt is valid and within the limitation period, ignoring letters does not make the debt go away and may result in a CCJ being obtained by default.
- Consider your overall debt position. A call from Link Financial is sometimes the trigger for people to review their broader financial situation. If multiple debts are unmanageable, regulated debt advice can set out the formal options available.
- Complain if rules are broken. If Link Financial's conduct feels inappropriate, a written complaint should be made to them directly. If unresolved after eight weeks, the Financial Ombudsman Service can investigate at no cost.
Where to Get Regulated Debt Advice
Free debt advice is available from a number of established, regulated organisations. These services are entirely free of charge and can help assess whether a debt is enforceable, what repayment options exist, and whether a formal insolvency solution may be relevant.
- MoneyHelper — the government-backed money guidance service at moneyhelper.org.uk
- StepChange Debt Charity — specialist debt advice at stepchange.org
- Citizens Advice — available in-person, by phone, and online at citizensadvice.org.uk
- National Debtline — telephone and online debt advice at nationaldebtline.org
The Financial Ombudsman Service (FOS) handles complaints about FCA-regulated firms, including debt collectors. Complaints can be submitted at financial-ombudsman.org.uk and the service is free to consumers.