Professional Statutory Demand Service in Birmingham
When a formal demand needs to be served properly.
Bentley Legal Support Services provides professional, discreet statutory demand service for solicitors, insolvency practitioners, businesses and creditors across Birmingham and the West Midlands.
We handle the physical attendance, document service and appropriate reporting, helping you maintain a clear record of what happened.
- Professional Service
- Prompt Attendance
- Clear Evidence
- Birmingham & West Midlands
A STATUTORY DEMAND IS MORE THAN A LETTER
A statutory demand is a formal demand for payment of a debt.
Once served, the debtor generally has 21 days to pay the debt or reach an agreement to pay. If the demand is ignored, further insolvency action may be available, subject to the applicable requirements.
That makes the practical side of service important.
GOV.UK specifically allows a creditor to use a process server to serve a statutory demand and advises creditors to retain evidence confirming when and how the demand was served.
Bentley provides the professional field attendance behind that process.
WHAT WE DO
Professional attendance. Clear documentation.
Depending on the instruction, Bentley Legal Support Services can provide:
Attendance at the relevant address
Service of the statutory demand
Multiple reasonable attendance attempts where agreed
Detailed attendance notes
Photographs where appropriate
GPS/location evidence where applicable
Clear outcome reporting
Proof or statement of service where required
The exact method and evidence required depend on the circumstances and applicable rules.
WHO CAN WE SERVE?
Statutory demands can be made against individuals, partnerships and companies, with the appropriate form depending on the circumstances. GOV.UK provides Form SD1 for a limited company and different forms for demands against individuals and partnerships.
Bentley can assist with professional service at appropriate:
Residential Addresses
For statutory demands addressed to an individual.
Registered Offices
For statutory demands involving companies, where appropriate.
Business Premises
Where the circumstances and applicable requirements make this appropriate.
Other Relevant Addresses
Where the instruction and applicable procedure require attendance elsewhere.
WHY USE A PROCESS SERVER?
Because service needs a proper record.
GOV.UK says creditors should keep a copy of the statutory demand together with evidence confirming the time and date of service, as well as evidence that the debtor received it.
Where personal service is involved, the Insolvency Rules also contain specific provisions concerning proof of service, including what a certificate of service should contain where personal service is not achieved.
A professional process server gives you a clear, contemporaneous account of the field attendance.
That means you know:
Where we went.
When we attended.
What happened.
Whether service was completed.
What was observed.
WHAT IF THE DEBTOR ISN’T THERE?
An empty door doesn’t necessarily mean an empty file.
The debtor may be away.
The property may be closed.
The business may have moved.
The address may appear vacant.
Or there may simply be no response when we attend.
The Insolvency Practice Direction says that where personal service is not practicable, the creditor must take all reasonable steps to bring the statutory demand to the debtor’s attention.
The appropriate next step depends on the particular circumstances.
Bentley can document the attendance clearly and, where appropriate, discuss further field services.
WHEN THE ADDRESS TELLS YOU MORE
Sometimes the physical attendance reveals information that was not apparent from the file.
A commercial premises may show:
No company signage
Another business in occupation
A “To Let” notice
Closed or apparently vacant premises
No obvious signs of trading activity
These are factual observations, not conclusions.
Where appropriate, the instructing client can then consider a separate:
Occupancy Check
A factual report on observable indicators of occupation or activity.
Property Inspection Report
A more detailed photographic and observational report.
Address Verification
Field-based verification of a supplied address.
Director Address Verification
Relevant factual observations from an instructed attendance.
Further Tracing
Additional field investigation where appropriate.
Additional services are separately instructed and agreed.
OUR PROCESS
Simple to instruct. Thorough in the field.
01. SEND THE INSTRUCTION
Provide the statutory demand, service address, debtor details and any relevant deadline.
02. WE CONFIRM
We confirm availability, scope and agreed pricing.
03. WE ATTEND
We attend the relevant address and carry out the instructed service attempt.
04. WE DOCUMENT
We record the circumstances and outcome of the attendance.
05. WE REPORT
You receive the appropriate report, evidence and proof or statement of service where applicable.
FOR SOLICITORS
Reliable field support without unnecessary complexity.
When you instruct Bentley, we aim to keep the process straightforward.
You provide the document and relevant instructions.
We handle the field attendance.
You receive a clear account of the outcome.
Whether the demand is served on the first attendance or the address raises further questions, our role is to provide useful, factual field information that supports your file.
FOR INSOLVENCY PRACTITIONERS
One attendance can uncover more than the service outcome.
Statutory demand work can sometimes expose wider questions:
Is the company still trading?
Is the registered office occupied?
Has the business moved?
Is the address still current?
Does the premises appear to be vacant?
Bentley Legal Support Services can support the initial statutory-demand instruction and, where appropriate, provide additional field-based verification.
This creates a practical progression:
Serve → Observe → Verify → Report
SPECIAL OFFER:
Same-Day Process Serving – £99
Although this page focuses on statutory demands, eligible same-day process-serving instructions may qualify for our September and October special.
£99
Usual price £199
Within 10 miles of Birmingham city centre.
Includes:
Same-day process serving
Up to 4 reasonable attendance attempts
Free printing up to 5 pages
Attendance record
GPS/location evidence
Proof or statement of service where required
Subject to the stated offer conditions and operational availability.
BIRMINGHAM & WEST MIDLANDS
Local field support, professionally delivered.
Bentley Legal Support Services serves Birmingham and the surrounding West Midlands, subject to the location and requirements of the assignment.
Our wider coverage includes areas such as:
Solihull · Sutton Coldfield · West Bromwich · Walsall · Dudley · Wolverhampton · Smethwick · Oldbury · Halesowen · Stourbridge
For an urgent or out-of-area instruction, contact us with the address and required timeframe.
WHAT SHOULD YOU PROVIDE?
Help us make the attendance count.
Where possible, provide:
The completed statutory demand
Full debtor name
Full service address
Company information, where applicable
Known phone or identifying information
Relevant deadlines
Any previous service attempts
Specific instructions or concerns
Useful information at the outset can help us plan the attendance more effectively.
WHAT YOU RECEIVE
A clear account of what happened.
Depending on the assignment, the reporting package may include:
Date and time of attendance
Full address attended
Details of the service attempt
Outcome
Relevant attendance notes
Photographs where appropriate
GPS/location evidence where applicable
Proof or statement of service where required
Where a statutory demand is not personally served, the applicable rules determine the evidence and steps needed to establish service. The Insolvency Rules contain specific requirements around certificates of service and the information they must contain.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
Can I use a process server to serve a statutory demand?
Yes. GOV.UK expressly identifies using a process server as one way of serving a statutory demand.
How long does the debtor have to respond?
Generally, the debtor has 21 days to pay the debt or agree to a payment arrangement.
Can you serve a statutory demand on a company?
Yes. GOV.UK provides Form SD1 for statutory demands against limited companies.
What happens if the debtor is not at the address?
We record the attendance and outcome. Depending on the circumstances, further attendance or another appropriate approach may be considered. The Insolvency Practice Direction requires reasonable steps to bring the demand to the debtor’s attention where personal service is not practicable.
Can you provide proof of service?
Where required, Bentley can provide appropriate proof or a statement of service. The exact requirements depend on the circumstances and applicable procedure.
Can you check whether the business still occupies the address?
Yes. Separate occupancy and address-verification services may be available where appropriate.
Do you provide legal advice?
No. Bentley Legal Support Services provides professional process serving and field services. Questions about the validity of a statutory demand or the legal steps that should follow should be addressed to the solicitor or other appropriately qualified adviser handling the matter.
Need a Statutory Demand Served?
Send us the document and service address.
We’ll confirm the available service and next steps.
Professional. Discreet. Precise.