DEMAND FOR PAYMENT
Important legal and pre-action warning
This fictional letter is a worked example for England and Wales, not legal advice and not a universally valid demand or notice before proceedings. The sender must check the contract, identity and address of the debtor, limitation dates, interest entitlement, consumer protections, any applicable Pre-Action Protocol and whether a formal letter before claim is required. A demand must not misstate the balance, threaten unlawful action or ignore a genuine dispute. Consider legal advice before issuing a claim.
To: Calder Vale Hospitality Ltd, company number 10176432, 4 Anchor Street, Southampton SO14 3FN
From: Harriet Louise Gough, 19 Orchard Mews, Winchester SO23 8DL
Date: 7 September 2026
Re: Unpaid consultancy invoice CVH-0418 for £6,480
1. Contract and work
On 11 May 2026, Calder Vale Hospitality Ltd accepted my written proposal to advise on the refurbishment and reopening of the Seabird House restaurant at 2 Marine Parade, Southampton SO14 7QP. I agreed to provide a twelve-week menu-costing review, supplier comparison, kitchen workflow recommendations and two management workshops. The agreed fee was £8,640, payable in two equal invoices, with payment due within fourteen days.
I began work on 16 May 2026. I interviewed your operations manager, Marcus Elliot Dane, reviewed the supplier records you supplied, visited the restaurant on 24 May and delivered a written report on 21 June. The report contained the requested cost comparison and recommendations for reducing monthly waste. I delivered the first workshop on 28 June and the second on 19 July, attended by Marcus Elliot Dane and Sonia Patel, your finance manager. On 22 July I supplied the final action schedule and editable spreadsheets.
You paid the first invoice, CVH-0397, for £4,320 on 3 June 2026. The second invoice, CVH-0418, dated 22 July 2026, is for the remaining £4,320 plus agreed expenses of £2,160, making a total of £6,480. The expenses are supported by receipts for travel, accommodation and printing that were sent with the invoice. The payment due date was 5 August 2026.
2. Amount due
As at the date of this letter, the principal balance is £6,480. No credit, return or part-payment has been applied. On 12 August 2026 your finance manager said by email that the invoice was being reviewed. On 26 August 2026 she said that the company expected to pay but could not confirm a date. I have received no substantive objection to the work or expenses.
I also reserve the right to claim interest under the contract. If the contract does not provide an enforceable interest term, I reserve the right to seek statutory interest where available, including interest under the Late Payment of Commercial Debts legislation if its conditions apply. Any calculation will be stated transparently in a claim and will not be added to the principal without a proper basis. The present demand is for the principal sum of £6,480.
3. Demand and response
Please pay £6,480 in cleared funds within 14 days after the date of this letter, namely by 21 September 2026. Payment should be made by bank transfer to:
Account name: H L Gough Consultancy
Sort code: 20-46-18
Account number: 48391726
Please quote CVH-0418 and send remittance confirmation to harriet.gough@example.test. If the account details are checked by telephone, use my known number ending 2741 rather than relying on a changed email instruction.
If you dispute any part of the balance, write by the same deadline with a detailed explanation identifying each disputed item, the contractual or factual basis, the amount said to be due instead, and copies of documents on which you rely. If you need a short, specific payment arrangement, propose the instalment dates and amounts before the deadline. I may consider a reasonable proposal but will not treat a proposal as accepted unless I confirm acceptance in writing.
4. Intended next steps
If full payment or a satisfactory written response is not received by 21 September 2026, I may start a County Court claim for the unpaid principal, any properly recoverable interest, the issue fee and other costs the court may allow. Before doing so I will consider the relevant pre-action requirements and provide any additional information that they require. A judgment could have financial and enforcement consequences, but no particular enforcement method is threatened or guaranteed by this letter.
This letter is sent to encourage prompt resolution and to give you an opportunity to raise a genuine dispute. It is not a winding-up demand, statutory demand, court judgment or authority to take goods. Nothing in it waives any contractual or legal right, and receipt of payment will be acknowledged in writing.
5. Signature
Yours faithfully,
Harriet Louise Gough
Signature: ____________________ Date: 7 September 2026
Address: 19 Orchard Mews, Winchester SO23 8DL
Telephone: 01962 555 2741
Email: harriet.gough@example.test
Enclosures: invoice CVH-0418, consultancy report dated 21 June 2026, action schedule dated 22 July 2026, expense schedule and receipts.