- Enforced by
- FCA
- Status
- Amended (in force with amendments)
- Penalty ceiling
- Imprisonment 10 of 75 obligations carry an unlimited fine. 4 carry different penalties and 61 have no criminal penalty — flagged in the list below.
Does it bind you?
Business-side roles with duties under this instrument.
Plus 9 duties on the regulator, Crown ministers and public bodies — folded into the section list below.
Other Acts binding the same actors
If a role above is yours, these are the other instruments that most often bind it.
Trader — also bound by 825 other Acts
Any Person — also bound by 2340 other Acts
Applicant — also bound by 307 other Acts
Director or Officer — also bound by 429 other Acts
What it requires
Sections creating concrete business duties or carrying penalties, grouped as the instrument is structured. Titles link to the source text — blue means you’re leaving for legislation.gov.uk.
OFFICE OF FAIR TRADING
0 of 8 sections shown8 other sections in this Part — procedural and definitional
Credit Agreements, Hire Agreements and Linked Transactions
0 of 16 sections shown16 other sections in this Part — procedural and definitional
Licensing of Credit and Hire Businesses
0 of 50 sections shown50 other sections in this Part — procedural and definitional
Seeking Business
2 of 14 sections shown- Illegal canvassing of credit agreements off trade premisesAny Person
- Sending credit or hire advertisements to minorsAny Person
Unlimited fine
12 other sections in this Part — procedural and definitional
Entry into Credit or Hire Agreements
14 of 26 sections shown- Provide required information to customers before signing credit agreementsTrader
- Provide draft credit agreement copy on requestTrader
- Treat a customer's withdrawal from a credit application as a formal cancellationTrader
- Give debtors a withdrawal notice before sending land-secured credit agreements for signatureTrader
- Do not use contracts that force customers into future credit agreementsTrader
Other duties (1) — Crown / regulator
- The Treasury must set rules for the form and content of credit agreementsCrown / Minister / Government department
- Give the customer a copy of their signed credit agreementTrader
- Provide a copy of the overdraft agreement to the customerTrader
- Provide a copy of the credit agreement to the customer for signatureTrader
- Provide customers with a copy of their signed credit agreementTrader
- Provide formal notice of cancellation rights to customersTrader
- Ensure credit tokens are accepted before charging customersTrader
- Accept and process customer withdrawals from consumer credit agreementsTrader
- Calculate and request repayment of credit following cancellationTrader
12 other sections in this Part — procedural and definitional
CURRENT ACCOUNT OVERDRAFTS
0 of 2 sections shown2 other sections in this Part — procedural and definitional
Matters Arising During Currency of Credit or Hire Agreements
12 of 23 sections shown- Provide a copy of the credit agreement and statement of account on requestTrader
- Provide annual statements to fixed-sum credit customersTrader
- Provide statement of account on request for fixed-sum credit agreementsTrader
- Provide account statements and agreement copies to credit customersTrader
- Notify debtors in writing before changing interest ratesTrader
- Fail to disclose the location of hired or financed goodsAny Person
Unlimited fine
- Provide copy of agreement when issuing replacement credit-tokensTrader
Other duties (1) — Crown / regulator
- FCA must provide information sheets for customers in arrears or defaultStatutory regulator
- Send a notice and information sheet when a credit account falls into arrearsTrader
- Send arrears notices to avoid losing the right to interest and enforcementTrader
- Notify debtors of default sums within the prescribed periodTrader
- Use only simple interest on default chargesTrader
11 other sections in this Part — procedural and definitional
Default and Termination
14 of 23 sections shown- Issue compliant default notice before enforcing a credit agreementTrader
- Remedy a credit agreement breach to avoid legal consequencesTrader
- Return protected goods only through a court orderTrader
- Obtain a court order before repossessing goods or landTrader
- Do not increase interest rates when a customer defaultsTrader
- Allow customers to settle credit agreements earlyTrader
Other duties (1) — Crown / regulator
- CROWN must make regulations for rebates on early credit settlementCrown / Minister / Government department
- Limit compensation charges for early repayment of fixed-rate loansTrader
- Provide written statement when a customer partially repays credit and asks for oneTrader
- Allow debtors to terminate open-end credit agreements free of chargeTrader
- Calculate and collect final payments on terminated hire-purchase agreementsTrader
- Accept rescission notices via brokers or agentsTrader
- Respond to a customer's request for a termination statementTrader
9 other sections in this Part — procedural and definitional
Security
17 of 22 sections shown- Manage and return property related to ineffective securitiesTrader
- Provide agreement and payment information to guarantors on requestTrader
- Provide agreement and account information to sureties on requestTrader
- Send copy of default or termination notices to any guarantorsTrader
- Do not use security to bypass consumer credit protectionsTrader
- Unlawfully taking a pawn from a minorAny Person
Unlimited fine · amended 1 time (opens in a new tab)
- Accept alternative documents if a pawn-receipt is lostTrader
- Unreasonably refuse to return pawned goodsAny Person
Unlimited fine · amended 2 times (opens in a new tab)
- Transfer of ownership or right to sell unredeemed pawnsTrader
- Do not take or negotiate certain negotiable instruments for consumer credit debtsTrader
- Obtain a court order to enforce credit agreements after a legal breachTrader
- Indemnify protected persons for liability on improperly taken instrumentsTrader
5 other sections in this Part — procedural and definitional
Judicial Control
8 of 24 sections shownOther duties (1) — Crown / regulator
- Courts must only enforce credit agreements after death if debt is at riskTribunal / Court
Other duties (1) — Crown / regulator
- Courts may issue time orders to reschedule debt or hire paymentsTribunal / Court
- Give 14 days' notice before applying for a court Time OrderTrader
amended 3 times
- Establish legal possession of goods when a customer refuses to return themTrader
16 other sections in this Part — procedural and definitional
Ancillary Credit Businesses
16 of 17 sections shown- Illegal canvassing of credit and debt servicesAny Person
2 years imprisonment · amended 1 time (opens in a new tab)
- Failure to disclose credit reference agency detailsAny Person
Unlimited fine · amended 10 times (opens in a new tab)
- Fail to provide a copy of a credit file upon requestAny Person
Unlimited fine · amended 7 times (opens in a new tab)
- Fail to comply with an order to correct credit filesAny Person
Unlimited fine · amended 13 times (opens in a new tab)
- Fail to follow alternative disclosure rules for business credit filesAny Person
Unlimited fine · amended 8 times (opens in a new tab)
amended 8 times
1 other section in this Part — procedural and definitional
Enforcement of Act
13 of 13 sections shownOther duties (1) — Crown / regulator
- Weights and measures authorities must report to the FCA on requestLocal authority
Other duties (1) — Crown / regulator
- Courts may notify the FCA of business-related convictions or judgmentsTribunal / Court
- Notify the prosecutor if you rely on a third party for your legal defenceAny Person
- Personal liability of officers for business credit offencesDirector or Officer
Other duties (1) — Crown / regulator
- FCA may consider any breach when exercising its regulatory functionsStatutory regulator
- Ensure statements and balance notices provided to customers are accurateTrader
Supplemental
22 of 27 sections shownamended 12 times
- Pass on payments and notices received as an agent immediatelyTrader
Unlimited fine
amended 2 times
- Interact with any co-owner or co-creditor to fulfill legal requirementsTrader
Unlimited fine
amended 57 times
amended 57 times
amended 57 times
amended 57 times
5 other sections in this Part — procedural and definitional
Schedules
5 of 112 shown- Unlawfully solicit credit agreements away from business premisesAny Person
- Ensure trading stamps have clear face value in British currencyAny Person
- Ensure all trading stamps show their value in clear currencyAny Person
- Provide updated information within 28 days if the Tribunal remits your applicationApplicant
Other duties (1) — Crown / regulator
- Consumer Credit Appeals Tribunal must sit as the Lord Chancellor directsTribunal / Court
107 other schedules
80 other provisions
Help complying
Guvnor’s practical routes through this instrument.
Prepare your BNPL business for FCA regulation
Preparation guide for Buy Now Pay Later providers and merchants ahead of FCA regulation from 15 July 2026. Covers what is changing, …
Respond to FCA enforcement action or investigation
What to do if the FCA contacts your consumer credit firm about enforcement action, a skilled person review, or formal investigation. Covers …
Start offering consumer credit to customers
End-to-end learning path for businesses new to consumer credit. Covers understanding FCA regulation, obtaining authorisation, setting up pre-contract disclosures and affordability assessments, …
Handle Section 75 claims from customers
What to do when a customer makes a Section 75 connected lender liability claim. Covers validating the claim against the GBP 100 …
Consumer credit compliance quick-check
Quick compliance check for experienced consumer credit firms. Covers FCA permissions, fee payments, credit advertising, pre-contract disclosures, Consumer Duty obligations, complaints handling, …
Buy Now Pay Later regulation: what businesses need to know
Buy Now Pay Later (BNPL) and other Deferred Payment Credit products come under FCA regulation from 15 July 2026. This guide explains …
Comply with Buy Now Pay Later regulation
How Buy Now Pay Later and Deferred Payment Credit providers must comply with FCA regulation from 15 July 2026, including authorisation, temporary …
Comply with credit advertising rules
How to advertise consumer credit products compliantly under FCA rules. Covers representative APR requirements, triggered information, social media advertising, risk warnings for …
Comply with credit broking rules
How to comply with FCA credit broking requirements. Covers who counts as a credit broker, the difference between full and limited permission, …
Comply with debt collection rules
How to collect consumer debts compliantly under FCA rules. Covers CONC 7 requirements for arrears and default handling, forbearance obligations for customers …
Comply with high-cost short-term credit rules
Additional compliance requirements for firms providing high-cost short-term credit (HCSTC), including the price cap regime, enhanced affordability assessments, mandatory risk warnings, repeat …
Conduct and document affordability assessments for consumer credit
How to conduct, evidence, and document affordability assessments when lending to consumers. Covers the distinction between creditworthiness and affordability, income verification, expenditure …
Consumer credit compliance checklist
Annual compliance checklist for consumer credit firms covering FCA permissions, CONC requirements, advertising, pre-contract obligations, Consumer Duty, complaints handling, and regulatory reporting.
16 more guides that reference this instrument
Connected legislation
Instruments made under this Act. They carry the detail the Act delegates.
Duty extraction and severity labels are Guvnor’s analysis of the instrument, not the instrument itself. Always verify against the linked source text.