Davidson Dempster: what a letter means and what to do

Papers from Davidson Dempster mean a creditor is using sheriff officers in Scotland, either to serve court documents or to enforce a debt. If you have a charge for payment, you have 14 days to act. This page covers Scotland. For a fuller explanation of each type of enforcement, see what sheriff officers can do in Scotland.

Who are Davidson Dempster?

Davidson Dempster is registered at Companies House as DAVIDSON DEMPSTER LLP, registration number SO306614. It is an active limited liability partnership, registered on 10 January 2019, with its registered office in Glasgow. It has two designated members, who are also listed as the people with significant control.

The Society of Messengers-at-Arms and Sheriff Officers (SMASO) lists the firm with one office, in Glasgow, and one officer, David Dempster, who is a messenger-at-arms and sheriff officer. The firm says it works for businesses, public sector bodies, individuals and private clients, and that it is commissioned to operate in the sheriffdoms of Glasgow and Strathkelvin; North Strathclyde; South Strathclyde, Dumfries and Galloway; Tayside, Central and Fife; and Lothian and Borders.

Sheriff officers are officers of court employed privately. Each is commissioned by a sheriff principal and regulated by the Court of Session, and all must belong to SMASO, which has no disciplinary powers over them.

Why are Davidson Dempster contacting you?

The firm lists two kinds of work:

• Citation: serving simple procedure claim forms, summonses, writs and applications in the Court of Session and sheriff courts, notices, interdicts and witness citations. If you receive a claim, respond by the date given or the court will usually grant decree against you.
• Diligence: charges for payment, arrestments (including earnings arrestments), inhibitions and attachment of goods, plus commercial evictions and recovery of property.

A charge for payment gives you 14 days to pay if you are in the UK and stays in force for 2 years. If the debt is council tax, see council tax arrears: a summary warrant adds 10% to the arrears.

What can Davidson Dempster do, and what can they not do?

The same Scots law applies to every sheriff officer:

• Earnings arrestment: after an unpaid charge, your employer deducts an amount from your wages set by statutory tables. Nothing is taken from net pay of £750 a month or less.
• Bank arrestment: the first £1,000 is protected, and frozen money is released to the creditor after 14 weeks unless something stops it.
• Attachment: goods outside your home can be attached, but a vehicle you reasonably need worth up to £1,000 and tools of your trade up to £1,000 are protected. Goods inside your home need an exceptional attachment order from the sheriff.
• Inhibition: on a decree, stops you selling or borrowing against property you own until the debt is dealt with.

Fees are set by the Court of Session, not the firm. A new fees Act of Sederunt applies to work done from 25 September 2026.

What should you do now?

1. Work out what you have been given and note the date: a claim form, a charge for payment, or an arrestment or attachment.
2. Check the debt. Most debts in Scotland are extinguished after 5 years without a relevant claim or acknowledgement, but a decree lasts 20 years.
3. Contact the creditor or its solicitor with an offer you can keep up, using the details on your paperwork.
4. Ask about time to pay. For most debts under £25,000, the sheriff court can grant a time to pay order, which stops further diligence while you keep to it.
5. Get free money advice. An adviser can apply for a 6-month moratorium on diligence or help with the Debt Arrangement Scheme. See where to get free debt advice.

IVAs and debt relief orders are not available in Scotland. Debt solutions in Scotland compares the options that are.

How do you complain about Davidson Dempster?

1. Complain to the firm. Its complaints procedure says that if a complaint is not resolved within 3 business days, you will get a written acknowledgement or final response within 5 business days, a letter within 4 weeks if it is still unresolved, and a final response within 8 weeks in most cases. It names SMASO as a useful contact.
2. Complain to the creditor or solicitor that instructed the firm.
3. Escalate. mygov.scot lists SMASO and the sheriff principal, through your local sheriff court, as routes for complaints about a sheriff officer.

Is the letter genuine?

Genuine papers name the creditor and the court case, decree or warrant behind them. Check with the creditor or court using contact details you find yourself, not ones given in an unexpected text, email or call, and do not pay into an account you cannot verify. For your rights generally, see dealing with debt collectors.