Fraser Irvine: what a letter means and what to do

Papers from Fraser Irvine mean a creditor is using sheriff officers in Scotland, either to serve court documents or to enforce a debt it already has a decree for. If you have a charge for payment, you have 14 days to act. This page covers Scotland. For a fuller guide, see what sheriff officers can do in Scotland.

Who are Fraser Irvine?

Fraser Irvine is registered at Companies House as FRASER IRVINE SHERIFF OFFICERS LLP, registration number SO304091. It is an active limited liability partnership, registered on 26 September 2012 with its registered office in Glasgow. It was called Fraser Gowrie Johnston Sheriff Officers LLP until 14 December 2017. Since 1 December 2017 two individual members have been listed as the people with significant control. Before that, an English company, Ascent Performance Group Limited, held the right to appoint or remove members.

The Society of Messengers-at-Arms and Sheriff Officers (SMASO) lists Fraser Irvine with one office, in Glasgow, and five officers, three of whom are also messengers-at-arms. The firm describes itself as offering citation, diligence and enquiry services throughout Scotland to the Scottish legal market, and says one of its partners was elected President of SMASO in December 2022. Its news page announces an Edinburgh office, opened in 2021, and membership of the Credit Services Association, a trade body for debt collectors.

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 Fraser Irvine contacting you?

Fraser Irvine lists its services as:

• Citation: serving summonses, writs and applications in the sheriff court and Court of Session, urgent interdicts, witness citations and notices. If you receive a claim, respond by the date on it or the court will usually grant decree against you.
• Diligence: charges for payment, inhibitions, arrestments, earnings arrestments, attachments, and evictions and recovery of property.
• Enquiry services: tracing, pre-litigation and occupancy reports.

Sheriff officers act on instructions from a creditor or its solicitor. The name of the creditor, and of any solicitor acting for it, will be on your papers, and that is who to contact about paying or disputing the debt.

What can Fraser Irvine do, and what can they not do?

The same Scots law applies to every sheriff officer:

• Charge for payment: gives you 14 days to pay if you are in the UK, and stays in force for 2 years. An unpaid charge makes you “apparently insolvent”, which a creditor owed £5,000 or more can use to petition for sequestration.
• Earnings arrestment: deductions follow statutory tables, and nothing is taken from net pay of £750 a month or less.
• Bank arrestment: money above £1,000 is frozen and released to the creditor after 14 weeks unless something stops it.
• Attachment: only goods kept outside your home, unless the sheriff grants an exceptional attachment order. A vehicle you reasonably need worth up to £1,000 is protected.

Fraser Irvine says its fees are regulated by Act of Sederunt. A new fees Act of Sederunt applies to work done from 25 September 2026.

What should you do now?

1. Identify the paper and the date. Court papers need a response to the court; a charge gives you 14 days.
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 afford, using the details on your papers.
4. Ask the court for time to pay. For most debts under £25,000, a time to pay order 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 a Debt Arrangement Scheme programme. See where to get free debt advice.

There are no IVAs or debt relief orders in Scotland. Debt solutions in Scotland compares the options.

How do you complain about Fraser Irvine?

We could not find a published complaints procedure on the firm’s website. mygov.scot lists three routes: the firm that employs the officer, SMASO, and the sheriff principal through your local sheriff court. The sheriff principal has the legal power to investigate an officer’s conduct. You can also complain to the creditor or solicitor who instructed the firm.

Is the letter genuine?

Genuine papers name the creditor, its solicitor and the court case or decree. Confirm with the solicitor or creditor using contact details you look up yourself, not ones from an unexpected text, email or call, and do not pay into an account you cannot verify. For wider rights, see dealing with debt collectors.