Graham Lowrie: what a letter means and what to do
Graham Lowrie is a messenger-at-arms and sheriff officer in Glasgow. Sheriff officers serve Scottish court papers and enforce decrees and summary warrants, so papers from him usually mean a creditor has started court action or already has the right to enforce a debt.
Papers from Graham Lowrie mean a creditor is using a sheriff officer in Scotland. They may be court documents starting a claim, or a step in enforcing a debt the creditor already has a decree or summary warrant for. If you have a charge for payment, you have 14 days to act. This page covers Scotland. For the detail, see what sheriff officers can do in Scotland.
Who is Graham Lowrie?
The Society of Messengers-at-Arms and Sheriff Officers (SMASO) lists Graham Lowrie as a member firm with one office, in Glasgow, and one officer, Graham Lowrie, who is a messenger-at-arms and sheriff officer. SMASO does not list a website for the firm.
We found no Companies House entry for the firm. A sheriff officer working alone or in an ordinary partnership does not have to register there. We found no published information about which creditors the firm acts for.
Every sheriff officer is an officer of court, commissioned by a sheriff principal and regulated by the Court of Session. All must belong to SMASO, which has no disciplinary powers over them. A messenger-at-arms can also enforce Court of Session orders.
Why is Graham Lowrie contacting you?
mygov.scot says sheriff officers deliver legal documents and make people pay debts, such as council tax arrears under a summary warrant. Papers from a sheriff officer are usually one of these:
- Court papers, such as a simple procedure claim form. The creditor is asking the court for a decree. Reply by the date given, or decree will usually be granted.
- A charge for payment, served after a decree or summary warrant. You have 14 days to pay if you are in the UK.
- An arrestment schedule or attachment, after a charge has expired.
Council tax summary warrants are granted without a hearing and add 10% to the arrears. See council tax arrears if that applies.
What can Graham Lowrie do, and what can he not do?
The rules are the same for every sheriff officer:
- Charge for payment: stays in force for 2 years. If it is not paid in 14 days, you become “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: the first £1,000 is protected; frozen money is released to the creditor after 14 weeks unless something stops it.
- Attachment: goods kept outside your home, with a vehicle you reasonably need worth up to £1,000 protected. Goods inside your home need an exceptional attachment order.
- No weekend or night attachment: not on a Sunday or local public holiday, or before 8am or after 8pm, without the sheriff’s permission.
Fees are set by the Court of Session, and a new fees Act of Sederunt applies to work done from 25 September 2026.
What should you do now?
- Read the papers and note the deadline. Court papers need a reply to the court; a charge gives you 14 days.
- Check the debt. Most debts in Scotland are extinguished after 5 years without a relevant claim or acknowledgement; a decree lasts 20 years.
- Contact the creditor or its solicitor with an offer you can keep up.
- Ask about a time to pay order, which stops further diligence while you keep to it.
- Get free money advice. An adviser can apply for a 6-month moratorium on diligence or help set up a Debt Arrangement Scheme programme. See where to get free debt advice.
Scotland has no IVAs or debt relief orders: debt solutions in Scotland explains the alternatives.
Not sure which option fits? Answer a few questions and we can point you in the right direction. It takes about 3 minutes, and it is free and confidential.
How do you complain about Graham Lowrie?
We found no published complaints procedure. mygov.scot lists three routes for complaints about a sheriff officer: the firm, SMASO, and the sheriff principal through your local sheriff court. The sheriff principal can investigate an officer’s conduct. You can also complain to the creditor or solicitor who instructed him.
Is the letter genuine?
Genuine papers name the creditor and the court case, decree or warrant. Check with the creditor or its solicitor using contact details you look up yourself, not ones from an unexpected text, email or call, and never pay into an account you cannot verify. See also dealing with debt collectors.
Common questions
Is Graham Lowrie a bailiff?
No. He is a sheriff officer and messenger-at-arms, an officer of the Scottish courts. Scotland has no bailiffs, and the English bailiff rules on notices, fees and entry do not apply.
Can Graham Lowrie come into my home?
Goods inside your home can only be taken under an exceptional attachment order from the sheriff. mygov.scot says sheriff officers holding a warrant for all lawful execution can use necessary reasonable force to get in, so get advice quickly if a visit is planned.
Who do I pay if Graham Lowrie serves a charge on me?
The charge names the creditor and usually its solicitor. Contact them, using details you check yourself, to pay or agree an arrangement. You can also ask the sheriff court for a time to pay order for most debts under £25,000.
Related guides
- What can sheriff officers do in Scotland? Charges for payment, arrestments, attachment, entry rules and how to stop enforcement in Scotland.
- Debt solutions in Scotland Trust deeds, DAS, sequestration, the Minimal Asset Process and the 6-month moratorium explained.
- The Debt Arrangement Scheme (DAS) in Scotland How a Debt Payment Programme works, who can apply, the debts it covers, payment breaks and credit.