Proper debt collection practice (god inkassoskik)
Also known as fair collection practice, code of conduct in debt collection, god inkassoskik, inkassoskik, god skik i inkasso
Proper debt collection practice is the requirement under Inkassoloven (the Danish Debt Collection Act) that recovery must not be pursued by methods that subject the debtor to unreasonable pressure, harm or inconvenience.
In practice
Proper debt collection practice is the standard against which all recovery is measured. It does not prohibit firmness — it prohibits pressure that is unreasonable: threats, harassment, calls at unsuitable hours, misleading statements about the consequences, or the charging of amounts for which there is no legal basis.
It is also proper debt collection practice that prevents you from implying consequences you have neither the intention nor the means of carrying out. A letter threatening “legal proceedings” in a case that will never reach court is not merely ineffective — it is in breach of the rules.
For a creditor, this is not only a compliance question. Breaches cost you the authorisation, and recovery carried out in your name by methods that will not bear daylight is a brand problem long before it becomes a legal one.
Where it commonly goes wrong
- In-house collection with invented fees. “Administration surcharges” and “case handling fees” without a legal basis are a breach.
- Pressure applied through the debtor’s surroundings. The debt must not be disclosed to employers, family or customers.