Consumer Credit Act 1974

Seeking business

151Advertisements

(1)Sections 44 to 47 apply to an advertisement published for the purposes of a business of credit brokerage carried on by any person, whether it advertises the services of that person or the services of persons to whom he effects introductions, as they apply to an advertisement to which Part IV applies.

(2)Sections 44, 46 and 47 apply to an advertisement, published for the purposes of a business carried on by the advertiser, indicating that he is willing to advise on debts, or engage in transactions concerned with the liquidation of debts, as they apply to an advertisement to which Part IV applies.

(3)The Secretary of State may by order provide that an advertisement published for the purposes of a business of credit brokerage, debt adjusting or debt counselling shall not fall within subsection (1) or (2) if it is of a description specified in the order.

(4)An advertisement does not fall within subsection (2) if it indicates that the advertiser is not willing to act in relation to consumer credit agreements and consumer hire agreements.

(5)In subsections (1) and (3) " credit brokerage " includes the effecting of introductions of individuals desiring to obtain credit to any person carrying on a business in the course of which he provides credit secured on land.

152Application of sections 52 to 54 to credit brokerage etc.

(1)Sections 52 to 54 apply to a business of credit brokerage, debt-adjusting or debt-counselling as they apply to a consumer credit business.

(2)In their application to a business of credit brokerage, sections 52 and 53 shall apply to the giving of quotations and information about the business of any person to whom the credit-broker effects introductions as well as to the giving of quotations and information about his own business.

153Definition of canvassing off trade premises (agreements for ancillary credit services)

(1)An individual (the " canvasser ") canvasses off trade premises the services of a person carrying on an ancillary credit business if he solicits the entry of another individual (the " consumer ") into an agreement for the provision to the consumer of those services by making oral representations to the consumer, or any other individual, during a visit by the canvasser to any place (not excluded by subsection (2)) where the consumer, or that other individual as the case may be, is, being a visit—

(a)carried out for the purpose of making such oral representations to individuals who are at that place, but

(b)not carried out in response to a request made on a previous occasion.

(2)A place is excluded from subsection (1) if it is a place where (whether on a permanent or temporary basis)—

(a)the ancillary credit business is carried on, or

(b)any business is carried on by the canvasser or the person whose employee or agent the canvasser is, or by the consumer.

154Prohibition of canvassing certain ancillary credit services off trade premises

It is an offence to canvass off trade premises the services of a person carrying on a business of credit-brokerage, debt-adjusting or debt-counselling.

155Right to recover brokerage fees

(1)The excess over £1 of a fee or commission for his services charged by a credit-broker to an individual to whom this subsection applies shall cease to be payable or, as the case may be, shall be recoverable by the individual if the introduction does not result in his entering into a relevant agreement within the six months following the introduction (disregarding any agreement which is cancelled under section 69(1) or becomes subject to section 69(2)).

(2)Subsection (1) applies to an individual who sought an introduction for a purpose which would have been fulfilled by his entry into—

(a)a regulated agreement, or

(b)in the case of an individual such as is referred to in section 145(2)(a)(ii), an agreement for credit secured on land, or

(c)an agreement such as is referred to in section 145(3)(b) or (c) or (4)(b).

(3)An agreement is a relevant agreement for the purposes of subsection (1) in relation to an individual if it is an agreement such as is referred to in subsection (2) in relation to that individual.

(4)In the case of an individual desiring to obtain credit under a consumer credit agreement, any sum payable or paid by him to a credit-broker otherwise than as a fee or commission for the credit-broker's services shall for the purposes of subsection (1) be treated as such a fee or commission if it enters, or would enter, into the total charge for credit.