In-house debt collection (egeninkasso)
Also known as first-party collection, internal collection, self-collection, intern inkasso, selvinkasso
In-house debt collection is when the creditor pursues its own claim without handing it over to a debt collection agency.
Key facts
- Does not require
- Authorisation
- But must follow
- Proper debt collection practice
In practice
You are free to collect your own claims. But the rules apply all the same: the formal demand must be sent with its 10-day deadline, fees must stay within the statutory rates, and proper debt collection practice (god inkassoskik, laid down in Inkassoloven — the Danish Debt Collection Act) must be observed.
This is where most in-house collection errors arise — not out of ill will, but because a home-made “administration fee” or a deadline that is too short destroys the basis for recovering the costs later.
Where it commonly goes wrong
- Fees are invented. Everything imposed on the debtor must have a legal basis.
- People wait too long before letting go. A claim you have chased yourself for nine months is markedly harder to collect than one handed over after 40 days.