What Can Be Done To Get Someone To Pay When They Owe You Money

Asking friends to pay back the money they owe you tin can exist pretty stressful. With the tips in this guide, you can brand the process much easier and a lot less awkward.

There's nix worse than having to ask a mate to borrow money from them when yous're skint… except perchance request someone for money back that yous'd lent them.

Request for money from friends can feel pretty awkward, but every bit much every bit information technology makes you lot squirm, information technology's definitely non as bad as being out of pocket when y'all're already struggling to make ends meet.

With that in mind, nosotros've put together some tips on how to approach asking your friends to repay their debts...

Should yous lend money to friends?

good friend mean girls

Credit: Paramount Pictures

It might seem a scrap late to be discussing this at present if y'all've already lent your friend some cash, but merely recollect of these as tips for future reference (or skip further below for tips on how to get your money back).

Earlier lending friends coin, it'south important to consider the following factors:

Tin can you afford to lend someone money?

Lending cash to friends tin be particularly tough if you're a pupil – it's difficult plenty to support yourself on a Pupil Loan, never listen having to help others. Don't feel under pressure to dish out cash if you don't take the budget for it.

Unless y'all've agreed on a repayment deadline, you accept no idea exactly when your mate will be able to pay you back, and then you accept to be sure you lot're in a situation where you lot'll be able to survive without that greenbacks for a relatively long time.
Think well-nigh why you're lending the greenbacks

If you're planning to lend your mate coin solely for the purpose of showing them that you care, that you lot value their friendship and want to make sure they're okay, our advice would be – don't do it.

Although this is incredibly decent of you, you lot can't make this your primary reason for lending them cash (unless you can honestly say that yous won't mind if yous never encounter your money once more).

Put it this style – remember alee to a situation where your friend is unable to pay you back and you take to continuously ask them for information technology. This could put a whole load of pressure on your friendship and accept a negative impact, so remember the risks involved there.
Why do they need the money?

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We tin all agree that it'south probably ok to lend your mate a few quid to assist them pay the rent. Just is that why they're request you for coin?

If they're just looking to spend the money on a dark out, or buy some new wearing apparel, seriously consider whether it's worth departing with your cash – especially if you're already hard-up yourself.
Have they tried other ways to earn money?

Nosotros're kind of stating the obvious here, simply borrowing coin from friends isn't the just solution to a greenbacks crisis.

Your friend has a few options. Point them in the direction of your university's money communication service – they could be eligible for funding from the uni'southward hardship funds, or even some bursaries and scholarships that they weren't previously aware of.

While they should definitely, definitely avoid payday loans at that place are alternative funding options that could aid them go their banking company balance looking healthy again without any of the risks associated with loftier-interest loans.
Do you trust them to pay y'all back?

As nosotros're talking about friends here, it's likely that you'll automatically believe yous tin can trust them to pay you dorsum… because they're your mate.

Only think that if someone is specially bad with money, they might notice it genuinely difficult to stick to coin-related promises.

Practice you know if they've borrowed coin from friends before? Did they pay them dorsum? Have a think about this earlier you commit to anything.

Asking for your coin back

Here are the best ways to enquire for money back:

Don't get confrontational

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If you actually value your friendship, then don't get confrontational when asking for your greenbacks. You might be annoyed that it's come to this, simply you could end up waving goodbye to your friendship too as your greenbacks if yous're rude about it.

You've apparently got a kind eye and a compassionate nature if you offered to lend the cash in the first place – remind yourself of this, as you're much more than likely to emerge from the situation unscathed if you manage to keep a cool head near it.
Driblet hints nigh needing money

No one likes asking for money, and it's safety to say that no ane likes beingness asked for it either. Although y'all might not see it this way, it'due south equally stressful for both parties, and then the less painful yous tin can make it, the ameliorate.

Rather than coming straight out with the "give me my money back" bombshell, attempt dropping a few hints hither and there first – something like, "Distressing, I tin't come to the pub tonight, I'm too skint."

If your friend is sharp plenty, they should be able to option up your hints and you tin avoid having that dreaded conversation altogether. Worth a attempt!
Highlight your ain financial state of affairs

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This is similar to the higher up point in that you can make your friend more aware of your ain situation and encourage them to be a bit more empathetic.

If you're both students, surely they'll sympathize that surviving financially isn't like shooting fish in a barrel on you, either.
Inquire for money dorsum in writing

Depending on how you adopt to approach situations like this, having discussions about lending and borrowing cash can sometimes be easier if you do it via text or email.

Not but will this mean y'all can squirm nigh the awkwardness behind the condom of your computer or phone screen, but it as well ways you lot have everything in writing regarding how much cash is crossing palms and when it'southward agreed to be repaid.

Yous could even try sending a coin request through PayPal or if you have Gmail, clicking the currency symbol at the lesser of the message (which links you up with Google Wallet).
Exist flexible nearly receiving coin dorsum

Depending on the circumstances of your state of affairs, like how much coin it was that your friend originally borrowed from you, it might make the situation a bit less stressful if yous suggest they repay yous in a few instalments, similar to how y'all repay your Student Loan.

This way, yous can start seeing at least some of your cash again, and it will show your friend that y'all really are sympathetic towards their situation.
Add a sense of urgency

Adding a sense of urgency to your request volition help your friend to empathise that you are now in a tricky financial state of affairs after lending them the greenbacks.

Phrases like, "I'k lamentable to ask this, but I really demand that money to pay an energy bill by the end of this month", would work well. Don't fix the deadline as well before long, though, otherwise you lot could get your friend into a real panic.

Give them a bit of observe so they can scrape the cash together first.
Ask them to cover your half of the bill

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This is a bit of a cheeky i, but information technology can work a treat.

We would suggest that the adjacent time you're out in a bar or eating place with your debtee, ask them to pay your shareof the nib since they owe you lot some cash. This doesn't only work for eating out – information technology can work when you buy drinks on a nighttime out or tickets at the movie theatre!

Put it just as a example of you having no cash on you lot, and since they owe you money anyhow, would they mind paying your share? Easy!
Enquire their parents

This is a fleck of a concluding resort, but if y'all're getting desperate and you think the amount of money yous're owed is significant enough, contacting the guilty political party's parents could finally put the consequence to remainder.

Nobody wants to be known as a tell-tale, merely when someone owes you hundreds of pounds and is showing no signs of paying information technology back (or, at the very to the lowest degree, any signs of trying), they kind of deserve to get a telling off.

It might practise some permanent damage to your friendship (if one still exists at this betoken), and in that location's no guarantee that it'll work, just hopefully, their parents will be able to knock some sense into them (or better yet, give you lot the money themselves).

Not sure if this would work? Save the Pupil'due south very own Jake Butler had to go to his housemate's mum while at uni to inquire for £100s back.

Find out how he approached it, and how successful he was, in our No More Beans podcast.