Loans at Home Administration and Unaffordable Lending Complaints
Loans at Home was, at its peak, the UK’s third-largest doorstep lender — a home-credit operator collecting weekly payments at the customer’s door through a network of self-employed agents. Operated by SD Taylor Limited within the Non-Standard Finance plc (NSF) group, Loans at Home entered administration in March 2022 after NSF concluded the business was no longer viable. This page explains where complaints stand and what affected customers can do.
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About Loans at Home
Loans at Home was the trading name of SD Taylor Limited, based in Stoke-on-Trent. The business was acquired by Non-Standard Finance from S&U plc for £82.5m in August 2015. NSF’s home credit operation under the Loans at Home brand made it the third-largest UK home credit lender behind Provident and Morses Club at its peak.
The Loans at Home model was traditional home credit — small unsecured loans (typically £100-£1,000) repaid in weekly cash instalments collected by an agent visiting the customer’s home. Repayment periods ranged from 14 to 63 weeks. Effective interest rates were very high (often 300%+ APR) reflecting the cost of the home-collection model.
Administration in March 2022
Loans at Home (SD Taylor Limited) entered administration in mid-March 2022. NSF announced that the directors had reluctantly concluded the business was no longer viable and applied to the FCA for permission to appoint Grant Thornton as administrators. The administration was driven by:
- Covid lockdowns disrupting the home-collection business model — Loans at Home stopped lending entirely for two months in 2020.
- Lending in 2020 was £45.4m, down 41% from 2019.
- A note on the NSF website acknowledged “there may have been harm to certain home credit customers”.
- Mounting affordability complaint costs and FCA scrutiny.
- A 2020 loss of £2.5m on the Loans at Home business.
Chris Laverty, Trevor O’Sullivan and Andrew Charters of Grant Thornton were appointed joint administrators. The administrators stated they would explore recovery options including an orderly wind down of the business and sale of assets.
Where Loans at Home complaints stand
Once Loans at Home entered administration, the standard CONC and FOS route closed for new affordability complaints:
- Existing loan agreements remained in force, with repayments continuing under the original terms during the wind down.
- No new loans could be issued.
- Affordability complaints had to be submitted through the administrator’s process, with recovery limited to whatever the administration could distribute.
- The administration of SD Taylor Limited was structurally separate from the wider NSF Group, so recovery from Loans at Home complaints did not get pooled with George Banco / TrustTwo / Everyday Loans schemes.
Recoveries under typical home credit administrations have been very low — often pennies in the pound or less.
Common patterns in Loans at Home complaints
The home credit model concentrates a number of affordability risks:
- Customer base is by definition financially stretched — home credit serves customers who cannot access mainstream credit, often on low incomes with limited surplus.
- Effective rates are very high — small loan amounts plus the cost of door collection produce APRs that compound difficulty quickly.
- Repeat lending and refinancing — a feature of the home credit model is the agent’s relationship with the customer, which can encourage frequent re-lending. Each new loan needs a fresh affordability assessment.
- Affordability assessments often informal — agent-led assessments can be less rigorous than office-based decisioning.
- Vulnerability — many home credit customers had vulnerability indicators that should have factored into the assessment.
For customers with active or recent Loans at Home loans
- Repayments continue under the original loan terms unless the loan has been written off or transferred during the wind down.
- Where the loan has been sold to a debt purchaser, the purchaser handles ongoing servicing — but the original Loans at Home lending decision remains Loans at Home’s responsibility (handled through the administration).
- For credit-file entries, where late-payment markers were applied, you can raise corrections with the relevant credit reference agency under the Data Protection Act 2018.
- For hardship situations, contact whoever is currently servicing the account about forbearance options.
What if the lender has gone into administration?.
Frequently asked questions
Can I still claim against Loans at Home?
New affordability complaints can no longer go through the standard CONC and FOS route, because the lender is in administration. Recovery is limited to whatever the administrator can distribute — typically very small amounts or nothing.
My loan was sold to a debt collector — what now?
The debt collector is now responsible for servicing the loan. The original lending decision remains Loans at Home’s, so affordability complaints about the original lending have to go through the administration. But the debt collector’s own conduct — fairness of the collection process, accuracy of the balance, treatment of vulnerability — can be complained about to the collector and escalated to FOS in the normal way.
Did the FCA say Loans at Home harmed customers?
NSF’s own statement at the time of administration acknowledged “there may have been harm to certain home credit customers”. The FCA had been conducting extensive supervisory work on the home credit sector, which contributed to the broader pressures that led to the administration.
Related guides
- Doorstep loans claims hub
- What if the lender has gone into administration?
- How far back can I claim?
- Section 140A and the unfair relationship test
- Do I have an unaffordable lending claim?
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