Tool
Buying debt: what you collect in each outcome
A credit bought at a discount can end in a settlement with the debtor, an auction a third party wins, or an auction with no bids. Enter your figures and see what you would collect in each case and what is left after the price and costs, losses included.
What you collect and what is left
Enter at least the credit price and the debt.
What this tool does not do
It does not predict which of the three outcomes will happen or when: a proceeding can take years, and time costs too. It does not include tax on the gain.
The figures are the ones you enter. Before buying a credit, review the court file, the charges and the property's condition with a lawyer.
The guide: returns and risks of investing in debt. The auction with no bids calculator.
Frequently asked questions
- How much can whoever buys an unpaid credit collect?
- Whoever buys a credit collects, at most, what is owed. With a settlement they collect what was agreed; if a third party is awarded the property, they collect the bid up to their debt; and if the auction gets no bids (proceedings from 3 April 2025), the property can be awarded for 50% of the auction value, or what settles the debt with a 40% floor. What is left depends on the price paid and the costs.
- Can you lose money buying debt?
- Yes. If what is finally collected does not cover the price paid and the costs, you lose. It happens, for example, if the auction goes for little or the proceeding drags on. That is why the tool shows the result in negative when there is a loss.
Indicative tool: not financial advice or a forecast. Investing in discounted debt carries risk of loss.