Pawnbrokers – how they work

• You hand over the item (known as a pawn or pledge) to the pawnbroker who will value it for you.
• The pawnbroker should give you a ‘Pre-contract Credit Information’ form if you’re a new customer — if you’ve borrowed from the firm in the last 3 years, you can ask for this (and it’s always best to do so).
• You’ll be given a credit agreement to sign — check this carefully and ask questions if you don’t understand anything.
• The agreement will set out how long the loan lasts and how much it will cost. It’ll usually be a minimum of six months (but you can agree a shorter or longer period).
• Unless it’s part of the credit agreement, the pawnbroker will give you a separate pawn receipt which you’ll need to keep in order to prove you own the item.
• You can redeem the pawn at any time by paying what you owe and getting the item back. If you don’t repay the loan during the redemption period, the pawnbroker can sell it to recover the cash.
• There is a 14 day cooling off period, within which you have a right to withdraw from the agreement and just pay interest for the period from the date you took out the agreement to the date you decided not to go ahead with it.

If you want to use a pawnbroker, make sure they’re a  member of the National Pawnbrokers’ Association, which has a code of conduct for members.

You can expect to pay a pawnbroker a higher rate of interest than you would for a high street loan, but it would normally cost you a lot less than a payday lender.

You might be quoted a monthly or daily interest rate, although the pawnbroker must also show the annual interest rate and the APR (the annual percentage rate of charge).

Shop around to find the most competitive rates.

You’ll usually be expected to repay the loan in one payment rather than in instalments.

If you need more time to repay, the pawnbroker might agree to extend the term and draw up a new credit agreement, although they can refuse.

They’ll normally expect you to at least pay back the interest you owe.

You can pawn anything of value that can be re-sold. Jewellery is the item that most people choose to pawn.

If you can’t repay your loan by the deadline and you don’t want your item to be sold, you can ask the pawnbroker if they’re prepared to extend the deadline, but they’re not obliged to agree.

If you borrowed up to £75 and you cannot repay the loan, ownership of the item will pass automatically to the pawnbroker.

If you borrowed more than £75, the pawnbroker could sell the item and keep the proceeds - but they have to try to get the best value for the item, and if there’s any surplus (after the debt is paid and costs deducted such as auction costs) they have to pay this to you.

If the loan is for over £100 the pawnbroker must tell you in advance if they’re going to sell it.

This gives you a chance to pay them and get your goods back.

If you’ve borrowed up to £75 you can ask the pawnbroker for a ‘standard form’ which you sign to say the property is yours.

If you’ve borrowed more than £75 you would need to sign a statutory declaration.

This might involve going to a magistrate or a Commissioner for Oaths, or a Justice of the Peace if you live in Scotland.

You can also go to a solicitor, but they are likely to charge a fee for this.

Make sure you know the value of the item before you pawn it, so you’ll have evidence if you feel the pawnbroker has sold it for less than it was worth.

First, complain to the pawnbroker in writing.

You can use evidence such as newspaper clippings or written quotes to back up your claim.

Make sure you know the value of the item before you pawn it, so you’ll have evidence if you feel the pawnbroker has sold it for less than it was worth.

If the pawnbroker doesn’t respond your complaint or you don’t manage to sort out the problem within eight weeks, you can take your complaint to the Financial Ombudsman Service (FOS).

You can take a pawnbroker to the Small Claims Court but there are fees to pay and there is always a risk the settlement reached might not be what you want.

Sometimes a chain of pawnbrokers will close some of its stores (or close down completely). Here’s some information on what do if this happens.

The National Pawnbrokers Association (NPA) has stated that, in the event one of its members closes, there’s no reason to believe your pledges are at risk. Items are usually safely held at a central location.

You should continue keeping up with repayments under the terms of your loan. Not paying could affect your credit rating and you might find it difficult to get credit in the future.

You can try existing numbers for the pawnbroker that closed down. Alternatively, you can contact the NPA on 0172 785 8687 who might be able to help you reach the pawnbroker.

Borrowing money via a pawnbroker is expensive and might involve losing a valued item as well as costing you money