Collection agency

  • A person, other than a collector, who obtains or arranges for payment of money owing to another person
  • A person who sells or offers to sell forms or letters represented to be a collection system or scheme
  • A person, other than a collector, who provides debt settlement services
  • A person who purchases debts that are in arrears and collects them (with some exceptions)

Collector

A person who works on behalf of a collection agency to:

  • collect debts
  • interact with debtors
  • provide debt settlement services

Registrar

This is the person who ensures collection agencies and collectors act in accordance with the CDSSA and its regulations. Learn more about the Registrar.

There are some circumstances in which the CDSSA does not apply. For example, the CDSSA does not apply to an isolated collection made by a person who is collecting a debt on their own behalf.

Learn more definitions in the CDSSA.