A foundation is an enforceable legal title attached to a case that gives the collection partner the right to enforce the debt directly. Foundations unlock the Enforcement phase, making actions such as wage garnishment, bailiff proceedings, and asset seizure possible.
Actors involved: Client, Collection Partner, Debitura (Backend Admin)
What is a foundation
A foundation is a formal legal instrument - issued by a court or authority - that gives a collection partner the enforceable right to recover a debt directly. Examples include court judgments, payment orders, and debt acknowledgments.
In Debitura, a foundation is attached to a specific case. A single case can have multiple foundations, which is common when a title is renewed before expiry or when different instruments cover different portions of the debt.
Why foundations matter
Foundations unlock the Enforcement phase of a case. Without an Active foundation, enforcement actions such as wage garnishment, bailiff proceedings, or asset seizure cannot be initiated.
Uploading a foundation does not change the case's current phase. The foundation only unlocks Enforcement as a future path. The actual phase change requires a separate quote flow.
Types of foundations
Debitura supports five types of enforceable titles. These five are the persisted taxonomy, and they are the choices the collection partner selects from when creating the foundation record:
Type | Description |
Court Judgment | A ruling issued by a court ordering the debtor to pay |
Payment Order | A simplified court order for uncontested monetary claims |
Debt Acknowledgment | A formal document where the debtor acknowledges the debt |
Installment Plan | A structured repayment agreement with enforceable terms |
Other | Any other instrument recognised as an enforceable title in the relevant jurisdiction |
Foundation status lifecycle
Each foundation has one of three statuses:
Status | Meaning |
Pending Validation | The foundation was created by someone other than the collection partner and is awaiting the partner's validation |
Active | The foundation is valid and available. The Enforcement phase is unlocked for this case |
Expired | The expiration date has passed. The system flags the foundation but does not take automated action |
Upload rules and auto-activation
A foundation record is created by the collection partner or by a Debitura backend admin. Who creates it determines whether it is immediately active or requires partner validation:
Uploaded by | Initial status | Reason |
Collection Partner | Active (immediately) | Created through the partner foundation form, where the partner supplies the type, issuing jurisdiction, issue date, optional expiry date and the document. The partner carries professional liability for it |
Client | No foundation is created | The client portal has no foundation form. A client who uploads a title is sending a document for the partner to assess - see the section below |
Backend Admin | Pending Validation | Partner review is required before the title can be used for enforcement |
A foundation created by anyone other than the partner stays in Pending Validation indefinitely until the collection partner confirms it. The platform records who validated it and when.
What happens when a client uploads a title
The client portal offers an Upload Existing Title action on the case, and it is a handoff rather than a foundation. The uploaded document is attached to the case as an ordinary file, and the platform posts a message in the case chat asking the collection partner to assess whether it qualifies. No foundation record is created, and the case does not enter Pending Validation. If the document does qualify, the partner creates the foundation from it through the partner form, supplying the type, jurisdiction and dates that the client was never asked for.
The client-side upload screen lists four examples of what counts - a court judgment or decree, a payment order, a notarised agreement with an enforcement clause, and an arbitration award. Those are eligibility examples to help the client decide whether the document is worth sending. They are not a second set of foundation types; the five types above remain the only ones the platform stores.
Foundation expiry
Some enforceable titles have a statutory expiry date. Debitura tracks this date and flags the foundation as Expired when it passes.
Expiry is a flag, not a trigger. The platform does not automatically close the case or end the engagement when a foundation expires. Some jurisdictions allow collection activity to continue after a title expires; others do not. The flag surfaces the situation so the collection partner can decide what to do, which commonly involves obtaining a renewed title through the Legal phase.
Foundation expiry is related to, but distinct from, the statute of limitations. The platform does not perform statute-of-limitations calculations. For general guidance on time-barred debt, see Statute of limitations.
Impact by actor
Client
Clients can send a title they already hold to the collection partner from the case. This attaches the document and notifies the partner in the case chat; it does not create a foundation.
Foundations appear on the case detail page when relevant legal content exists for the case.
Collection Partner
Collection partners can upload foundations, which are auto-activated immediately due to the partner's professional liability.
Partners assess documents a client sends through the case chat and, where the document qualifies, create the foundation from it. Partners also validate foundations created by a backend admin before they can be used for enforcement.
Partners discover pending foundations through their portal.
If a partner uploads a fraudulent or incorrect title, the appropriate mechanism is the complaint system.
Debitura (Backend Admin)
Backend admins can create foundations on behalf of a client. These start in Pending Validation and require the collection partner to confirm them.