If a letter of demand names a company that did not enter the contract, check the records before replying or making payment. Compare the exact legal name and UEN with the agreement, invoices and correspondence. A mismatch may matter, but it does not automatically defeat the claim. Obtain advice promptly if proceedings, a statutory demand or personal liability are threatened.
Raffles Corporate Services works with a panel of experienced Singapore law firms who offer cost-effective and efficient legal service and advice. This article is general information only and is not legal advice.
Check the entity, not just the trading name
Group companies often share a brand, website, address or accounts team. That can obscure which entity ordered the goods or services. Build a short comparison showing the company named in the demand, the contracting party, the invoiced party and the bank account that made earlier payments.
An ACRA Business Profile can help confirm a registered entity’s details. It does not, on its own, establish which party is liable under the contract. Read it alongside the signed documents and the actual transaction history.
Documents to gather before a response
- The demand, attachments, envelope or delivery record, and any stated deadline.
- The signed contract, quotation, purchase order and terms referred to in them.
- Invoices, delivery records, credit notes and payment evidence.
- Emails and messages explaining who ordered, approved or received the work.
- Any guarantee, indemnity, transfer of contract or settlement agreement.
Keep the original files. Where several companies are involved, label each document by entity and date. Ask the employee who handled the transaction to explain the sequence without changing or recreating the underlying records.
Could another document create liability?
Do not stop at the first page of the contract. A guarantee, a later variation or an agreement involving several group entities may change the analysis. A director may also have signed in a personal capacity. Whether that creates liability depends on the documents and applicable law, not merely on the person’s job title.
A change of company name is different from a different company with a similar name. An inaccurate name may also be a clerical error that can be corrected. Avoid telling the creditor that the case is necessarily invalid before a lawyer has checked the position.
What should a first response do?
Have an authorised person or legal adviser prepare the reply. Depending on the circumstances, it may identify the entity discrepancy, request the relied-on documents and reserve the company’s position. Do not invent a standard response deadline or assume a request for clarification stops a legal deadline.
A commercial letter of demand, court papers and a statutory demand require different assessments. If the document is more than an ordinary payment request, show the whole document to an adviser immediately rather than treating it as an accounts query.
A practical example
Illustration: “Harbour Trading Pte. Ltd.” receives a demand for work ordered by “Harbour Services Pte. Ltd.” The two use the same address. Before paying, the director finds the purchase order, checks whether either company guaranteed the other’s obligations and obtains advice on the reply. The shared address is a starting point for investigation, not a conclusion about liability.
Prevent the same confusion next time
Use the contracting company’s full name and UEN consistently in quotations, orders, agreements and invoices. State who may approve changes and keep separate accounting trails for each entity. Those habits make both debt collection and defence of an incorrect claim easier to assess.
Related guides
- Letter of Demand in Singapore: How to Write One, Who Should Sign It and the Cost
- Court Applications to Hold Singapore Directors Personally Liable for Company Debts (2026)
- Singapore Company Incorporation: A Step-by-Step Guide
Official sources
How Raffles Corporate Services can help
If you would like assistance with a business dispute or a demand against your company, email [email protected] or WhatsApp +65 8501 7133. We can coordinate relevant corporate services, tax advice and, where needed, legal assistance from advisers at associated law firms. Legal advice and representation are provided by those advisers. This article is general information and does not replace advice on your circumstances.