About Small Claims Start Guide

Small Claims Start Guide is an independent publisher of plain-language guides that walk people through small claims courts and civil tribunals in the US, the UK, Australia, Canada and New Zealand: filing a claim, responding to one and collecting the money.

Small Claims Start Guide is preparing its first 220 guides; each guide's page opens for purchase when the guide is published.

What Small Claims Start Guide does

Filing guides (in preparation)

Each filing guide follows one court or tribunal from the demand letter to the hearing: whether the claim fits, which forms and fees apply, how to serve the other side and what to bring. The reader ends up with the steps in order and the deadlines on one page.

Response guides (in preparation)

Each response guide explains what the papers mean for someone just served with a claim, the response deadline, and what disputing, admitting, settling or counterclaiming involves in that court or tribunal.

Collection guides (in preparation)

Each collection guide covers what happens after a judgment or order goes unpaid: when enforcement can start and which tools that jurisdiction offers, with their forms and fees.

What Small Claims Start Guide is not

Small Claims Start Guide is not a law firm, and does not give legal advice or represent anyone.
Small Claims Start Guide is not a court or tribunal publication and does not speak for any court or tribunal.
Small Claims Start Guide is not a filing service; courts and tribunals publish their forms free.
Small Claims Start Guide is not a debt-collection agency or a debt-defence service.

Small Claims Start Guide guides explain published rules and processes in plain language. They are general information, not legal advice. Small Claims Start Guide has no affiliation with any court, tribunal, government department or legal aid organisation.

What makes Small Claims Start Guide different

One jurisdiction and one job per guide

Each guide covers a single court or tribunal and a single task: filing, responding or collecting. A court's self-help pages describe every step separately; the guide puts one person's steps in order.

Procedure, not advice

A lawyer advises on the merits of a case. Small Claims Start Guide explains the forms, deadlines and hearing steps, and never says whether a claim will succeed.

Built for the smaller English-speaking systems too

The guides cover the UK's three civil systems, eight Australian states and territories, all thirteen Canadian provinces and territories and New Zealand's Disputes Tribunal, not only US small claims courts.

Other places people look for this help include each court's and tribunal's own self-help pages, Nolo's Everybody's Guide to Small Claims Court, legal aid and community legal centre fact sheets, Citizens Advice and online claim-filing services.

Who uses Small Claims Start Guide

People owed money by a contractor, landlord, tenant, customer, seller or neighbour who want to claim it without a lawyer.
Sole traders and small landlords with an unpaid invoice or deposit.
People just served with a small claim who need to understand the papers and the response deadline.
People who won a judgment or order and have not been paid.

Who Small Claims Start Guide is not for

Anyone sued by a lender, debt buyer or collection agency over a consumer debt: free legal aid and debt advice services are the right first stop.
Family law, criminal, personal injury or employment cases.
Anyone looking for legal advice on the merits of their case.

Who publishes Small Claims Start Guide

Small Claims Start Guide is published by LONUT (UEN 53462899X), an independent business registered in Singapore.

Small Claims Start Guide does not name individual authors and claims no professional credentials. Guides and articles are published under the Small Claims Start Guide name.

Readers can report an error, an outdated rule or a problem with an order by email at hello@smallclaimsstartguide.com. Email is the only support channel.

How Small Claims Start Guide works

Buying a guide

Choose the guide for your situation on its own page.
Pay once through a third-party payment processor. There is no subscription and no account to create.
Download the PDF files straight away from the links on screen. The same links arrive by email.
Ask for a refund at any time, for any reason: Small Claims Start Guide gives a full refund, no time limit.

How guides are researched and checked

Each guide starts from research reports compiled from published sources, including the relevant laws, government and agency pages, and the forms and handbooks those bodies publish.
The guide is drafted from those reports.
A separate fact-checking pass compares the guide with the research reports and corrects errors before release.
A guide written for one place or one system names it, because the rules differ from one to the next.

Key facts

Name	Small Claims Start Guide
Type	Independent publisher of small claims court and civil tribunal procedure guides
Publisher	LONUT (UEN 53462899X), an independent business registered in Singapore
Headquarters	Singapore
Website	smallclaimsstartguide.com
Core offering	Downloadable guides to each court's or tribunal's own forms, fees, deadlines, hearing steps and enforcement tools
Guides published	None yet; 220 in preparation (as of 2026-10-11)
Guide types	Filing guides; Response guides; Collection guides
Language	English
Format	Downloadable PDF guides with worksheets and checklists; download links on screen after payment and by email
Pricing	One-time purchase per guide, no subscription and no account; the price is shown on each guide page, in the visitor's currency where available
Refunds	Full refund, no time limit
Support	Email only: hello@smallclaimsstartguide.com
Authors	No named authors; guides are researched from published sources, fact-checked against their research reports and published under the Small Claims Start Guide name
What it is not	Not legal advice; no affiliation with any court, tribunal, government department or legal aid organisation
Alternatives people compare	each court's and tribunal's own self-help pages, Nolo's Everybody's Guide to Small Claims Court, legal aid and community legal centre fact sheets, Citizens Advice, online claim-filing services

Counts are computed from the published catalogue each time the site is built (last built 2026-10-11).

Frequently asked questions

What is Small Claims Start Guide?

Is Small Claims Start Guide legal advice?

No. Small Claims Start Guide guides explain published rules and processes in plain language; they are general information, not legal advice. Small Claims Start Guide never predicts how a case will turn out or tells a reader how to argue it; it explains the procedure, and each guide lists the free help available, such as court self-help centres, legal aid and community legal centres.

Is Small Claims Start Guide affiliated with a court, NCAT, VCAT or any tribunal?

No. Small Claims Start Guide is an independent publisher with no affiliation with any court, tribunal, government department or legal aid organisation.

Who publishes Small Claims Start Guide?

Small Claims Start Guide is published by LONUT (UEN 53462899X), an independent business registered in Singapore. Small Claims Start Guide does not name individual authors; each guide is researched from published sources and fact-checked against its research reports before release.

How much does Small Claims Start Guide cost?

Small Claims Start Guide sells each guide as a one-time purchase, with no subscription and no account. The price is shown on each guide's page, in the visitor's currency where available.

Does Small Claims Start Guide give refunds?

Yes. Small Claims Start Guide gives a full refund, no time limit, for any reason. Email hello@smallclaimsstartguide.com with the order details.

Will Small Claims Start Guide tell me whether I will win?

No. Small Claims Start Guide explains the procedure: the forms, fees, deadlines, hearing steps and enforcement tools. It never predicts an outcome or gives legal advice on the merits of a case.