Can't Pay? We'll Take it away

[The Mad Monk]

Bumper edition tonight - on now!

Family financial disputes, don't you just love 'em?

[The Mad Monk]

Sheets Tabuer said:

I'm very surprised they are allowed to go around with high court enforcement and the coat of arms on them and declaring themselves to be high court enforcement when they are in fact bailiffs from a company called DCBL.

I am even more surprised that people let things go so far as court action, followed by High Court action, with costs being added on to costs.

[The Mad Monk]

98elise said:

Efbe said:

don't see them turning up to google/facebook/starbucks etc though do we?

They regularly turn up at big businesses. As someone has said they turned up at Lotus F1, and I've seen them doorstep other big firms. I'm pretty sure they went to Rolls Royce at one point.

Big firms they will normally pay up well before enforcement as its the company paying, not the person writing the cheque.

Quite surprising sometimes how quickly big firms will pay up when the bailiffs come in.

Why do they leave it until then?

[The Mad Monk]

baldy1926 said:

The EDP paper in norfolk publishes outstanding county court debts.

Can you do a link?

I remember years ago, chasing a well known electronics company for an unpaid invoice. They said - oh, we are just switching to 60 day payment from 30 day. I didn't do any more work for them, although I didn't tell them that.

[The Mad Monk]

TwigtheWonderkid said:

The episode the other night showed an eviction with 5 kids and the mum 9 months pregnant,

Perhaps there is a tiny clue there why they were in financial trouble.

When will people learn to take responsibility for the consequences of their actions?

[The Mad Monk]

Evanivitch said:

What about the kids that suffer as a result?

The parent(s) should have gone to court to state their circumstances when the court papers came through.

With some people it's never their own fault, it's always someone else's fault.

[The Mad Monk]

I watched an episde yesterday - on 5Star(?) - where an 'anti-bailiff' group turned up to support the debtor. All they seemed to do was to film the action on their phones (all in portrait mode - have they learnt nothing from PH?), crowd around and keep calling the bailiffs 'scum'.

What is that all about?

[The Mad Monk]

This sort of story on TV must do wonders for sales!

No?

[The Mad Monk]

LittleBigPlanet said:

The main take home for me from that episode was the total cost of the police presence that was required (and what a total waste of time it all was i.e. easily avoided by being less of a male chicken).

Who was the male chicken?

The money was owed.
The claimant had been through the proper procedures.
The authorised people had turned up to collect the money, or goods in lieu.
The defendant was uncooperative.

What would your strategy have been to avoid the waste of police time? I assume that is what you are referring to?

[The Mad Monk]

The Spruce goose said:

all over 52k a year rent, nice little earner but seems to rub people up the wrong way.

Wossat?

[The Mad Monk]

Trax said:

I have no idea what the classification of Peacefull entry is, but they do usually push past the homeowner to gain it, which doesnt sound peacefull to me.

The usual trick of lying to the homeowner, and sayign that they will remove their goods, for the debt of somone who may be staying there, does grid on me a bit.

I think in all the episodes I have seen, the entry is peaceful. Once you are over the step, you are in.

I don't think they are lying. Someone has given that address in a legally binding contract, the bailiffs are entitled to assume, until demonstrated otherwise that the property in the house belongs to the defendant.

Don't you think that people should pay their debts?

[The Mad Monk]

robinessex said:

If you don't open the door, they're screwed. They can't take all your stuff, as essential things needed by you for living are off limits. Can't take electrical stuff, as they need a safety Certificate (Cost £50) to sell it. Can't take stuff that will stop you working, that can include vehicles. And finally, they charge totally illegal fees.

http://thesheriffsoffice.com/high-court-enforcemen...

You don't think people should pay their debts?

[The Mad Monk]

mike74 said:

Surely they're on slightly dodgy ground when they say ''we're here to remove goods to the value of £xxxx'' Then when the debtor says fine take the goods, the enforcement officers say the debt has increased as there's a removal fee?

Don't they say? :-

"We are here to collect £4,875.04 or to remove goods"

[The Mad Monk]

P-Jay said:

It used to be about chasing rouge traders and the like

Quite a few of them wearing too much makeup!

[The Mad Monk]

robinessex said:

The guys staring in this programme aren't high court enforcement officers anyway.

See:-

https://www.hceoa.org.uk/members/authorised-member...

I couldn't see anyone staring?

[The Mad Monk]

If I am not mistaken there is a message in the programme. If I may, I will try to paraphrase.

1. a. If you owe people money - pay them. b. Do not let it go to court.

2. a. If it does go to court, pay it as soon as you get the notice, do not wait for the bailiffs to come round. b. If the bailiffs do come round, pay them, or enter into an agreement to pay.

3. a. Do not get into silly arguments with any bailiffs, you will find your life will run smoother.

4. I hope this helps.

[The Mad Monk]

Would you agree that my first principle in 1.a. in my post is sound advice?

Or not?

[The Mad Monk]

The question that i would like to see answered;-

Much of the work that bailiffs do is house/flat evictions. The story is, usually that the tenants paid the first payment in order to get into the property and then paid nothing else.

What I would like to know is, did the landlord let the property through a recognised professional letting agency, with all the rigorous credit worthiness checks and references, deposit taken, etc carried out? Or not?

Or was it done under the old pals act - I know someone etc?

[The Mad Monk]

98elise said:

Why only two options?

I bought a BTL with a tenant in situ let through an agent. The rent went arrears and they trashed property costing me about 10k.

I mainly let my own properties, and I do checks, get references, and take deposits etc.

The main problem is that people lie and it's very difficult to get rid of a tenant. The law is very much in the tenants favour. You cannot even start an eviction until they are two months behind. Then expect it to be months before you can actually get a legal eviction.

Have you ever noticed that all the people getting evicted have "never had any letters" about the arrears?

I have noticed a number of things about "all the people getting evicted".