Help.....Bailiffs, bailiffs and more bailiffs!!

[UV101]

Guys, I'm hoping someone can give me some advice.

I've been in the new house since 27th Jan. This week I've had 3 different bailiffs call for the previous tenant. I know he left here owing some money to the landlord but this is getting beyond a joke.

Monday was a hand delivered removal notice from 1 bailiff, I called them and left a message telling then to deal with the landlord and that we'd only been here for a couple of months. Yesterday was a notice of seizure from a different bailiff sighting 1 of my cars, my VW campervan and the family caravan to be removed (reg no.s and serial no.s attached to the notice) and sold at auction within 5 days and finally this evening, a call at the door from someone without ID claiming to be from the court. I don't want to keep on giving them my personal details to prove I'm not the guy they are after.

TBH this is starting to get on my tits which is precisely what I told the guy at the door. I told him the guy was the previous tenant and his post was being re-directed but other than that I had nothing.

Any suggestions on how I can sort this short of dealing with each bailiff in tern??:steam::steam:

[Barry]

Suggest you seek advice from your local Citizen's Advice office.

[Thing Fish]

I had a similar thing when I bought my last house. I had to contact each bailiff office seperately and explain the mistake. Its no good speaking to the bailiff himself as they usually have a brain the size of a pea. Contact the office direct and put it in writing. Recorded delivery is a good way of ensuring it gets there.
The only other problem you may have is that if the property is blacklisted you may find it hard to get credit using that address. I just managed to avoid this stage.
If you can get a forwarding address of the offending tennant then give that to the bailiff office as well. Its like throwing them a bigger bone so to speak. Its a chore but you have no choice i'm afraid.
Good luck.

[HighFidelityGuy]

I'd do as Barry suggested but also make sure you have copies of your tenancy agreement that you can use as proof of who is currently a legal tenant at the address. Also try and get hold of a forwarding address for the previous tenant so you can pass that on.

If all else fails park your vehicles somewhere else and whatever you do don't let them in your house. If they try to force entry call the police.

I had a similar problem when I moved into my current house. After showing a few people my tenancy agreement and giving them contact details for my letting agent they stopped calling. It's a massive pain in the arse and you really shouldn't have to deal with it but hopefully it will all blow over soon. Best of luck. :)

[Reid Malenfant]

Hi Ian, sorry to hear the news :( Like Barry i'd suggest a consultation with the Citizens Advise Bureau, but i'd also recommened a consultation with a solicitor. This should be free as an initial consultation & you should get some excellent advice ;)

Just remember that the law is on your side to chap. This is bugger all to do with you so if these bailiffs take your property you have loads of reasons to take them to court - small claims court! Take it from me that you'd win as it's not you they are after, i daren't think of the money you could claim if these idiots took your car & it deprived you from getting to work :eek:

The law works both ways, best of luck :)

[UV101]

Thanks for the advice guys, I'm just a little p'eed off about it. I don't want to keep on disclosing my personal details to these people and I'm a little concerned that its up to me to prove who I am rather than them prove they are talking to the right guy (which clearly they are not).

I hope it doesn't come to it but should some attempt to remove something while I'm here, I'll be reporting the assault before it actually happens. As mentioned, its like trying to deal with morons. The girl we spoke to in the office for the 2nd lot was about as rude and thick as you could possibly imagine.

Looking at the post we've had for him (the post office dont seem to be coping with his redirect very well) it looks like he was using several names too......happy days

Should I be fortunate to find out the guys new address, I'll be putting it on a massive sign in the front garden!!!

[DSJR]

Speaking as an ex-adviser for the CAB, I'd suggest that route. Why? Because they keep detailed records and act in total confidentiality. if you take your tenancy agreemant with you and all copies of mail etc, as well as full proof of your identity etc, I'm sure they can either tell you whom to write to and what to say, and if they're a really friendly bureau, they'd probably do it for you.

[Mark Grant]

Yesterday was a notice of seizure from a different bailiff sighting 1 of my cars, my VW campervan and the family caravan to be removed (reg no.s and serial no.s attached to the notice) and sold at auction within 5 days and finally this evening,

Any suggestions on how I can sort this short of dealing with each bailiff in tern??:steam::steam:

Basically they have threatened in writing to steal your assets from you to pay someone elses debt that you have no connection with, that is outrageous.

I would write everything down that has happened, take all the relevant bits of paper to a police station, make a complaint and get a crime number, once its on the police system the bailiffs might see some sense.


a call at the door from someone without ID claiming to be from the court.

If they really where an official court officer they would have an ID card, so make a complaint about that, impersonating a court officer has to be an offence.

Good luck with getting this sorted :)

Mark.

[Welder]

“I’m all right Jack”.

Before you help the bailiffs in any way I would ask you to bear a couple of things in mind.
Bailiffs are used to collect debts, by and large, from the poor. You don’t tend to see them trying to collect from corporations, the rich, banks, or businesses that have been involved in fraudulent trading.
Yep, it’s a pain in the arse when they knock on your door, especially if you don’t owe the money. Spare a thought for the poor sod who does owe the money.
People in general don’t deliberately get into debt, unlike many businesses and corporations.
So it’s annoying for you, but at least your not living in fear of a couple of thugs entering your home and removing what may be the very few possessions you have left and probably not the things that got the person into the debt in the first place.

It’s easy to say these people shouldn’t get into debt, perhaps if you’ve run a small business and a main contractor refuses to pay your last invoice and declares themselves bankrupt only to start trading a few weeks later under another name leaving you with an outstanding invoice of several thousand pounds people might take a slightly less self righteous attitude.
Thousands of people have fallen into debt, much like the country, we live in a debt ridden society largely brought about by unscrupulous lending and disproportionate interest rates.
Sure, prevent them from taking your stuff which shouldn’t be a problem, but don’t help them in any other way.
Just as a small example. I have a friend who bought a few items through a catalogue for her two kids one Christmas. She then lost her job when the company she worked for decided that labour was cheaper in Asia and moved shop. The interest was I believe around 38% and despite all her efforts she was unable to keep up with the payments. Then the bailiff agency took over and the debt doubles overnight.
Just be thankful its not you.

[avalonsounds]

My understanding is a Baliff cannot force entry.He has to be invited in.That may be acomplished by him saying, "can i come in and talk about this?" If they knock at the door,ask who they want to speak too.When they say "Mr Smith" reply curtly that its not you and close the door.