Should bailiffs be allowed to gain 'peaceful' entry to your home?

[cherryglitter]

Having been on the receiving end of this I find it disgusting.

It makes me feel sick that they can climb in through your window or walk in through your back door if it's left open (in the summer, for example!)


I don't think it should be allowed at all. A burglar is still breaking the law by gaining peaceful entry into your house so why shouldn't it be the same with a bailiff.

 

[smokey]

Some ballifs are discusting, Iv had to deal with a fair few in the past with an old job.
The company was in debt and I worked in the accounts, I was the only person there at the time and they used every trick going to try scaring me into letting them do what thay wanted but I locked the door and wouldnt let them in without police being there.
They tried claiming they could take my husbands car because it was on the property of the company and they had a right to take anything on the property.
Absolout bulls**t, luckely I knew the laws on it at the time.

A little trick I did learn from working there though is if you have anything you dont want to lose and have the reciepts for give the reciepts to a friend or family member not living there, unless it has changed they cant touch anything that "technicaly" doesnt belong to you, tell them it belongs to someone else and they have the reciept to prove it.

 

[cherryglitter]

I've had to deal with some DCA's. They're arseholes, to be honest.
One of them rang my elderly grandmother up and asked her if she knew where I was living and who I was.
Was awful. They did it to my Dad with her too. (What a family we are!!)

 

[moomin_troll]

it shouldnt be allowed at all.
i no some people struggle with debt but then to add to that by sending some men around to take things out of their home is vile.
loan companies should be more flexible and try to work with their customers instead of being able to sell a debt on.

ive never had dealings with bailiffs before but my sister in her old home kept getting very nasty letters off them when the person who owed them money hadnt lived in that home for 4 yrs! they harrassed my sister for along time and wouldnt make a simple note sayin the person didnt live there anymore, instead they threatened to come and collect my sisters stuff instead

 

[cherryglitter]

it really is disgusting what they can get away with. I don't understand how it's allowed.
I know owing someone money is a 'bad' things as such. Im so embarassed about the situation I am in but having men turn up at the door whilst I have my baby in the living room is so scary.

It really has put a massive strain on my anxiety and depression. I really don't know how they can get away with it.

 

[moomin_troll]

i cant imagine how scary it is to have strange men knock on ur door when ur home alone with ur baby. knowing me id get my back up and go into attack mode lol

its very easy to get into debt and thats what these loan companies and debt collectors make their money on which is awful.

im just happy my sons wont need to get loans ect when they are older as they have a very good amount in their savings, i might have to go to them for loans hahaha

but then ur screwed if ur in no debt and have no store or credit cards but have really good credit because u cant get a loan if u really need one, so everyones expected to have creidt cards these days

 

[cherryglitter]

Yup, I am always being asked if I have a credit card. Thank god I don't. Everybody I know has had nothing but problems with them.

Im currently undergoing a debt relief order to get all my debt sorted. I don't want to be dealing with all this crap when Jake's older. It's not fair on him at all.

 

[Blah11]

I dunno tbh. you owe money that you cant pay back, and you have things of value then yes, i do think you should be forced to give them to pay off your debt.

 

[cherryglitter]

I wish we had things of value.
The items they take only sell for something stupid like 20% of what they could normally get as they go to a weird auction.
So they end up pretty much taking all of your belongings and then you still owe money.

 

[lesleyann]

I think while they should be allowed to get money from items, i dont believe they should be able to just walk into your home or climb in though a window, we have had people here for someone else, atthe wrong bloody address to boot but i still had to call them like 6times to get them to f off lol

 

[summer rain]

I don't think they should be able to come in unless they have the police with them, and that isn't going to happen in most cases. The baliff/debt collector industry should be more tightly regulated. Once we got baliffs at our old place looking for FIL, they were horrible, FIL had been paying off a court fine in installments and the bank messed up the direct debit and he didn't realise. The baliffs said they were going to take all our stuff even though they couldn't, they put me really on the spot and were really threatening me, they said my FIL would be put in jail if someone didn't pay up on his behalf the full amount right there and then. OH paid and we later discovered they were lying about pretty much everything; and even if they insisted on payment they should have waived their own fee because of certain benefits FIL was getting at the time. Also in our old house the woman who lived there previously had pulled all kind of scams and done a runner, and we kept getting increasingly threatening letters from various baliff firms; I wrote to all of them and some of them just ignored it and still wrote saying they are coming next week if she doesn't pay the money. They were bluffing in the end but it was unsettling.

 

[mum22ttc#3]

Yup, I am always being asked if I have a credit card. Thank god I don't. Everybody I know has had nothing but problems with them.

Im currently undergoing a debt relief order to get all my debt sorted. I don't want to be dealing with all this crap when Jake's older. It's not fair on him at all.

I didnt think they was allowed to just turn up if you was in a debt relief program? Correct me if wrong as this was only something I was told by someone else.

Also I was told by the same person who had apparently been told by citizens advice that baliffs were no longer just allowed to take your items unless 1. they was worth over a certain amount or 2. They were non essentail items, meaning that they would not be allowed to touch things such as washing machines, beds, furniture, anything that belonged to your children, cars as long as you needed them for work and they was worth under 2000 pound and you was allowed 1 tv. Again could be totally wrong

 

[beccad]

There's some good info here https://www.direct.gov.uk/en/MoneyTaxAndBenefits/ManagingDebt/DebtsAndArrears/DG_10034289

 

[KittyVentura]

I hate the thought of it. Interestingly though ONLY actual bailiffs can do this. DCAs and solicitors can't. Even if they imply they can. It is illegal and they threaten it as a scare tactic.

Actual bailiffs ONLY get involved once a case has gone to court, a CCJ has been made and still no payment recieved.

I have DCAs and the way I hear about them acting and trying to bully people into paying xx

 

[KittyVentura]

DCAs are often SO pushy and bullying BTW as they tend to actually BUY the debt off the company at a lower amount. The DCA then owns the debt and so THEY need the money. A lot of times the actual company has been paid by the DCAs already.

I had a company like this contact me not long ago, about a debt I didn't owe (long story, loan paid in full but the company lied about a payment holiday when suggesting I use the facility, said there was no impact and then when the loan was paid they tried charging me loads of interest for the payments during the holiday period. I complained to them at the time, threatened to report them to the FSA for misselling the benefit (luckily I know my finance regulator rules and info like the back of my hand) and they removed the amount and closed the loan). Anyway when I got this random letter from the DCA I rang and explained I would be contacting the company direct with a full complaint and to seek damaged as a result of trying to claim money I didn't owe. I actually didn't get round to contact them but also haven;t heard from the DCA since

 

[cherryglitter]

Yeah I have had a few DCA's as well and they're not nice.
One guy turned up whilst I was in the bath. I thought it was my Dad so answered (was expecting him!) and this huuuuuge bloke was at the door and told me he will wait whilst I get out off the bath. Needless to say my Dad turned up sooner or later and cleared him off.

Never heard from him again either!

 

[vaniilla]

bailiffs have a big business, they buy and sell on debt from companies and make big money out if it so are a ruthless industry as most of finance is, they can get away with it because you owe them money and the law rules in their favor, the best thing to do with them is to speak to someone like the CAB and get them off your back. I'm not sure where I stand with this, like a pp said you should have to pay back for the money you owe.

 

[moomin_troll]

theres a huge difference between wanting to pay back and just needing to come to a agreement with the actualy company u were able to get money from and then theres being scared to death by huge men turning up at ur door who could actualy be anyone and telling u they will take ur things.

the companies who lend the money out should be more supportive to the clients they gave money to and instead of ignoring calls and plees for help they should offer better payment plans.

ofcourse if u owe the money then u have to pay it back but some of these companies dont make it easy

 

[cherryglitter]

Some companies do not make it easy!
I had an old parking fine (£60) which is now £500 thanks to all the added bailiff fees. They have no regulation so can add what they please to your debt.

I rang them and they wanted us to pay £25 a week/£100 a month. Now... we jointly claim JSA which works out at about £400 a month. That's a 1/4 of what we get. It;s really not fair. We still have all the normal bills to pay like other people. (Yes, we do get council tax and housing benefit!)

It really angers me. This is what spurred me on to go to CAB and they've got me so sorted!

 

[cherryglitter]

Oh and another thing with bailiffs - it's so horrible not being able to open your windows or back door on a hot day incase they turn up and just let themselves in!