I’ve Received a Letter from a Bailiff, What Should I Do?

If you haven’t managed to pay your debt, you might get a letter from an enforcement agent letting you know that they are going to visit you in seven days.

It is known as a notice of enforcement. You shouldn’t ignore the letter because it can easily make things worse for you.

What Is This Letter

What you need to do when you get the letter is to check whether the notice is valid or not. It needs to have the right address and name along with valid information about the debt you owe including the amount.

The letter needs to have a 7-day notice letting you know that the bailiff is going to come to your home in 7 days. The bailiff sending you the notice should be registered.

The notice is going to have more information on the bailiff which allows you to look them up online on the Bailiffs Register. This will ensure you confirm if they are who they say they are. Find out here what rights do bailiffs have?

Confirm Its Valid

Once you have confirmed that the bailiff is valid, the next step is seeing whether the debt is valid or not.

The debt is invalid if you have already paid for it or it belongs to someone else.

If you have already paid the debt or it belongs to someone else, contact the bailiff as soon as possible and inform them about this. It is a good idea to contact them via phone. You can get their phone number from the notice of enforcement.

Let them know that debt is invalid and that you are going to send them the evidence to support this. Ask them to freeze the case as you send the evidence. They are legally obliged to do that if you ask.

Make Arrangments

If the debt is valid and yours, you need to make arrangements on how you are going to pay back the debt. If this is the case, it might be a good idea to call up the bailiff and let them know your plan. This can save you bailiff charges and them coming to your home.

If you can pay back that debt, let them know. You can pay the debt off after you have talked with them. Once you make the payment, make sure to ask for a receipt from the bailiffs because it might be needed as proof in the future.

If your debt is valid but can’t manage to pay it back all at once, then it is a good idea to seek debt advice from an independent charity. Getting professional help with your debt is good in such instances because you have the chance of working with someone who has a better idea of your rights are and what steps you need to take. They are going to look at your financial situation and advice you accordingly.

Contact the bailiff and let them know your current situation. You can assure them that you are putting your affairs in order and coming up with a debt payment plan that allows you to make the payments in installments.

You can ask the bailiffs to freeze your case as you work on a good payment plan for them.