Citizens Advice raises concerns over rule-breaking bailiffs

IN recent research, Citizens Advice found rule-breaking bailiffs have been pushing people further into crisis.

The charity is raising the alarm over bailiff behaviour, as its latest cost of living survey found one in four people have fallen into debt and are now potentially exposed to heavy-handed bailiffs in the near future.

Widespread rule-breaking and massive fees

Bailiffs are breaking the rules and demanding huge fees, all while driving people into deeper hardship, according to new research from Citizens Advice

More than two million people were contacted by bailiffs during the last 18 months, and 39% of those who came into contact with a bailiff experienced behaviour that broke Ministry of Justice rules, Citizens Advice found.

This includes bailiffs forcing their way into a home when not allowed, not taking vulnerabilities, such as disability or illnesses, into account, or taking goods needed for work reasons.

With increasing numbers of people falling behind on essential bills, the charity estimates that bailiffs added £250million in fees to people’s debts during the last 18 months, placing further pressure on household finances.

John’s story

John lives with his partner and children. They live in a rural area and have a child who is disabled.

John had a £90 debt for a missed council tax payment and was put onto a repayment plan. The bailiff demanded nearly £500 in extra fees for their visit and threatened to take his car, which they’d already clamped. John was forced to borrow money to pay the bailiff as the family are reliant on their car.

“I missed a payment on my debt repayment plan because my child had been taken to hospital. Yet the council still passed my debt over to a bailiff,” said John.

“After receiving the call from the bailiff, I went outside and he was in his car. He wouldn’t get out to speak to me but was being really aggressive and said I had to pay or he’d call for my car to be removed.

“I suffer from PTSD and my anxiety kicked in. I had to pay back the money I borrowed to pay him which left us short so other bills didn’t get paid.”

The need for independent regulation

Despite repeated calls for the government to regulate the industry over many years, the current Enforcement Conduct Board only provides independent oversight of bailiff firms that choose to be accredited.

Citizens Advice believes that with more people falling into debt, and potentially exposed to bailiff action, a voluntary, self-regulation model is no longer able to meet the scale of the issue. Instead, the charity wants the regulation of bailiff firms to be put on statutory footing.

Dame Clare Moriarty, chief executive of Citizens Advice, said: “Bailiffs are a law unto themselves. Rogue behaviour is making things far worse for people in really difficult situations – sometimes pushing them further into debt.

“Rules are in place to try and ensure bailiffs act fairly to recover debt, but our advisers are hearing from people every day who are being intimidated and harassed by bailiffs breaking these rules.

“This can’t be allowed to continue. Bailiffs have been left to regulate themselves for far too long. We need the government to step up and ensure the industry is held accountable for its actions through a statutory regulatory body.”

For help with debt, bailiff interventions, and other issues contact Citizens Advice. We are now running an appointments only system at the Lyme Regis outreach on Wednesdays 10am to 3pm at the town council offices in Church Street, DT7 3BS. Call us on 01308-456594 to make an appointment.