If you live in England or Wales and you have a County Court judgment (CCJ) against a debtor, you case can use a High Court enforcement officer (HCEO) to collect the debt if it is over £600.
For many people out there, ‘bailiffs’ or Certificated Enforcement Agents as they are now known, like the ones who work for #TeamCES, still represent something of the ‘unknown’.
Any mention of the industry (and the people who work in it) is treated as something to be wary of.
Whether you think that’s fair or unfair, allow us to tell you what we can do, so you can hear it straight from the horse’s mouth.
Firstly, if you live in England or Wales and you have a CCJ against a debtor, you can use a High Court Enforcement Officer to collect the debt on their behalf if the amount is £600 or more by escalating your CCJ to High Court Writ of Control.
The cost to escalate your CCj is £61 Court Fee and £75 + VAT compliance total £161.00. This amount will be added to the High Court Writ and if we collect the balance in full you will receive the full escalation cost back.
Our Certificated Enforcement Agents will visit the debtors property to seize assets or set a reasonable arrangement you are happy with, but if no agreement to pay the debt is reached, they may remove the goods that have been seized to sell at auction.
This can happen under a number of circumstances, including:
- the presence of a CCJ that the debtor haven’t made the scheduled payments on
- having a debt of over £600
- having a debt that isn’t regulated by the Consumer Credit Act e.g. utility arrears, business debts or old rent arrears
Prior to a visit taking place, we will send a a letter 'Notice of Enforcement' telling the debtor that this is going to happen, before their first visit.
This presents the debtor with an opportunity for them to either speak to debt advice agencies, as it is a clear indicator that they may need immediate help with their debts.
Yes, that really is an Enforcement Company advising a debtor to seek help with their debts!
It’s also important for people out there to understand exactly why their creditor may choose to use Court Enforcement Specialists or another company like us, and there are several reasons why a company or individual might decide to go down this route. Here’s a few of them…
- 8% interest can be added to the debt, as soon as the debt has been passed on to companies like ours
- High Court Enforcement Fees can put pressure on the debtor to pay, as they may be keen to avoid any further escalation of fees
- It is hard to stop the process of High Court Enforcement, once a company like Court Enforcement Specialists has become involved
- We’re good at our jobs, getting results quickly and effectively
- Your assets may be seized and removed
What fees can High Court enforcement officers charge?
All enforcement agents add fees to the High Court writ, but HCEOs have a different scale of fees. These fees are set in law.
Breakdown of High Court enforcement officers’ fees (These fees may be charged to the debtor)
- £75 added when the ‘notice of enforcement’ letter is sent
- £190 +7.5% of the debt value over £1,000 added when the HCEO first visits
- £495 added if you refuse to make an arrangement to pay, or if you make an arrangement to pay but break it
- £525 +7.5% of the debt value over £1,000 if the HCEO comes back to remove your goods
- Other storage and auction costs
How to instruct Court Enforcement Specialists to escalate your CCJ to High Court Writ of Control
We support the full escalation and enforcement action from start to finish and you will be given your own unique log in for secure access, in order to monitor your case live.
(We require the Court to explicitly state that the Order can be Escalated to the High Court).
Our Certificated Enforcement Agents can make visits between 06:00 and 21:00 hours, 7 days a week.
