csa debt recovery

[simonruss]

Good evening all!! MY brother has had a letter from a debt collection agency with regards to a csa debt, he has tried contacting them several times to try and make arrangements to pay but never gets any reply, he had a letter posted through his door saying that unless they get payment in full (which he doesnt have) within the next 5 days they will return with a locksmith to break in to his house and remove his goods. Surely they cant do this.....can they? Many thanks

[nommy]

http://www.direct.gov.uk/en/MoneyTaxAndBenefit s/ManagingDebt/DebtsAndArrears/DG_10034289

Click on this link simonruss. It will give you all the information on what the law/Office of fair trading says. The article outlines what a debt collector can and can't do. It doesn't matter who your brother owes the money to, he can't be bullied. Nevertheless he also can't ignore the debt as it won't ever go away.

[Buenchico]

(2-part post):

There are certain circumstances when bailiffs can force entry into a house. (They can do so when attempting to recover unpaid court fines and, subject to obtaining a court warrant first, when trying to claim unpaid taxes and duties which were payable to HMRC). However the power to force entry does not apply to recovering debts on behalf of the CSA.

If bailiffs are likely to call, it's important to ensure that there's no way they can get into the house. If a debtor agrees to let them come in "to talk things over" they're then entitled to seize goods from the debtor. Similarly, if the debtor leaves a door or window open the bailiffs have the right to enter the property and seize goods.

There's some relevant information here. (I've linked to the most relevant page but, to 'get the full picture', it would be best to check out all of the links on the left):
http://bailiffadviceonline.co.uk/csa_csa.htm
(NB: That's a commercial site, which is hoping that users will pay to download their forms and letters. I'm not suggesting that your brother should use those services. I've only linked to it because it's an excellent free source of information).

[Buenchico]

If the bailiffs manage to find a way in, your brother will find that losing his goods is a very expensive way to pay off his debts. For example, if he recently bought a �2000 TV, the bailiffs would send it to auction. The bidders at the auction have no idea whether the TV works properly or has a fault, so nobody will be prepared to bid much for it. It would be unlikely to sell for much more than, say, �200. The auctioneer will take his cut, which might be 15%+VAT, which is about �35. The bailiffs will also take their cut, which might be �65. So losing a �2000 telly will only reduce the debt by �100.

With the potential loss of such large sums at stake, you brother might find if worth taking a day off work, so that he can dedicate a full day to sorting out his problems. First, he should keep hanging on the phone until he gets through to the CSA. (08457 133 133). Then he should try finding out who is local councillor is, and seeking their support. Then he should seek further help from his local CAB:
http://www.citizensadvice.org.uk/index/getadvi ce

Chris

[Nannyjillx2]

How strange that he hasn't had a reply. It's odd that they haven't tried to contact him before has he moved or something?

I assume they are local can't he vist their premises? Or at least send a next day delivery letter?

He needs to act fast because there are sure to be fees attached the longer he leaves it.

[simonruss]

many thanks all, he was on the web all night looking at threads etc, I know he has rang and sent the debt recovery letters but all they do is seem to ignore them to put more charges on. Many many thanks to you all