When you take on a loan or a credit card, you sign an agreement to state that you will pay an agreed amount at an agreed time of the month. You sign it with confidence because you know that you will be able to pay it based on your current income and you feel great that you were approved for borrowing. The problems arise when you can’t make a repayment, and in total fear, you don’t pay it and you don’t contact the creditors. You bury your head in the sand and before you know it, there are bailiffs knocking at the door.
For bailiffs to be knocking, you have to have ignored your payments for quite some time, and what this leads to is a mounting debt that you cannot manage anymore. Companies like Rockwell Legal Group can talk you through what happens when you ignore your debts – even if you do it out of ignorance. A call from the bailiff can lead to stress, anxiety, panic attacks and more, and yet all it would have taken would have been a phone call and you could have got things back on track. Knowing how to handle a bailiff is important, as you want to do this right so that you are acting legally. So, other than getting some help from a legal team of your own, how do you handle it when a bailiff shows up at the door?
- Firstly, ask them for their documentation. There are some circumstances where people come to the door of the house with the view to scamming you, and it’s not unusual for them to pretend to be a bailiff because they know that people fear bailiff visits. Bailiffs can take away your things, so you need to know that you are dealing with an official body. You are within your rights to ask for their badge, which should have their ID and photograph. You should also check that they have a warrant for your goods, too.
- Speak to the courts if you can. You can – whether you are a business owner or this is a residential visit – ask to speak to the court and call your legal team for advice on the spot. They will be able to get in front of a judge for you and speak to them to see whether they can stop the bailiff from taking your things.
- Negotiate if you can. It doesn’t sound like a good idea, but the bailiff is there to get the best that they can for their client. They know that you won’t have a huge amount of cash to hand over, and so you can try to negotiate a payment plan for a part payment up front and then sort the rest out longer term. This can be enough to appease the bailiff.
- Always be polite no matter what. While it’s tempting, don’t be rude to the bailiff at the door – this can make your situation worse and you really want to avoid this. You can negotiate your point, but being rude doesn’t help you. Be honest with your circumstances and make sure that you are calm.
Thank you for reading!
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