Six years ago, after serving with the Royal Marines for seven years, I became a certificated enforcement agent. You might be more familiar with the term ‘bailiff’, which was the job title until new regulations were introduced in 2014.
My job is to enforce High Court writs of control. A creditor can go to court and get a county court judgment (CCJ) against anyone who owes them money and if they still don’t pay, the creditor gets the writ, which is the court document that gives me the authority to enforce it.
The role is suited to the soft skills I picked up in the forces such as organisation, routine and structure. When you leave the Armed Forces, it can be tough to find work and a lot of enforcement agents are ex-military.
My days start early. Regulations state that we can only visit the debtor’s premises between 6am and 9pm, so I’m up and out of the door by 5.30am. Debtors are served notice of enforcement, which gives them seven days to pay – if they don’t reply or pay the amount in full, they will get a visit.
I take an inventory of the goods and provide a valuation so I can take control of enough goods to meet the value of the debt. But goods are released back to the debtor once they’ve paid off what they owe. If they can’t – or won’t – pay then the goods may be sold at auction.
We usually work alone, unless we are aware of any threats or vulnerability in advance.
For instance, a debtor recently called to tell us that she would prefer to deal with a female enforcement agent, a request we were able to fulfil.
After 9am, I visit commercial premises if the debt relates to a business. This can be anything from a scrap yard to an antiques shop or a takeaway. At least once a week, I get locked in somewhere by the debtor. The first time it happened, I admit I was nervous – I didn’t know what was going on or how I would get out.
These days I have to call the police so they can help me out. Thankfully they are very quick to respond and we also have body-worn cameras so I feel a lot safer.
Later in my day, I’ll chat to my team and resolve any issues or prioritise threats of violence that they’ve received before flagging these to the police. You never know how serious someone is so you can’t be too careful.
People haven’t always had the best experiences with people in my line of work – perhaps that’s why debtors are often under the misconception that we are big burly men who will try to get a foot in the door.
I receive low level threats daily but it’s when weapons are mentioned that I report it. For instance, a bloke once told me that he’d stab me in the liver if I came round again. Another time I was threatened with a crossbow.
I also had a case where a debtor threatened my family. I would receive daily calls from him and I won’t repeat what he was saying but it was horrific. The police ended up taking my phone and dealing with the situation.
Fortunately, the skills I was equipped with in the Marines mean I am mentally strong enough to switch off and not take things personally. I don’t get wound up easily, which is a good trait to have in this job.
People haven’t always had the best experiences with people in my line of work – perhaps that’s why debtors are often under the misconception that we are big burly men who will try to get a foot in the door.
That’s not the case. We are professional, polite and qualified, and just like everyone else we have a job to do.
Debtors tend to be less happy if they have assets that are valuable or rare. For instance, we’ve taken some high value cars – no one wants to see their pride and joy towed away.
Whether I’m visiting a high-rise flat or a mansion, I’ll risk-assess each person’s individual situation for anything that could affect their ability to pay back the debt.
If we see signs of physical disability or if the debtor is elderly or has mental health issues, we’ll gather as much evidence as possible so we can inform the creditor, take advice from the relevant agencies and agree the next steps. The National Standards insist that the enforcement agency and the creditor have to agree procedures for dealing with such situations.
We take an inventory of assets if items do need to be removed and if the debtor can’t repay what they owe, we will sit down with them and go through their finances, helping them to fill out a form outlining their income and expenditure.
This information will then be used to help suggest an affordable short-term payment arrangement. A writ is valid for 12 months, so we can always re-attend within that time-frame to see if their circumstances have changed.
Debt affects all ages and all social classes, it doesn’t discriminate.
My best advice for people who get into debt, is to not bury your head in the sand – face the problem and engage with whoever or whatever you owe money to.
You’re accruing daily interest and fees increase as the case progresses to the next stage, so it’s in your best interest to provide payment in full or come to an arrangement.
If it’s in the hands of an enforcement agent, explain your personal circumstances – it’s only if you don’t communicate that we visit your property.
Honesty is key too, as debtors lie on a daily basis to try and get out of paying.
I was recently at a debtor’s property, who explained he was in the army and that he was due to leave the country. Because of my own background I quickly determined that this wasn’t the case.
I love that I can manage my own day and it’s great that I’m just trusted to do my job but the early mornings are the worst, especially in winter when the weather is bad.
I’ve got paperwork, a body-worn camera and a phone to keep dry so the other agents laugh at me because I always have an umbrella.
Tommy is a certificated enforcement agent with The Sheriffs Office
Debt Month
This article is part of a month-long focus in November all about debt.
Scary word, we know, but we're hoping if we tackle this head on we'll be able to reduce the shame around money struggles and help everyone improve their understanding of their finances.
Throughout November we'll be publishing first-person accounts of debt, features, advice, and explainers. You can read everything from the month on the Debt Month tag.
If you have a story to share, a topic you want us to cover, or a question that needs answering, get in touch at MetroLifestyleTeam@Metro.co.uk.
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source https://metro.co.uk/2019/11/18/debt-diaries-i-get-daily-threats-collecting-peoples-debt-11126922/
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