because they cannot afford to keep up on loans, credit card payments, and utility bills. The parlous state of family finances follows a decade-long borrowing binge that has pushed personal debts beyond a record £1.4 trillion, reports leading debt resource centre, debts.org.
County court judgments relate to unpaid debts including on credit cards, personal loans, car loans and store cards. They are often followed by visits from bailiffs, who can seize property in order to enforce the courts' decisions. Today, bailiffs still evoke an image of aggressive men with shaved heads, dodgy leather jackets and a lack of communication skills. But with the UK's consumer debt mountain still growing, increasing numbers of people can expect to have the unpleasant knock on their door.
Debts.org is an independent resource centre for people serious about sorting their finances, and believe only the well informed can make the right financial decisions. Designed to increase your understanding across all areas of finance, debts.org champions the consumer so that you can make informative decisions when tackling debt.
So what are your rights if a bailiff comes knocking at your door? Well, first of all, this is a clear sign that your financial situation needs to be evaluated, and quickly. But you do have rights. Firstly, without an order of the Court they cannot do anything! Threats that “we will be sending one of our agents round to your house” should be treated with the contempt that it deserves. This is rule number one in the 'bully boys code of practice manual'. Whilst bona fide debt collection agencies do have a license to carry out site visits, the credit control department of a credit card company do not. Even so, if you were to receive a visit at your home address, these people do not have a right of entry and you can simply refuse to discuss the matter with them and tell them to go away.
However, if a bailiff does knock at your door, no matter how well educated you are in your rights, this does not mean that this is the end of your debt woes. Action needs to be taken immediately!
For more information on how to best tackle debt problems, visit www.debts.org
Editor’s Note: debts.org is represented by online advertising consultancy, Top Position. Please direct all press queries to Billy Howe. Email: billy@topposition.co.uk or call: 0800 094 9001.
