Keep getting letters

[Master29]

That that is what happened to my neighbours up in London after the previous owners of the property did a midnight flit (well 0200) back to Greece. Continually proving who they were and that they now owned the property. Bailiffs' were still turning up 4 years later and on lot were quite unpleasant to me when I asked what they were doing hanging around outside my house at 0800 when I was leaving for work.

That's what I mean. Totally unacceptable and as Londonbridge rightly points out surely opens a legal claim, especially if there's harassment involved.

 

[Deafdoggie]

You can do that as it's a matter of choice and it may indeed help the situation but they have no authority to say you personally need to prove you are or are not the individual they seek.

Just to be clear, there’s a difference between a bailiff and a High Court Enforcement Officer, although both essentially do the same job, a bailiff has very little power whereas a HCEO has a lot of power. If you have a HCEO on your doorstep it is worth complying, calling the police will only get the police to side with them, as the police uphold the High Court Ruling. If they are chasing a debt on the property, it’s worth proving it is not you, or they will take goods and you only have 14 days to then prove they shouldn’t have. It’s much easier to prove you are you and not the intended person at the time.

 

[Bletchleyite]

Just to be clear, there’s a difference between a bailiff and a High Court Enforcement Officer, although both essentially do the same job, a bailiff has very little power whereas a HCEO has a lot of power

Is there? I thought a bailiff was a HCEO, and then there are also private debt collectors who indeed have no power. People call the latter bailiffs but they are not.

 

[Master29]

Just to be clear, there’s a difference between a bailiff and a High Court Enforcement Officer, although both essentially do the same job, a bailiff has very little power whereas a HCEO has a lot of power. If you have a HCEO on your doorstep it is worth complying, calling the police will only get the police to side with them, as the police uphold the High Court Ruling. If they are chasing a debt on the property, it’s worth proving it is not you, or they will take goods and you only have 14 days to then prove they shouldn’t have. It’s much easier to prove you are you and not the intended person at the time.

That's interesting as I thought they were one and the same. Having just read an article indeed I stand corrected. HCEO's would normally deal with State debts whereas Bailiffs usually tend to work with private clients with Court approval. That may not always be the case however it seems.

 

[island]

Is there? I thought a bailiff was a HCEO, and then there are also private debt collectors who indeed have no power. People call the latter bailiffs but they are not.

Bailiffs and HCEOs are two different types of individuals who do a lot of the same things. Bailiffs enforce orders of the county court and HCEOs enforce orders of the High Court. Claims over a certain amount that you have won in the county court can be transferred to the High Court for a fee, allowing you to send in the more powerful HCEOs. HCEOs have, amongst other things, more power to enter/force entry than bailiffs, who may only enter a private house if invited.

...but I fear we are once again drifting off topic.