14 January 2021
The Government must immediately stop
all bailiff doorstep visits to prevent serious risks to public health, a
coalition of charities has warned.
Taking Control, a group campaigning for regulation of the
bailiff industry, is urging the government to extend the suspension of bailiff
enforcement of rental evictions (announced on Friday 8 January) to include a
suspension of bailiff visits for debt enforcement, as the pandemic enters its
most dangerous phase.
In March last year, the government
stopped bailiff enforcement visits, highlighting how risks of poor practice “could endanger the health of both enforcement
agents and debtors.” However, visits (but not entry to homes) were allowed to
resume in August and are currently still permitted. With senior government
figures saying we're approaching the most dangerous phase of the pandemic, the
suspension of bailiff visits urgently needs to be reintroduced.
Since visits resumed in August,
Taking Control partners have seen concerning cases of aggressive and intimidating
behaviour from bailiffs.
These worrying findings validate the government’s previous concerns about the
risks of poor practice. This cannot be allowed to continue during a national
lockdown.
Tony, 63, is
shielding due to ongoing medical issues. He contacted StepChange after he was
visited twice by bailiffs, once during the second lockdown and once during the
current lockdown:
“It’s very
troubling to have someone come to visit you in the middle of a lockdown without
warning. I’m trying to keep my head down due to the virus, I only leave the
house occasionally and don’t really see anyone, so I was just really surprised
that someone would come and bang on the door and shout at me about an unpaid
parking fine, especially in the middle of a lockdown. We are constantly told to
stay home and not make unnecessary journeys and save the NHS. That these debt
collectors can travel to your home and actively seek to have contact with you
isn’t right.”
Christians Against Poverty client
Carol was visited by a bailiff in November:
“Coming into the second lockdown,
my anxiety had already risen. The guy who visited me was very arrogant and
intimidating. He said to me that what I was paying was not enough and they
would need to double it. I said I’m sorry I can’t do that and he said we
need £500 today. I was very scared, the experience was horrendous.”
Phil Andrew, CEO of
StepChange, said:
“At a time when coronavirus transmission is out of control,
it is unconscionable that bailiffs should continue to be allowed to make
in-person visits to people’s homes. The government’s
move to stop bailiffs enforcing evictions was an appropriate response in the
midst of this public health crisis. Bailiffs
visiting people homes to collect debts also carries significant risks and should be
suspended during the current lockdown.
“Enforcement will still be able to
continue on the phone or through correspondence, but the risks of infections
would be removed, and households would be protected from unreasonable financial
demands and large additional enforcement costs at a time of national crisis.
“Coronavirus-related
problem debt has nearly doubled since March and with England entering another
tough national lockdown forcing businesses to shut, people need support rather
than enforcement to deal with their debts. We understand the need to plug gaps
in finances, but this must not come at the expense of people’s safety or making
debt problems harder to deal with.”
Joanna Elson CBE, Chief executive of the Money Advice
Trust, said:
“As things stand, a voluntary measure is all that is in
place to stop bailiffs entering properties during this latest lockdown – when we
are in the midst of a health crisis this not acceptable. As was the case back
in March last year, the government needs to go further by suspending bailiff
visits completely. At a time when the risk to public health is so high, a ban
on bailiff visits is needed urgently to protect both bailiffs and people in
debt.”