Legal Process FAQs | Do Lowell Send Bailiffs? (2024)

FAQs

Legal Process FAQs | Do Lowell Send Bailiffs? ›

If you still don't get in touch or make a payment, our solicitors could decide to take enforcement action which may include sending bailiffs (enforcement officers) to your home.

If you're working with Lowell to manage your debt and make payments on your agreed payment plan, you won't need to worry about bailiffs. But if you don't make payments to your Lowell account and you don't get in touch to tell us why, your account may be passed to a firm of solicitors.

If you ignore the debt collection attempts, Lowell or another debt collection agency may send a debt collector to your home to try to collect the debt in person. Debt collectors are allowed to visit your home, but they must do so at a reasonable time and must not harass or threaten you.

In most cases, a bailiff can only be sent to your home after court action by: Magistrates' court.

This contact can escalate to sending debt collection agents to your property, the ceasing of property and in the extreme legal action and court hearings. Contact from Lowell should be taken seriously and ignoring this contact can have consequences.

If you can't pay the whole debt, you can ask them if you can pay most of it in one go, if you're able to. If not, you can set up small, regular payments. Bailiffs can refuse a payment offer or payment plan, or say they only want full payment, but it helps to try to pay anyway.

Collectors Taking Money from Your Wages, Bank Account, or Benefits. Debt collectors can only take money from your paycheck, bank account, or benefits—which is called garnishment—if they have already sued you and a court entered a judgment against you for the amount of money you owe.

Lowell Financial do not issue County Court Judgements (CCJs), but if you fail to work with us we may instruct our solicitors to act on our behalf, who may request a CCJ from the court. If you don't respond when our solicitors try to contact you, they'll send a letter telling you they may start legal proceedings.

Can Lowell register a default? Yes, Lowell can register a default. If we purchase an account before the default was registered, then Lowell may default the account if payments do not meet the original contractual terms (or the terms agreed directly with us).

Answer: Yes, you can negotiate with Lowell Debt Collection if you're unable to pay the full amount owed. It's important to be clear about your financial situation and what you can afford to pay.

What is the 11 word phrase to stop debt collectors? ›

If you are struggling with debt and debt collectors, Farmer & Morris Law, PLLC can help. As soon as you use the 11-word phrase “please cease and desist all calls and contact with me immediately” to stop the harassment, call us for a free consultation about what you can do to resolve your debt problems for good.

If you let the bailiff into your home

If you decide to let them in and you can't afford to pay what you owe straight away you'll normally have to make a 'controlled goods agreement'. This means you'll agree to a repayment plan and pay some bailiff fees. Check how to make a controlled goods agreement with bailiffs.

If you can afford to pay your debt it's best to call the bailiffs straight away to pay. This will stop them visiting and you'II be able to avoid paying extra fees. You can find their number on the notice of enforcement.

If your account has not yet defaulted and you miss payments, this could cause your account to default which could have a negative impact on your credit file. By getting in touch with your creditors and making payments towards your debt, you will show creditors that you're taking steps to clear your debt.

Bailiffs are allowed to force their way into your home to collect unpaid criminal fines, Income Tax or Stamp Duty, but only as a last resort. If you do not let a bailiff in or agree to pay them: they could take things from outside your home, for example your car. you could end up owing even more money.

Do Lowell write off debts? Because of the range of options that we can offer to help you manage your account, it's unlikely that we would just write off an account. However, in some cases, we may be able to offer a discount on your account.

If your account has already defaulted, your credit file will show that you're not making payments, which could impact your credit score. After a certain amount of time, if we still haven't heard from you, we may pass your account to one of our external solicitors.

They could class you as 'vulnerable'. If you're vulnerable bailiffs have to treat you with greater care, including giving you more time to respond to letters or demands. They also shouldn't enter your home if you're the only person there.

A Debt Management Plan has the potential to stop a creditor from chasing you for the money owed using bailiffs. If you do not repay your debt, the creditor could seek a County Court Judgement (CCJ) instructing you to pay.

Ignoring or avoiding a debt collector, though, is unlikely to make the debt collector stop contacting you. They may find other ways to contact you, including filing a lawsuit. While being contacted by a debt collector might feel overwhelming, talking with them can help you get more information about the debt.