HELP needed about Bayliff company dispute!

JoelPerkins101

Hi Everyone,

I purchased a van for £8000.00 off a private buyer. I did all the necessary RAC checks on it and it came back clean on everything. 4 months later I had a Bayliff company out saying the van still had outstanding finance. I did another check on the van there and then and it still said no outstanding finance. I purchased the van by bank transfer and the person I bought the van off did the same checks before buying it himself. Apparently the original owner had the finance outstanding but we both bought the van in good faith and did all the relevant checks.

I told the Bayliff company to take me to court as I had took every step to purchase the van legally. A few weeks ago, the van was stopped by the police and that the Bayliff company had reported it to be believed in a fraud case. I had already logged my case with Manchester police who confirmed that the van is mine and they said they had logged the case and given me a crime number. I had give that to the police who stopped it and all the relevant documents to which they still seized it. Staffordshire police did not want to seize it but West Midlands police did. They took the van and said it would remain in the police compound until the matter was solved. I found out by my tracking device 2 hours later it had been released to the Bayliff and was now in the car auctions. The police was unaware it had been realised and still couldn’t tell me who had authorised its release. They sanctioned the sale of the van but said they would not release the van back to me a d that it was a civil dispute, something which we told them from the time they stopped us..

Now it had been moved from the auctions to an unknown location and I am really stuck and puzzled on what to do next?

any advice would be greatly appreciated. I had solicitors write to the auctions instructing them to release the van back to me, but they did not reply and now it had been moved and released without telling me.

Many thanks in advance!

tacpot12

I suggest that you get legal advice, either from the solicitors you have used already, or from any legal cover you have as part of your home insurance. You need to do something to establish your title to the van beyond all doubt. If you can get it back, I would put it on a private plate to frustrate any further attempt to seize the vehicle back via the police. 

If the bailiffs didn't have a court order allowing them to seize goods, they would have appear to stolen your van and you should report them to the police. If they have a court order, you need to find out why they were able to get a court order without you being able to defend it. 

You might also get legal advice on suing West Midlands police for the loss of your van. 

JoelPerkins101

Thanks Tacpot, it really is going round in circles and I cannot get proper answers from anybody.

I have seeker legal advice but it is very prolonged at the moment. They didn’t have a court order however have used the police to seize it off me then released it without my consent.

thanks fir the advice, greatly appreciated