Letters from Enforcement Officers and what to do about them

Lemon__Head

Enforcement Offices
_____________________

I'm  seeking help and advice
IM sure this has happened to many people now its happened to me...
A big white letter appears through my door. Its from the Magistrates court. 

In bold  are numbers, numbers no- one ever wants to see- £1014.00..."as you have failed to make payment..."
I don't remember there being any previous warning letters. 
The letter is stark- demanding payment or the right to take action but of course fails to specify why I'm being asked to pay this amount. I  have 10 working days. Those days pass and ...

Then a blue letter comes- CDER group. its intent on intimidation. ENFORCEMENT. 
Below are again those grievous numbers £1014.00 and  below these are confusing words;
           "HMCTS Financial Imposition- Warrant of control"
ah they are a debt collection agency . 

It warns that if i do not pay by 30/10/2025 then an enforcement agent can visit my property and seize my belongings. 
Well i know what a baliff is and i know they have no jurisdiction to enter private premeses but this is a new word ....enforcement agent..?! what in the dickens is one of those. Sounds very Matrix to me. 

apparently google says: 'An Enforcement Agent is a person authorised to enforce payment of certain debts, either a court official or employed by a private firm, who can demand payment or seize and sell belongings to raise funds, with powers granted by law (Schedule 12 of the Tribunals, Courts and Enforcement Act 2007) and issued warrants or liability orders.'

I wouldn't care as i don't own much and take the opinion that they can take me to court if they want, however... one small problem...im temporarily living  with my parents and i'm worried that any lack of action could cause them to loose their possession's. 

I am one that picks my battles. I have had fines that have no legal standing and i haven't settled them. I ignore threats from companies who have no legs. BUT I feel its different this time as i'm playing with someone whose given me a division code, case ref and the case has been handed to a court.

The questions in my mind are.. am i in a place to appeal? Am i legally bound to pay my dues? Do i have a legal right to know where this fine came from before it was passed to a court then a debt collection agency?

they want attention- do i give it to them? 

Pictures of the two  letters are attached. Hope you can read landscape :'I

Any advice,  knowledge of legal grounds, or appeals welcome  

RAS

I'd start by ringing the Cambridge HMCTS office, tell them you don't recall any previous letters about this and are in temporary accommodation. Ask what it's about. 

GardenBirdWatcher

Were you living with your parents in the first half of this year or were you at another address?

At a guess, I would say that this probably relates to either unpaid council tax, TV license or an unpaid fine from a motoring offence (unless it relates to one of the more serious matters HMCTS deals with). So you would have numerous letters leading up to the hearing in June, plus notification of the outcome of the hearing. You're going to have a hard job convincing the court that you have no idea what this is about unless all of the previous correspondence went to an old address and they only found out where you were living in September.

fatbelly

Enforcement agent is the new name for bailiff

Bailiffs enforcing a criminal fine fromvthe Magistrates Court DO have the right to force entry on a first visit. Again a new bit of legislation though it does date back a few years now. Having said that, they are supposed to use that right proportionately

Find out what this is as RAS suggests. It's not council tax, and TV licences I thought were dealt with at Weymouth. But it's something.

How you then deal with it depends on your circumstances. I have had good results with people of little means by requesting a means hearing as is mentioned in this fact sheet

https://nationaldebtline.org/get-information/guides/magistrates-court-fines-ew/