Not my Debt: Bailiff Action

Farmer_jones

Hi all
My son (aged 20) has a car parking fine from a Council. He hasn't paid the fine and the Council are threatening bailiffs. My son is now at Uni. The debt is registered at my home address where I live, and is my sons permanent address when not at Uni.

I am not going to pay his fine for him and he needs to sort this out. 

I don't want bailiffs turning up and taking stuff that doesn't belong to him because I cannot prove it belongs to me.

What can I do, please ? Will it do any good to contact the Council and tell them where he is ? 

Thanks

Chief_of_Staffy

Contact the council and tell them your son no longer lives there, and his current address. Tell the bailiffs the same thing if they turn up. Then tell your son.

fatbelly

Bailiffs have no right to force entry so if they turn up ( and you will get advance notice of this) then you tell them that he  has no goods there. Preferably through the letterbox or an upstairs window.

They would have got their info from the DVLA. Is your son named as the Registered Keeper of the car?

He should take advice from 

https://www.ftla.uk/index.php

tacpot12

Chief_of_Staffy said:

Contact the council and tell them your son no longer lives there, and his current address. Tell the bailiffs the same thing if they turn up. Then tell your son.

That would be a lie, as the OP's home is his son's permanent address. 

Coupon-mad

fatbelly said:

Bailiffs have no right to force entry so if they turn up ( and you will get advance notice of this) then you tell them that he  has no goods there. Preferably through the letterbox or an upstairs window.

They would have got their info from the DVLA. Is your son named as the Registered Keeper of the car?

He should take advice from 

https://www.ftla.uk/index.php

Seconded.  

Chief_of_Staffy

tacpot12 said:

Chief_of_Staffy said:

Contact the council and tell them your son no longer lives there, and his current address. Tell the bailiffs the same thing if they turn up. Then tell your son.

That would be a lie, as the OP's home is his son's permanent address. 

The son is an adult so the decision is entirely down to the OP. He should probably give him some notice but since the son is at university and not actually in the property - the entire point of the thread - it's moot. How informing the council that someone no longer lives at your property is a lie is maybe something you can explain.

sourcrates

tacpot12 said:

Chief_of_Staffy said:

Contact the council and tell them your son no longer lives there, and his current address. Tell the bailiffs the same thing if they turn up. Then tell your son.

That would be a lie, as the OP's home is his son's permanent address. 

But he doesn't actually live there does he, the point of the post is how to deal with the bailiffs if they should call.

This would include denying them entry, throwing them off the scent, and muddying the waters as much as possible, so that they realise they will not be getting any money today, and simply walk away.

Private bailiffs operate somewhere on a knife edge of what is legal and moral, I see no reason why similar tactics cannot be employed against them.

ManyWays

One simple answer is not to let them in, so either ignore them or tell them you havent seen seen him for months, (presumably true) and shut the door. These bailiffs have no right to enter your home, unless you let them in the only thing they could take is a car in his name, not yours, and his car is presumably not outside.

You could also tell your son to settle this debt and point out his car will be at risk if it is parked near your house.