We would like to point out that we are not legal advisors here at The Sheriffs Office and, although we can offer advice on our own services, we cannot provide legal advice of any kind. Having agreed to our Terms of Business, you may be wondering what happens next, therefore we have outlined some key points for you below.

The lease

If you have not already uploaded a copy of the lease/tenancy agreement and the rent statement, please email a copy to property@thesheriffsoffice.com.

In order for us to levy for non-payment of rent, the lease must be wholly commercial and current. 

Under CRAR only rent arrears and statutory interest can be recovered and the tenant must be a minimum of 7 days in arrears. A court order is NOT required and enforcement fees are recoverable from the tenant. 

Notice of enforcement

Notice of Enforcement must be sent to the tenant which advises them that they must pay the arrears within 7 clear days. This period excludes two days for postage, Sundays and bank holidays and averages approximately 12 working days.

Attendances 

An attendance is scheduled if payment or proposals are not received within 1-7 working days.

The enforcement agent will attend their property to take control of goods. If the Enforcement Agent cannot locate any assets of value, is not paid in full, or cannot negotiate a payment arrangement, then we will review the case and it may be closed.

If no monies are recovered, in line with our Terms of Business and the Taking Control of Goods Regulations (Fees) 2014 we will invoice for the Compliance Fee, currently £75.00 plus VAT (£90.00). 

If only a part payment is received the compliance fee is deducted in the first instance and the balance is split proportionally between the client and the enforcement agent as per the Taking Control of Goods Act 2014. 

Reporting

After attendance we will send a written report, usually via email, of the Enforcement Agent’s findings. Should there be any other significant developments we will report these to you and ask for further directions if necessary.

Any enquiries should be sent to property@thesheriffsoffice.com or by calling 0333 001 5110 where our staff are on hand to assist you. Please quote your SOC reference number (we will send you this once your instruction has been processed).

Processing your data 

Please see our privacy policy for details of the data we hold once you instruct us, how we process that data, retention and removal of data.