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 £71 court fee for the writ – how to pay

In order to proceed we require a payment for the court fee of £71.00. This can be made by bank transfer. Please use the details below quoting the court claim number as the reference.

• Bank Account Name: SHCE Ltd
• Bank Account Number: 41559274
• Bank Sort Code: 60-01-04

Alternatively, please make your cheque payable to HMCTS and send it to

The Sheriffs Office, Transfer Up Dept., Helix, 1^st Floor, Edmund Street, Liverpool L3 9NY

If you have access to Document Exchange (DX), you can send the same to DX: 14104 LIVERPOOL.

Please quote the court claim number on the reverse of the cheque.

Obtaining the writ

Once the writ fee has been received from you we will apply to the court for the writ. The courts may take up to 10 working days to process a writ application however, given our favourable relationship with them, they usually deal with our application within 3-5 days.

Notice of enforcement

Upon receipt of the writ, we are required by law to send the debtor a Notice of Enforcement advising them that they must pay, or agree to a payment arrangement within 7 clear days. This period excludes two days for postage, Sundays and bank holidays and averages approximately 12 days. Unless paid in full within the notice period, an Enforcement Agent will attend their property to take control (seize) goods.

Attendances

If the debt is not paid in full, an Enforcement Agent will attend the defendant’s property to take control (seize) goods. Please note, if the attendance is made at a residential address our Enforcement Agents are not permitted to force entry.

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).

Taking control of goods

When our Enforcement Agent attends the debtor’s address(es) he will attempt to take control of goods to the value of the judgment, plus costs and fees to secure the debt. If the debt is not paid in full, the goods can then be removed (if of sufficient value) and sold. Alternatively, the goods may remain at the address under a Controlled Goods Agreement, whilst an agreed payment arrangement to clear the debt is in place.

A Controlled Goods Agreement is where the debtor remains in possession of the goods; however, if they breach any payment arrangement, those goods can be removed for sale at auction, assuming they are sufficient to cover costs of removal.

Reporting

After each 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 enforcement@thesheriffsoffice.com or by calling 0333 001 5110 where our staff are on hand to assist you.

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.