The OFT are writing to 29,500 state Schools asking them to remove restrictions. Where parents are forced to buy from specialist suppliers. http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2223168/Parents-lose-52million-year-uniform-costs-state-schools-force-spend-169-skirt.html

I am currently staying with my parents and I have received a hand delivered letter from Jacobs Bailiffs. I am terrified that they will remove my parents goods to pay off my debts. What can I do as I am currently unemployed and receive only JSA each week. The letter says 24 hours notice of another visit by bailiffs. Can they take my parents car?

Basically a few weeks ago I received a letter to my home address which was addressed to my parents. At the time I didn't realise and opened the letter which was from Robinson Way. I realised my mistake once I opened the letter and returned to sender as not at this address (probably the biggest mistake) I contacted my parents and they told me to just ignore it. Since then the frequency of the letters is increasing and I've received a further 3 letters in as many weeks even though I keep returning them. How the hell they got my address Ive no idea but my parents are most certainly not living here! The only thing I can assume is because 5 years or so ago I was obviously listed on the electoral roll at my parents address, but now Im registered here, but what I fail to get is that my parents are registered at their own house 40 miles away. Ive let my parents know, they dont seem particularly concerned but its beginning to stress me out and Im concerned that Im going to end up with bailiffs turning up. The only way out of it that I can see is to give Robinson Way my parents address, which Id rather not obviously have to do. Does anyone have any advice on dealing with it so Im not being pursued for this.

Very useful information provided on this forum and from what I can gather I, or more specifically in this case my mother, has been overcharged thanks to bully tactics from the Task Enforcement bailiffs. I want to try and clarify some details that are specific to this situation so I can proceed in the best and most efficient manner. I was sent a PCN by Lambeth council for entering a bus lane whilst on my motorcycle. At the time I was unaware of the different access rules for motorbikes in bus lanes and after trying to challenge it then realised I was in the wrong and the fine had risen from it's original £60 to £120. Stupidly I didn't pay this off at the time and the next I heard of it was Task Enforcement sending me a notice to pay something in the region of £215. I got worried at the time partly because I didn't have that amount of money but spoke to a member of their staff over the phone and paid half the amount owed which was still a stretch at the time - bringing the owed amount to £107.50. Then, a month later, I paid an additional £27.50 bringing the owed amount to £80. In this time I have been staying increasingly @ my girlfriends house and work schedule went a bit mental so I, again very stupidly forgot to pay off the final £80. Day before yesterday bailiffs arrived at my parents house at 7.50am. My mother answered the door and immediately took the warrant off them but closed the front door - going into the kitchen to read it. My 70 year old father then comes to the door having heard the knock belatedly and opens the door. One of the bailiffs then puts his foot in the frame so it can't be closed again. There was then an awkward few moments as my parents couldn't get in contact with me - my mum told them that I no longer lived at that address - they said that that was the registered address so my parents were liable. They argued for a long time and my mum told them that they could take my motorbike which she said was the only possessions belonging to me that were at that address and it was parked outside the front of the house. It is effectively scrap and not MOT'd. They refused saying they wanted payment from my parents to the amount of £413.50. They showed the Warrant of Execution to my parents which showed the original debt decided by the court at £202. When my parents queried the 413.50 figure they said it was for van hire costs and the cost of their labour. My father asked where the van was ... they said around the corner. It escalated - they threatened to call the police, called my mother an awful parent for raising a son that was so irresponsible. My mum wanted to call the police - imagining I suppose that they'd side with a 65 year old mother and 70 year old father but my father wanted to avoid that so gave in and decided to pay. My mother ended up paying for it - my dad didn't have the money - though my mum doesn't exactly have cash to spare. She paid with a Visa Debit card for the full £413.50. They left a receipt for that amount but when my dad asked for a breakdown of the costs they refused to give that saying he had to contact the office. They also left a copy of the original Warrant of Execution. ( I have no memory of receiving anything from the court myself so I'm quite glad that they left this ... hopefully to their detriment). So with the original £135 that I had paid to them as well as the £413.50 we have collectively paid a total of £548.50. I know I've been overcharged but I want to clarify the process I now undertake especially considering that they bullied my mum into paying the amount on my behalf. I would have thought that my parents aren't legally obliged to pay for my debts. Like I said, I know I was stupid in allowing the situation to get like this but for the way they treated my parents and for overcharging me I want to make sure that I resolve the situation fully. Thanks for your help.

Afternoon Ladies and Gents. Sorry to bother you, but I'm looking for a little help and advice (kinda just checking that I've got my head in order). In order to do so, I'd probably better add in the background story... About eight years ago my marriage broke down, and we had small debt problems at the time (we're talking hundreds, not thousands). My ex-wife was not particularly co-operative when we parted and blocked our joint bank account (which only ever held my earnings, hers went into her own current account). As you can guess, this caused all sorts of chaos whilst trying to get things re organised ref DDs and SOs.Added to which, she never forwarded mail. Anyways, I did the best I could at the time, and a year later left the UK in search of adventure. Not being particularly ambitious, I ended up stopping in the first place I landed, Poland. I've heard nothing from any DCA since I left the UK, until this summer I came back with my most recent SWMBO to help her set up a company for her Father. In the interests of speed, I organised two mobiles on contract, but personally and at my parents address, and after the first month's payments changed them over to the company. Pretty much from the day I took out the phone contract Equidebt have been contacting my parents by mail (though letters addressed to me), and now more worryingly, by telephone. Understandably they are both very upset, and not being one to upset the apple cart with those we sometimes rely on in times of need, I do not intend to involve them at all, if at all possible, in resolving this matter. Now, sorry for babbling on, but, if I am correct, this "debt" (of which I have never spoken to Equidebt, either verbally or by writing) is statute barred, is it not? If I now call Equidebt, will I restart the 6 year period???, or as that has already lapsed, can it not be restarted? I'm not quite sure what to do... Any help would be much appreciated.

First post so please be gentle! At the end of last week, my parents received a hand-delivered letter from the High Court Enforcement Group at their home address (where I haven't lived for many years.) So I presume that somewhere along the line, I have incurred some debt (over £600, according to these people's website) and have a CCJ against me. The envelope was addressed to me in my maiden name so this debt accumulated sometime before 2010 when I got married. I told my parents to not open the envelope and do a 'return to sender'. There was no address on the envelope so I got the HCEG address off their website and got them to write that on the envelope, plus I got them to put a line through my name and write "not at this address". I moved to Canada early last year and have NO idea what this CCJ is all about. I have no idea when it was filed, who I owe money to and what amount I owe. I'm presuming they either sent it to an old address or sent it to my last address after I had already left the country. Anyway, it seems they have now dug up a REALLY old address of mine where my parents still happen to live. This HCEG business seem to be quite militant in terms of sending bailiffs round, judging by their website and I'm really worried that they're going to start harassing my parents now. My mother is disabled and my father is in poor health right now and I feel incredibly guilty inflicting this on them but I don't want them to start opening my mail and seeing I'm in debt (especially if it's a large amount) because that will stress them out even more. My mum was almost having a fit on the phone when she received the envelope because "it has an official seal on it!" So, bearing in mind that I have absolutely no information on this CCJ or the debt, what should I do? I don't know if it's standard practice to re-send a CCJ overseas or not. I'm not to keen about blindly paying for something without knowing exactly what it is first. What rights (if any) do the bailiffs have in terms of visiting my parents? Will they make an attempt to seize their property? Please help me with this - I'm extremely worried for my family and being that I'm about to have a baby any day now, I really don't want this extra stress in my life. Thanks in advance for the help.

Hi, Im new to this but I would like some advice. I received about 6 letters today from a company called Lowell for a debt that is apparently from 'shop direct'. The problem is Lowell sent these letters to my parents house. I have not lived there for over 12 years. The letters were also in my maiden name which I changed when I married nearly 9 years ago. I long time ago I did get into debt with a few companies but as far as I am honestly aware, I cleared all of my debt. I have never heard of shop direct or Lowell. My problem is my mum is understandably quite upset about this and has concerns about debt being registered at her house. Im not sure how to handle it. If I call or write to Lowell they are then going to assume that they can keep contacting me there and I dont want to upset my mother further. If I try and get a credit report for my name at my parents house will this be any kind of fraud because I dont live there?

Hi, my first post, hopefully someone can give me some advice. Sorry it’s a long one... Ok, my father who is now 71 used to be 'acting president' for a Working Mans Club (WMC) for a period of about 12 months, its a voluntary position in an organisation which is run by a committee of trustees and all users of the club are paying 'club members' (sorry if its already confusing, im not completely clear on the structure of the WMC myself). He was just a regular in the club and a long term member, he was voted in to this temp position by the trustees, he accepted. It was agreed throughout the trustees that new equipment was required and therefore they decided to enter into two leasing arrangements for this equipment. The Secretary arranged and signed the leases (which state the hirer as the WMC) and my father countersigned the agreements with his position stated as well. This was back in 2008. The club made regular payments for the next few months, in this time my father stepped down from his position and returned to being just a member of the club, not long after the club secretary also left her post. Between the above and now, the club has new ownership and has been renamed. My father still uses the club. About 3 weeks ago a bailiff knocked on my parents door stating that they had a court order to remove possessions to the sum of 25k... my parents were given paperwork to say the courts had ruled that my father and the ex secretary were liable for the non payment (and interest added) of the above agreements!! The lease payments were being made during the time my father and the secretary were in their positions but it seems that the club discontinued paying anything after that!! But neither my father nor the ex-secretary have had a single letter, call or visit before the visit from the bailiff!! But there has been a court hearing and ruling and we have not heard from anyone at any time until 3 weeks ago!! My parents managed to get a stay of execution while they look into things... they got a copy of the agreements from the courts. Both agreements state that the hirer is 'the WMC' and my father’s signature is on both of them, along with the ex-secretaries. There are no other personal details on there of either my father or the ex-secretary. We are not even sure how they got the personal addresses. We have an account statement for both leases that shows the clubs payments stop suddenly, and then there are letter costs, interest charges, non payment charges etc... My parents do not qualify for legal aid, they can’t afford a solicitor. They have requested all courts notes as we cannot really understand the grounds on what the courts deem my father responsible and not the club itself... the courts have told us that we have to pay £80 just for the notes with a view to getting a new hearing. I was hoping that someone might be able to shed some light on this matter for me? My parents do not need this kind of stress at their age... Do you think the finance company is just trying its luck? shouldnt they be harrassing the new club owners? I just cant imagine signing an agreement on behalf of an organisation then leaving the company but still being personally liable for any eventualities on that agreement!! Sorry this post is long, if you have any questions then please ask. Thanks in advance for any help you can give, apologies if this should have been in a different forum. Glenn

my parents are having their child tax credit reviewed for 11/12 year due to their status being split up whilst my dad was still living at home. If they own up to this mistake will they be able just to pay back what they owe or will they be in more serious trouble? what would be the best way to proceed with this situation? also will any other year be investigated or will it just be the year mentioned? thanks in advance!

Hi there and thanks for looking at my question my father( aged 74) took ill 3 months ago. mum was finding it hard to cope with him - his health has been deteriorating rapidly and the decision was taken ( as all family lived over 50 miles away) that they should move closer to me - to provide support and care to both. they live in their own property ( which was bought from the council under the right to buy- 20 years ago i think) the property has been well maintained however the area they live in has been in decline for the past 10 years - we struggled with the idea of selling and after much too-ing and fro- ing and given the urgency decided to sell to a home buyer co at less than market value - the property suitable to their needs was found and we need to put an extra £50K to what they have sold their house, we decided the quickest and easiest option was a buy to let mortgage using the proceeds of their property as the deposit. the question is, my mum claims pension credit - will the sale affect her benefits and would she be able to claim housing benefit to pay the interest on the buy to let?

Please could anyone advise me my son finished uni last year and as been looking for work ever since hes found work but only part time which after he had taken out his bus far let him with £20 a week so we have told him he must get JSA we cant support him anymore what I wish to know is he will get about £53 a week now hes not going to be able to pay us anything out of that for board and lodge are we expected to still keep him for nothing Thnks

Hi Peeps Long story but i will try and keep it short and sweet, I used to own a house a couple of years ago and since my parents are not well i decided to stay with them at their house with my wife so we can look after them. The house that i owned was vacant so i let my sister move in their until she found her own place to live. My sister was responsible for all the bills etc at the property and i don't know how she managed to rack up a big bill with E.ON regarding the gas. I was not aware of this until i got a statutory demand for the out standing amount sent to my own house were my sister was living. I confronted my sister about this and told her to get it sorted and she managed to make an arrangement plan with E.ON to pay the debt off. Just recently to my surprise i had a letter posted through my parents house this time and it was another statuary demand from E.ON! I consulted my sister and asked what was going on and she had told me she has been paying them the debt off. I immediately sent a letter to Parry & Co solicitors who were dealing with the matter on behalf of E.ON and told them the situation that the house is on my name but my sister was living there and she is getting this sorted out with E.ON direct. I didn't hear anything on this matter for over year and thought this was the end of it and since then have sold the property. Last week i was at my parent and heard a knock on the door.. opened the door and it was a lady with a letter in her hand and she asked me if i was so and so and i confirmed yes i am and she gave me the letter and said "I have come to serve you with a petition for Bankruptcy"! I was shocked and confused at the same time and decided to open the post we received on the day and was faced with a letter from the Land Registry office informing me of the same thing! The letter was addressed to my Father who shares the same first and surname as me and when i got down to half way of the letter it was actually for me as they used my full name including my middle name. The thing is i don't own my parents house which what i assume E.ON are thinking hence they have sent the bankruptcy petition. The property is solely owned by my father and as stated i am just living there to take care of them and have nothing to do with the property. My father rang the land registry office explaining that he is not the person named on the petition and that its actually been sent for his son (me) ,they wanted this is writing which he has done and they have now cancelled the petition. What i would like to know is what going to happen now? i have a court date set for 21.06.12 and i have sent form 6.19 to the court and to Parry & co via special delivery today stating to oppose the application on the grounds of I have no Knowledge of the debt. The Bankruptcy petition has been cancelled by the Land Registry Office due to the fact it has been served on my father’s property at (parents address) who is NOT the person named on the petition and is the sole owner of the addressed property. In the letter received from the court is states in section number 3 the debt is in relation to gas supplied at -(parents address), Which is a FALSE claim as i (my full name) have nothing to do with the bills at the above property and my father namely(fathers name) who is the sole Proprietor of the above addressed property has never used the Claimants company for any Gas supply at the property. Since the petition for bankruptcy was cancelled by the land registry office due to my father not being the person named on the petition have i done the right thing by sending the courts and the solicitors involved form 6.19 ? or should this have not been necessary as it already been cancelled? will i still have to attend court on the day? any advice will be helpful Thanks in advance