owed rent after judgement/eviction - self employed person on benefits?

[axil23]

I had a guy who had worked for me for 5 years.

He came to me begging in December for a house to stay in.

I helped the guy out by giving him a house that I owned.

 

 

Cut a long story short he kept the money from the benefit payments telling me lies after lies.

 

 

I managed to get a court order to evict him.

But he still owes me £4000 which I have no chance of seeing.

 

 

This has sent me in financial difficulties trying to cover the mortgage shortfall.

The court ordered him to pay the full amount which he has not.

 

I would really like to get the money off him.

 

 

I know he works full time but found out later he is claiming housing benefit.

He must not be declaring his entire income which will make it hard for me to get the money right?

 

Any help would be appreciated.

[dx100uk]

get the court to sent court bailiffs if you have judgement against him

[axil23]

I have the judgement but if he says that he is on benefits and doesn't have anything worth much other then a £800 car and some work stuff can they do anything? Is there a way to get him to pay something weekly? Do I need to know where he lives now?

[dx100uk]

let the bailiffs deal with it

[axil23]

Ok will do. What normally happens in this situation though? I know he is working full time as but he will just tell them he has nothing and is on benefits.

[Steve__M]

Who is he working for and in what capacity?

 

If he is an employee then you can try and get an attachment to earnings.

 

If he is self-employed you could try and get a third party debt order that orders the employer to pay you money they owe to the debtor. (You would have to hope his "employer" owes him money though - if the employer is paying each day or cash in hand then it would be a waste of time as the employer owes (or will say he owes) no money to the debtor).

 

If he is evasive and has no assets a bailiff might be a waste of money (views based on a few episodes of "Can't pay or we'll take it away"!)

[axil23]

He is a self employed DIY guy. So does handy jobs around the town. Always cash in hand and I only found out when he took house of me that he was claiming full benefits. So he probably tells HMRC that he is working part time to make ends meet and claims Dole/free housing from the government.

 

I don't even care if he has to pay a fiver a week. Just want him to realise that he can't do this to people. He is on this new Universal credit and I have heard that you can get attachment of earnings on that but can't find much information.

[Steve__M]

He is on this new Universal credit and I have heard that you can get attachment of earnings on that but can't find much information.

 

I can't help you with that.

 

By all means try, but at some point you may need to recognise that it is more stress and cost to you than to him. I say that from experience.