Bailiff Charges

[martonman]

There's an interesting link here which gives some insight into how councils award contracts to bailiffs.

 

It's a document from Leeds Council on awarding the contract to bailiffs for collecting overdue Penalty Charge Notices.

 

It states that the bailiff firms take on the work for free and make their money from the extra charges to the debtor.

 

Note their recommendation which states that the charges to the debtor should be no more than 25% of the debt regardless of how many visits etc. are required!

 

http://www.leeds.gov.uk/files/2005/week33/inter__bee3b987-d858-4924-be87-78f9a431b8d0_d81b1f1a-7b5e-4f2c-8bbf-ee9519f26b1c.pdf

[seylectric]

Could be very useful, thanks!

[martonman]

To make matters worse it appears that most Bailiffs' collectors are self employed with no basic and no expenses - just a 40% commission of the Bailiff fees collected.

 

No wonder they're so bolshy and desperate when they're trying it on on your doorstep!

[overcharged_consumer]

There's an interesting link here which gives some insight into how councils award contracts to bailiffs.

 

It's a document from Leeds Council on awarding the contract to bailiffs for collecting overdue Penalty Charge Notices.

 

It states that the bailiff firms take on the work for free and make their money from the extra charges to the debtor.

 

Note their recommendation which states that the charges to the debtor should be no more than 25% of the debt regardless of how many visits etc. are required!

 

http://www.leeds.gov.uk/files/2005/week33/inter__bee3b987-d858-4924-be87-78f9a431b8d0_d81b1f1a-7b5e-4f2c-8bbf-ee9519f26b1c.pdf

 

I think the 25% refers to the fact that the council based 25% of their decision on the bailiffs cost to the debtor. I could be reading it wrong though.

 

OC

[martonman]

Having read it again I think you are right...

 

PCN charges are totally unfair, as is the council's choice of collection methods.

 

Town centres and the like have to have good parking policies and enforcement but there should be a sliding scale of charges.

 

For example:

 

Overstaying in a normal parking space (ie. you paid for an hour and the car is there for a bit longer) - A charge of up to the full day rate on that car park.

 

Overstaying in a time-limited parking space (ie. 60min maximum and and you're there for longer) - £10 or so

 

Parking on double yellows or in disabled spaces etc. - £30

 

 

Trouble is, the councils have now got used to making a fortune from tickets and it'll be hard work to get them to change. Plus they probably wouldn't be able to afford their growing armies of wardens. Now that would be a shame as McDonalds only have so many vacancies.

 

If I get another PCN for overstaying by 10 or 15 minutes in a space I'm going to send the council the extra 50p or so and offer instructions on exactly where they should be sticking their tickets, with a diagram if necessary.

[overcharged_consumer]

I absolutely agree with you regarding charges although feel that cars that are a danger, such as those too near a junction on double yellows, should be towed. This however leaves the policy open to abuse by the council.

 

People who park in disabled spaces without a blue badge should be towed and charged an absolute fortune for recovery - it really annoys me when people do that. I'm not disabled and don't posess a blue badge so it doesn't affect me personally when people do it but I think it's arrogant and downright inconsiderate. It's usually people in big smart cars who park there to avoid someone parking too close next to them and opening the door into their car.

 

I've got big car, reasonably smart, and I never do it. Why does anyone else need to?

 

OC

[Rich44]

What really annoys me is the fact that people with disabled badges can park where they like even on double yellows, the whole point of double yellows is its dangerous to park there so why should someone with a blue badge be allowed to when there are perfectly good disable car parking spaces, grrrrrrr. Now I can understand if it is just to pop to a shop to pick up a paper or whatever but these people are parking there for hours

 

Point in question

 

Whitefriars - Norwich

 

Double yellows both sides sharp bridge towards bottom of road 30MPH speed limit people park on the double yellows so you have to move over when you cannot see what is coming over the bridge, nasty someones already been killed by speeding over the bridge.

 

Also cars that park on the pavement they seem to get away with no ticket and I dont mean half on half off I mean ON the pavement, these people have stuck up a sign outside their flat say private parking and then park there, there is NO drop kerb and its is pavement so as far as I can see its illegal parking not to mention they then park so close to the T junction where there are some railings covering the main road that to get round with a push chair you have to walk the WRONG side of the railings on the main road then down past the car.

 

I feel like fixing some kind of sharp metal object to the buggy and running the thing down the side of the car concerned how long before something seriously nasty happens.

 

Police wont touch it (traffic wardens job) wardens wont touch it as its "not on the road or the yellow lines as its fully on the pavement. I mean how crazy is that??