FAQs

Our certificated bailiffs carry 2 forms of official identification.

They will always have a Jacobs Employee ID Card, which has a picture of the bailiff displayed, with the name and job title. There is a contact number on the card that you can use to verify the bailiffs details

The Bailiff will also carry his/her Certificate granted by the Court. This Certificate will also show a picture of the Bailiff and provide details of Identity.

The Bailiff should produce their ID on the doorstep on request

The Council has obtained a Liability Order or Warrant through the Courts and referred the matter for Jacobs to collect and enforce the debt.

Please contact us immediately and explain your circumstances and why you do not think you owe the debt.

Please do not ignore the situation otherwise we will continue to make contact with you and make visits / add charges to your account.

We offer a variety of local and electronic payment options including:

• Cash to the Bailiff
• Credit Card (subject to a transaction charge of up to 3%)
• Debit Card (subject of a £1 administration charge)
• Swipe Card at local AllPay outlets (subject to a £1 transaction charge) - please contact head office for a swipe card to be issued
• Giro Slips (subject to any Post Offices local charge)
• Standing Order via your bank
• BACS transfer via your bank
• CHAPS transfer via your bank
• By Post (address at the end of this section)

Alternativly, please click on 'how to make a payment'. This will navigate you to the online payment facilities.

You can also pay by using our automated payment line: 0845 452 2300.

Please have your account details ready. The phone line is voice controlled and will guide you through the process

Payments should be directed through the Bailiff in Charge of your case. 

Alternatively you should ring head office if you are on a payment arrangement scheme. Please call : 0151 650 4800

To make a postal payment please address to:

Jacobs Certificated Bailiffs

4 Europa Boulevard

Birkenhead

Merseyside

CH41 4PE

We advise you not to send cash in the post.

Please Contact us immediately by telephone: 0151 650 4800 or the telephone number on the notice left by the visiting Bailiff

If you are not the person the letter is addressed to, please let us know. By contacting us we can stop sending you letters or visiting your property.

We will ask you to supply information as to your identity and occupancy so we can remove your address from records.

We will make various further enquiries to trace the debtor.

If you know the person that the letter is addressed to and/or have a forwarding address and/or telephone number, providing those details will assist us remove your property from our records and cease further contact.

We would also request that you ask the debtor to contact us direct

Please do not ignore this matter – Your debt will not go away by itself.

If you refuse to open your door or make contact with us we will make various further visits both in and outside office hours and weekends. Your account may incur additional and unnecessary costs involved in this process.

We may levy on goods anywhere in England and Wales – this includes items outside your property, such as vehicles, caravans, garden furniture, etc.

Ultimately the debt will not go away and the local authority has the further enforcement options available such as application for Committal to Prison, Bankruptcy, and charging order against your property.

Please talk to us – we can assist you and will always fully investigate options of payment by installments.

We may also be able to help you and refer you to the right advise agencies – please don’t bury your head in the sand.

Please contact the bailiff in charge immediately on the telephone number provided on the paperwork left at your property.

The bailiff may arrange for a convenient time to call back to discuss the debt with you. This may include discussing different options on how to pay.

If you do not make contact, the bailiff will make further visits to make contact.  This will increase the costs on your account.

We can assist – but only if you contact us

Remember, the sooner you contact us to discuss your payment options, the longer we may be able to give you on an arrangement to pay.

At first call bailiff stage for Council Tax we will always consider payment by installments, and will do all we can to assist customers who contact us.

The bailiff will discuss these options with you and may determine a suitable and realistic payment plan, based on your circumstances and clearing the debt within timescales set by our clients

The Bailiff will normally seek to secure the debt against your goods. We will not attempt to remove your goods whilst you are making regular payments.

You should contact us immediately

Please explain your change in circumstances. We may be able to discuss further payment options. You should never reduce your payments without agreeing with us as your case will be issued to a bailiff and further costs may be incurred.

You should contact us immediately to explain why you have missed the payment and arrange to bring them up to date.

If you miss payments we will write to you immediately asking you to bring the payment up to date or pay in full. You may lose the agreement to pay by installments.

We will re-issue your account to a Bailiff and further costs may be added to your account

Remember – your goods are at risk should you fail to pay your debt secured against them.

You will have had many previous opportunities to clear this debt, and by this stage it is normally too late to pay by installments.

However, we will always consider you current circumstances and will make an informed decision on the best options available to clear the debt.

Please do not ignore the situation - speak with Jacobs immediately

A redemption fee (normally £24.50) is raised following seizure (taking legal control) of goods by our bailiff.

The fee is raised at the time goods are listed by the bailiff but is discharged last - ie following payment of the debt and all other fees.  Essentially once an account is paid in full then Jacobs will issue confirmation by letter that the goods have been redeemed and control of them passed back to the debtor.

Counsel's opininon has been sought on this matter and confirmed that the correct time to raise the fee is at the time of seizure.

We advise you to contact the Benefits service at your Council. There may be benefits that you are entitled to but not claimed.  This will not stop us visiting, writing or contacting you to discuss the debt with you, but may assist you potentially reduce the amounts you owe.

We would also advise you to contact your local CAB office or welfare rights.  You can find your nearest CAB office by logging on to www.citizensadvice.org.uk

Alternatively, you can phone the National Debt line for advice. The number is free to call and they can be contacted on: 0808 808 4000

At Jacobs we will treat people with courtesy and respect.

We appreciate that when a Bailiff calls it can be an emotional and/or worrying experience for customers. This does not mean that you need to make a complaint against the bailiff for calling or doing their job.

However, if you have good reason for making a complaint then we need to know. Please provide us with details of your concerns.

You can make a complaint in person, in writing or by telephone direct to us. Please see the ‘contact us’ section on this web page

We have a fully robust complaints policy and procedures and will investigate your concerns and reply to you normally within 10 days.

We would request that you fully explore our complaints process before referring your concerns to other agencies or professional bodies.

Jacobs work alongside a number of national and local organisations that provide impartial and free debt advice to customers.

Here are some of the organisations you can contact:

Citizens Advice Bureau

http://www.citizensadvice.org.uk

Telephone:

• Wales call 08444 77 20 20
• England call 08444 111 444
• TextRelay users should call 08444 111 445

National Debt Line

http://www.nationaldebtline.co.uk/

Telephone:   0808 808 4000

Consumer Credit Counselling Service

http://www.cccs.co.uk

Telephone: 0800 138 1111

The Money Advice Service

http://www.moneyadviceservice.org.uk/

Telephone: 0300 500 5000