Bristow and Sutor: Should you repay these debt collectors?

If you have been contacted by a company called Bristow and Sutor over unpaid council tax, you may be wondering who this company is and, more importantly, whether you should repay the money they’re demanding.

In this guide, we’ll explain who Bristow and Sutor debt collectors are, whether they are a regulated debt collection company, and what you should do if they contact you saying you owe money.

Who are Bristow and Sutor?

Bristow and Sutor are a UK debt collection company who specialise in recovering debts clients owe to their local authority.

According to their website, Bristow and Sutor have been operating for 42 years and are the UK’s leading provider for the collection of Council Tax debt, PCN & Non-domestic rate debts for the public sector.

Because they enforce public sector debts, Bristow and Sutor describe themselves as a ‘civil enforcement’ operation, rather than debt collectors.

Are they a regulated debt collector?

Because Bristow and Sutor are a ‘civil enforcement’ firm, they aren’t regulated by any of the usual bodies that oversee the debt collection industry, like the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA).

Bristow and Sutor state that they are members of CIVEA, a civil enforcement body, and signatories to the CIVEA code of practice which encourages them to behave respectfully and and professionally in their enforcement practices.

They are also overseen by an Independent Advice Panel, however this panel is implemented by the organisation themselves.

Where are Bristow and Sutor based?

Bristow and Sutor are based in Redditch, Worcestershire, UK.

Their main UK business address is as follows:

Bartleet Road,

Washford,

Redditch,

Worcestershire,

B98 0FL

Why are Bristow and Sutor debt collectors contacting me?

If Bristow and Sutor Debt Collection contact you by phone, mail, or email, this is because they are trying to obtain money owed in unpaid debt.

Many debt collection businesses make profit by taking on unclaimed credit owed to lenders. In the case of Bristow and Sutor, the original creditor is likely to be your local council.

If you owed money to your local council, whether from council tax or unpaid parking fines, and the council were unable to collect it, they may have passed that debt onto Bristow and Sutor, who will now proceed with the debt recovery process themselves.

Do Bristow and Sutor only collect unpaid council tax debt?

While Bristow and Sutor specialise in collecting debts owed to local authorities – which includes unpaid council tax – they don’t solely collect council tax.

Debts collected by Bristow and Sutor include:

• Penalty Charge Notices: Unpaid parking fines
• Business rates recovery: Former tenant arrears for occupiers of commercial properties and business premises

For a full list of the debts collected by Bristow and Sutor, you can visit their services page here.

 

Can they take court action against me?

Yes. If you ignore your unpaid debt or refuse to come to a payment arrangement with Bristow and Sutor, it’s possible that they will take you to court.

In this scenario, debt collectors will usually seek a County Court Judgement against you.

County Court Judgement

A County Court Judgment (CCJ) is a court order that creditors can apply for via the county court in England and Wales.

If Bristow and Sutor apply for a CCJ against you and the court agrees, you will be ordered by the court to pay your unpaid debt in full over a fixed period of time.

If you have a CCJ taken against you, it will be listed on your credit file for six years. Failure to repay a CCJ can result in further action being taken against you, up to and including Bristow and Sutor bailiffs being sent to your home to collect debt.

How does the Bristow and Sutor debt recovery process work?

If you ignore an active County Court Judgement or refuse to repay your debt to Bristow and Sutor even after the court has ordered you to do so, it’s possible that bailiffs will be sent to your home.

This won’t happen out of the blue, however. It’s one part of a wider debt collection process.

Enforcement notice

At the first stage of the debt recovery process, you will typically receive an enforcement notice from the debt collectors.

This is a debt letter that will outline the details of the debt you owe, as well as the fact that you have failed to repay your debt and ignored a County Court Judgement ordering you pay up.

From the day you receive your notice of enforcement, enforcement agents will be legally able to visit your home within 7 days.

Visit by enforcement agents

If you fail to act after receiving the enforcement notice, bailiffs could visit you at your home or business address within 7 days.

To avoid Bristow and Sutor enforcement agents visiting your home and disrupting your life, you should come to an arrangement with bailiffs to start paying towards your debt as soon as the notice of enforcement arrives.

Payment plan or seizure of goods

The final stage of the debt recovery process typically leaves you with two options.

Once bailiffs or enforcement agents begin visiting your home, you can either agree to a payment plan to put a stop to the bailiff action, or expect bailiffs to seize your goods and possessions as payment for the money you owe.

What rights do I have if enforcement agents come to my home?

When you ignore a CCJ, bailiffs who come to your home are acting on the authority of the court. That means they have certain powers available to them, but you also have certain rights that protect you.

When a bailiff visits, they aren’t normally allowed to force entry into your home to enforce a CCJ. You can allow them in, or they may be able to use ‘reasonable force’ to gain entry, but only if they have applied to the courts for this power.

If a bailiff tries to force entry to your property over a CCJ without the express permission of the court, they are acting unlawfully.

How do I stop bailiff action?

If a bailiff gains entry into your home, they may have the authority of the court to take control of some of your belongings.

Once a bailiff takes control of goods in this way, the property that’s been seized will normally be sold at auction in order to raise money that can be used to repay your debt. There are two ways to prevent this from happening.

Repay what you owe in full

It sounds obvious, and it’s not always an option that’s available to people, but if you have the means to repay your debt in full, it’s the best and quickest way to put a halt to enforcement action.

Strike a controlled goods agreement

If you can’t afford to repay in full, you might be able to strike what’s known as a controlled goods agreement. This is when you agree to make regular payments to your debts to stop bailiffs removing your property.

If you fail to live up to your controlled goods agreement, the enforcement agent may return to your home and seize your goods.

What if I can’t afford to pay Bristow and Sutor bailiffs at all?

If you’re looking to halt the debt collection process but you don’t have the money to repay what you owe, some people find it useful to begin insolvency proceedings.

There are various debt solutions available in the UK that could allow you to deal with your outstanding debt through a series of affordable monthly repayments, and write off the debt you can’t afford to repay.

Many solutions also freeze interest and charges on your debts, and offer you legal protection from debt collectors and lenders.

To find out more about the formal debt solutions available in the UK, click here.

Where can I get reliable advice about protecting myself from debt enforcement agencies?

It’s a sad fact that debt collection companies often take advantage of vulnerable debtors who don’t understand the debt collection process. If you’re worried about Bristow and Sutor enforcement agents, we can help.

At Creditfix, we specialise in helping people protect themselves from bailiffs. We’ve helped over 182,000 people get the support they need to deal with their unaffordable debt and move on with their lives.

If you need help dealing with bailiffs, or you just want some reliable financial advice, get in touch with Creditfix today on 0800 0431 431.