If you’re dealing with a situation where you have received a County Court Judgement enabling you to recover an asset, you may be looking for an enforcement service to resolve your matter. You may alternatively require an enforcement service if there are protestors or trespassers on your private land you wish to remove.
If you’re new to these kinds of circumstances, you might find yourself struggling to know exactly what you need. An unconsidered choice may lead to delays, during which your situation may take an unexpected turn, leading to further expense. A poorly done enforcement job may even have legal ramifications if your chosen service fails to understand the law’s restrictions on their role. This is why it is essential that the Enforcement company you instruct has experience, training, and full understanding of the law.
This guide will examine what to look for when hiring enforcement services, to help you to the most professional, efficient, and effective solution.
When can enforcement officers assist you?
Enforcement services can be employed for a variety of tasks, including:
- Commercial Rent Arrears Recovery (CRAR) Services
- Tenant Evictions
- Traveller Evictions
- Removing squatters, activists, or protestors
- Repossessions
- Common law enforcement
- Enforcing high court writs
- Recovering assets from debtors
Suited to your situation
It’s important to understand exactly what different types of enforcement agents offer.
Certificated Enforcement Officers operate as certificated bailiffs. They may work for the county courts or a civil enforcement agency.
High Court Enforcement Agents work to recover debts after the County Courts have made the appropriate judgement and you have paid to receive a High Court Writ. Certificated HCEOs can enforce various High Court writs, including a Writs of Control, Writs of Delivery, and Writs of Possession.
Public Order Enforcement Teams ™ are specially trained to resolve public order situations, including the removal of squatters, protestors, and travellers. They are often involved in circumstances where strong resistance or the risk of injury is expected, our teams are specially trained in these circumstances.
It’s also advised to check whether your prospective agency works with commercial clients, private clients, government authorities, or all of the above.
Highly Trained
It’s absolutely vital to use Certificated Enforcement Officers, as this guarantees that the agents you’ve trusted with your task are judged as a “fit and proper person” by the county court. Certificated officers also have some additional powers to civilians, so appointing an Non-Certificated officer to seize goods, for example, may be considered fraudulent. It is a criminal offence to Impersonate an Certificated Enforcement Officer.
To keep everyone involved on the right side of the law, it’s also important that your officers have a good idea of the Law, regulations and guidelines governing their actions.
Since Public Order Enforcement Officers TM can be expected to enter high-risk situations, it’s vital that they have received the appropriate training. For example, the Public Order Enforcement Team at Able Enforcement are trained to the equivalent to the Police Tactical Support Unit Training – level 2. They are additionally trained in handcuff restraint, conflict management, first aid, and the use of shields as protective cover.
Experience
It’s often valuable to research the matters your chosen enforcement agency have dealt with previously, and how long they’ve been in business.
This will give you an idea of whether they are likely to have officers who frequently resolve the issue you are facing. Experienced officers will have a greater depth of knowledge about their field and are more likely to stay calm, under the upmost pressure.
A Quality Reputation
You can also learn a lot from an agency’s reputation. To learn about this, you could take a look at testimonials from those who have worked with them previously.
Although there will be a selection of these on their website, you may need to look on Google or websites such as Trustpilot for a more unbiased view of their professionalism and quality of service.
The client retention rate of the service may also indicate the worth of their service. If clients are coming to them over and over again, they are likely to be providing a high-quality client experience.
Coverage
It’s important to look into where your prospective agents are based and the areas of the nation they cover. Some enforcement agents may choose not to work in Scotland or Wales, for example.
If any kind of debtor tracing is involved in your case, it may be beneficial to agents who have a full knowledge of their industry. They are likely to have more contacts in the areas, as well as local knowledge, which may bring your case to a head more quickly.
Response Speed
When considering your options, you should enquire how quickly the team will be able to respond to your matter.
This is often particularly important for time sensitive issues, such as when others are trespassing on or occupying your property, or when a debtor is likely to abscond.
The answer may also give you information about how the team is organised and where they are largely based in the country.
Excellent Customer Service
A good enforcement agency will act efficiently and keep you informed about the process of your case.
The first few times you make contact with the business can tell you a lot about what you can expect in the future – do they seem informed about your type of issue? Are they responding on the timescale they’ve promised? What questions are they asking? What support are they offering?
Why should you consider Able for your Enforcement Needs
Our highly trained enforcement teams at Able Investigations & Enforcements work across England and Wales, and at times have worked in Scotland protecting sites from Protesters. In England & Wales we are very experienced in dealing with asset recovery, evictions, repossessions, high court writs, public order matters on private land, and more.
Contact us today to find out how we can assist you with your case, or take a look at our testimonials to find out how we’ve helped hundreds of private and commercial clients.
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