The Bailiff Left A Document Hanging From Your Door

Bailiffs leave documents hanging out of a letterbox or communal doorway without knocking to trace missing debtors and see if anyone takes the document or calls the mobile number on it.

Other motives include:

Fraud: Charging a £235 enforcement fee without a certificated person attending and taking money over the phone.

Phishing or tracing missing debtors: To see if the threat of a locksmith makes anyone call the mobile number in panic and provide the debtor's new address.

Crime: To determine if the property is empty or the occupants are on holiday.

Do not contact anyone named on the document. Instead, hand it to the police or report it online.

Posting such a document is not a legal enforcement method. Regulations specify the format of documents bailiffs must use, so sending a document like a "Removal Notice" is improper and constitutes an offence. If a bailiff admits to using a document from his firm improperly, then everyone aware of its use also commits an offence, which can lead to legal consequences for the bailiff and his firm.

Report this as a data protection breach to the Information Commissioner's Office online. Include a copy of the discarded document, a photo of where you found it, and a statement identifying whose data was exposed.