Money Judgment Enforcement in Buckinghamshire: Compliance Notice Served at a Gated Property

The Situation

A creditor holding an unpaid money judgment needed it enforced against a debtor based in Buckinghamshire. With the sum outstanding and the compliance period still available to the debtor, the priority was to progress the judgment through the High Court and bring the debtor into contact with an enforcement officer.

After searching for a High Court enforcement agent to enforce the money judgment, the creditor’s matter was taken forward by Strikes High Court Enforcement under the authority of our High Court Enforcement Officer.

The debtor’s address was a large, gated detached property in Chalfont St Giles, Buckinghamshire, in excellent condition and set behind electric gates – the kind of high-value residence where a first attendance has to be handled carefully and in full compliance with the regulations.

Our Approach

Our High Court Enforcement Officer, Andrew McDermott, attended the property in person shortly after 1:30pm, completing the attendance within around twenty minutes. On arrival he found the property secured by electric gates and rang the doorbell several times without response.

Finding a secondary gate slightly ajar, he entered the grounds and knocked at the front door. Again there was no answer. He then checked the rear of the property to establish whether anyone was present and confirmed there were no signs of occupants at the time of the visit. Throughout, Body Worn Video recorded the attendance, keeping the whole visit transparent and on record, and no vulnerability concerns were identified.

The officer noted that the property was fully furnished, with high-value items visible through the windows – a relevant observation on a money judgment, as goods of this kind can be taken into control to satisfy the debt at a later stage of enforcement. With no one available to engage, he left a formal Notice of Attendance addressed to the debtor and, in accordance with the regulations, applied the Stage 1 compliance fees.

Outcome

The first High Court attendance was completed and the debtor formally served: a Notice of Attendance was left at the property and Stage 1 compliance fees were added, moving the matter into the compliance stage of enforcement. While no payment was recovered on this initial visit, the groundwork was laid for the debtor to respond within the compliance period or face further enforcement action under the Writ of Control.

The attendance was carried out by Andrew McDermott (Authorised High Court Enforcement Officer), with the matter overseen by Chris Bane (Founder and Managing Director), ensuring the enforcement was conducted lawfully and proportionately from the very first visit.