Citizens Advice has revealed that over two million people have been contacted by bailiffs during the cost-of-living crisis, with one in three people experiencing behaviour that broke Ministry of Justice (MoJ) rules.
The charity is now calling for the regulation of bailiffs to be put on a statutory footing.
According to Citizens Advice, 27% of people have fallen into debt and could be exposed to heavy-handed bailiffs in the near future.
Of those contacted by bailiffs in the past 18 months, 39% experienced behaviour that violated MoJ rules, such as forced entry or ignoring vulnerabilities like disability or illness.
The charity also discovered that 64% of people who had contact with a bailiff experienced harassment or intimidation.
With more people falling behind on essential bills, bailiffs added £250m in fees to people’s debts during the past 18 months, placing additional pressure on household finances.
Citizens Advice CEO Dame Clare Moriarty said: “Bailiffs are a law unto themselves. Rogue behaviour is making things far worse for people in really difficult situations – sometimes pushing them further into debt.”
The charity is urging the Government to ensure the industry is held accountable through a statutory regulatory body.
