Using our powers
We have an extensive range of powers we can use to get non-payers to meet their financial responsibility
to their children. We can use more than one of these at a time. This example shows how by taking a range of actions we
collected a lump sum payment of more than £12,000...
A non-resident parent from Bristol avoided paying child maintenance for his three children and owed over £13,000. Without our agreement, he started to pay £50 per month; however it would have taken him over 25 years to pay the amount if we allowed him to continue paying at this rate.
Although the man was assessed to pay a low amount of child maintenance due to his income, our investigations found he had other assets and savings he could use to pay what he owed.
We took a range of action including passing the case to bailiffs and recording his debt on the Register of Judgments, Orders and Fines. We then obtained a charging order and registered this against one of the rental properties the man owned. This meant we could recover the money owed as child maintenance if he sold the property.
In addition we identified a bank account belonging to the man and placed a third party debt order on it. This stopped him taking money out of the account and we were able to take a total of £12,892.39 towards the child maintenance he owed.
The man now continues to pay £50 per month to make sure that the outstanding debt of £248.39 is cleared.
