Bailiffs: what they can and cannot do

This guide covers England and Wales, where bailiff rules changed on 1 May 2026: the notice period doubled and the fees went up. Many websites, and some older GOV.UK pages, still show the previous 7 days and the old fees. Scotland and Northern Ireland have their own enforcement systems; if you live in Scotland, see debt solutions in Scotland.

Who are bailiffs, and which debts do they collect?

In law, bailiffs are called enforcement agents. GOV.UK lists four kinds:

• certificated enforcement agents (also called civil enforcement agents), who usually work for private enforcement firms instructed by councils and other creditors
• High Court enforcement officers, who enforce High Court writs
• county court and family court bailiffs, who are employed by HM Courts & Tribunals Service
• magistrates’ court civilian enforcement officers or approved enforcement agents, who collect court fines

Bailiffs can only act once the creditor has legal authority. That usually means a County Court Judgment followed by a warrant of control, a council tax or business rates liability order from the magistrates’ court, an order for recovery for a parking penalty, or a magistrates’ court fine. For council tax, the liability order itself lets the council use enforcement agents.

Debt collectors are not bailiffs and have none of these powers. See dealing with debt collectors if a collection agency is writing to you.

There is no statutory regulator for bailiffs yet. The Enforcement Conduct Board is an independent oversight body, and CIVEA and the High Court Enforcement Officers Association are trade associations. On 28 August 2026 the government announced that ECB oversight will become mandatory: every private bailiff will need to be accredited by the ECB, or work for an accredited firm, to get or renew their certificate, and people facing enforcement will have an independent complaints process. No start date has been announced yet.

High Court enforcement officers

High Court enforcement officers enforce writs of control. A County Court Judgment of £5,000 or more must be enforced in the High Court, one under £600 must stay in the County Court, and anything in between can go either way. A judgment on a regulated consumer credit agreement, such as a loan or credit card, can only be enforced in the County Court, whatever the amount. High Court enforcement has its own fee scale, shown below.

How much notice must bailiffs give?

Before a bailiff can take control of your goods, you must be sent a notice of enforcement at least 14 clear days beforehand. If a debt advice provider asks on your behalf before those 14 days run out, the notice period is extended to at least 28 clear days (this does not apply to some business debts). Notices must now include information about debt advice.

When counting the days, Sundays, bank holidays, Good Friday and Christmas Day are left out. A court can allow a shorter period if it thinks you are likely to move or dispose of goods to avoid enforcement. Enforcement action taken before 1 May 2026 is not affected by the new rules.

What fees can bailiffs charge?

Bailiff fees are fixed by law and added to what you owe. Each fee starts at a set stage: the compliance stage when the firm receives the instruction, the enforcement stage at the first visit to your home, and the sale stage when goods are taken away for sale. If you pay part way through a stage, the full fee for that stage can still be charged.

These fees apply from 1 May 2026, set by the Taking Control of Goods (Fees) Regulations as amended. The compliance fee is a flat £79, whatever the size of the debt.

For example, if the debt being enforced is £2,500 and a bailiff visits your home, the enforcement fee would be £247 plus 7.5% of £600 (£45), so £292, on top of the £79 compliance fee. Paying or agreeing a payment plan before the first visit avoids the enforcement fee. Ask the firm for a written breakdown if the charges do not match this table.

Can bailiffs come into your home, and what can they take?

GOV.UK says you usually do not have to open the door to a bailiff or let them in. They cannot enter:

• by force, for example by pushing past you
• if only children under 16 or vulnerable people are present
• between 9pm and 6am
• through anything except a door

Bailiffs can force their way into a home to collect unpaid criminal fines, Income Tax or Stamp Duty, but only as a last resort. Council tax and parking penalties are not on that list. Different rules apply to business premises.

If you let a bailiff in, they can take control of goods that are not protected. If they have already taken control of goods inside, they can come back to inspect or remove them.

Goods bailiffs cannot take

• clothes, bedding and beds for everyone in the household, a cooker or microwave, a fridge, a washing machine, and a table and chairs for the household
• a landline phone (or a mobile if there is no landline), and basic heating and lighting
• medical equipment and items needed to care for children, disabled or older people in the household
• tools and equipment you need for work or study, together worth less than £1,350
• pets and assistance dogs
• a vehicle displaying a valid Blue Badge and used to carry the badge holder
• anything belonging to someone else

If you do not let them in, they could take things from outside, such as your car.

Controlled goods agreements

Instead of removing goods, a bailiff may ask you to sign a controlled goods agreement. You keep the goods, accept that the bailiff has taken control of them, and agree not to sell or get rid of them until the debt is paid. Only agree to payments you can keep up. If you break the agreement, the bailiff must give you at least 2 clear days of written notice before coming back, and the notice must say if reasonable force may be used to get in.

What if you are vulnerable?

GOV.UK says you may be able to get extra time to pay, or time to get debt advice, if you are a vulnerable person. The Ministry of Justice’s national standards for enforcement agents include dealing with vulnerable people.

Tell the enforcement firm and the creditor as soon as you can, with evidence if you have it: for example illness, disability, a recent bereavement or a mental health condition. Only the creditor, such as the council, can cancel the enforcement, so contact them directly too. A debt adviser can also ask for the 28-day notice period and, if you are in a mental health crisis, help you apply for a mental health crisis breathing space.

Can a debt management plan, IVA, DRO, bankruptcy or Breathing Space stop bailiffs?

Some of these can stop or pause bailiff action, but not all. Council tax arrears and court fines are priority debts, because the consequences of not paying are serious, so deal with them first.

Debt management plan

Not by law. A debt management plan is an informal agreement for unsecured debts. Creditors do not have to accept it, and they can still take action to recover the money even if you keep up the payments. A creditor may choose to hold off while an affordable plan is being paid, but it does not have to.

Breathing Space

Yes, for the debts it covers. Breathing Space pauses enforcement action and stops creditors contacting you about included debts for up to 60 days. The mental health crisis version lasts as long as the crisis treatment plus 30 days. Court fines are not covered, and council tax is only covered once arrears have built up. You apply through a debt adviser, and you cannot start a standard breathing space if you had one that ended in the last 12 months.

IVA

An IVA is a legally binding agreement under the Insolvency Act 1986. Creditors bound by it cannot take further action to recover the debts included in it. Secured debts, and debts that cannot be included, are outside it. The insolvency practitioner will check which of your debts can be included, so tell them about any bailiff action straight away.

Debt relief order

During a debt relief order, a creditor owed a debt listed in the order has no remedy for it and cannot start action without the court’s permission. Court fines cannot be included. A DRO is free, for people with debts under £50,000, less than £75 a month spare income, assets under £2,000 and a vehicle worth less than £4,000.

Bankruptcy

After a bankruptcy order, creditors owed debts that can be claimed in the bankruptcy have no remedy against your property or you personally for those debts. Criminal fines are not released when the bankruptcy ends. Bankruptcy costs £680 to apply for and has serious effects, including on your home.

Each option has costs, conditions and long-term effects. The debt solutions comparison sets them side by side.

How do you complain about a bailiff?

1. Use the enforcement firm’s own complaints procedure first, in writing.
2. Complain to the creditor, such as the council or Transport for London. If you are still unhappy with a council’s response, you can go to the Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman.
3. If the firm is accredited by the Enforcement Conduct Board, the ECB can investigate. Complain within 3 months of becoming aware of the problem, or within 1 month of the firm’s final response. CIVEA itself does not investigate complaints about its members.
4. For serious misconduct by a certificated enforcement agent, you can complain to the court on form EAC2. It is free, but you may have to pay legal costs if the court decides there were no reasonable grounds.

GOV.UK’s guide to bailiff powers and your rights has the complaint forms.

What to do next

1. Read the notice of enforcement and check the creditor, the debt and the amount. You can check a certificated agent on the register of certificated enforcement agents, and confirm the debt with the creditor using its official contact details.
2. Contact the creditor or the firm before the notice period ends and offer what you can afford. Get a receipt for any payment.
3. Speak to a free debt adviser at MoneyHelper, StepChange, Citizens Advice or National Debtline. They can ask for the 28-day notice period and look at all your options. See where to get free debt advice.