BOT Services: what a letter means and what to do

BOT Services describes much of its work as “pre-enforcement” debt recovery, which means collecting before any bailiff action. Its website gives little detail about which debts it enforces, so this profile keeps to what the public registers and the firm’s own pages show. This guide covers England and Wales.

Who are BOT Services?

The firm is registered at Companies House as BOT SERVICES LIMITED, company number 11190425, the number shown on its website. It is an active private limited company, incorporated on 6 February 2018, with its registered office in London. Two individuals each hold more than 25% of the shares.

BOT Services Limited has been accredited by the Enforcement Conduct Board (ECB) since September 2024. It is not on the CIVEA corporate members list. The ECB is independent but voluntary; there is no statutory regulator for bailiffs yet, although in August 2026 the government announced plans to make ECB oversight compulsory.

Why might BOT Services be contacting you?

BOT Services says its services include debt recovery, pre-litigation support, private parking, land and trespasser management and support for local authorities. It describes an in-house debt recovery service designed to resolve debts before they reach the enforcement stage. Its customer pages cover payment plans, a welfare team, vulnerability, income and spending checks, and what to do if your vehicle has been clamped.

What your letter means depends on what is behind it:

• No court order, liability order or warrant: it is a request to pay. BOT Services cannot take your goods, and you can ask for evidence of the debt. See how to ask a creditor to prove a debt.
• A council tax or business rates liability order: see what council tax bailiffs can do.
• A council parking or traffic penalty: bailiffs can only be sent after an order for recovery. The warrant of control guide explains the steps. A ticket from a private car park company is a different kind of charge from a council penalty charge notice, so check which one you have.

What can BOT Services do, and what can it not do?

Where there is an order, the same rules apply as to every bailiff in England and Wales:

• You must get a notice of enforcement at least 14 clear days before an agent can take control of your goods, or at least 28 clear days if a debt adviser asks on your behalf.
• Fees are fixed by law, starting at £79 when a firm is instructed and £247 more if an agent visits for debts such as council tax. Our guide to what bailiffs can and cannot do has the full table.
• Agents cannot force their way into your home for council tax, parking or ordinary court debts, and cannot take essentials, work tools together worth less than £1,350, or other people’s belongings.

What should you do now?

1. Work out whether your letter mentions a court, a liability order, an order for recovery or a warrant.
2. Check the creditor, reference and amount, and contact the creditor directly if anything looks wrong.
3. Offer a payment you can keep up, before any notice period ends, and get the agreement in writing.
4. Tell BOT Services and the creditor if you are vulnerable or cannot afford the payments asked for.
5. Get free, impartial debt advice from MoneyHelper, StepChange, Citizens Advice or National Debtline. See where to get free debt advice, and debt solutions compared if you have other debts.

How do you complain about BOT Services?

1. Use the complaint process on BOT Services’ website, or write to the firm using the details on your paperwork.
2. Complain to the creditor too. If it is a council and you are unhappy with its response, you can go to the Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman.
3. Because the firm is ECB accredited, you can complain to the ECB within 3 months of becoming aware of the problem, or within 1 month of the firm’s final response.
4. For serious misconduct by a certificated agent, you can complain to the court on form EAC2.

Is the letter genuine?

Contact the creditor using the details on its official website to check whether it has passed your account to BOT Services. Do not rely on a number from an unexpected call or text, ask any agent at the door for identification, and check certificated agents on the official register. Our guide to dealing with debt collectors covers your wider rights.