Equivo: what a letter means and what to do

Equivo does several different jobs, and your rights depend on which one it is doing. A High Court writ gives its officers bailiff powers and adds fees at each stage. A letter or visit about car finance arrears does not, and falls under FCA rules instead. This guide covers England and Wales.

Who are Equivo?

Equivo is registered at Companies House as EQUIVO LIMITED, company number 12058753. It is an active private limited company, incorporated on 19 June 2019 as Chartsbridge Group Limited and renamed Equivo Limited on 27 May 2021, with its registered office in Reading. From 31 May 2021 to 25 April 2025, Companies House recorded the law firm Shoosmiths LLP as holding more than half of the shares. Since 25 April 2025 it has recorded two individuals, each with more than 25%.

Equivo describes itself as a collections, recoveries and enforcement business for judgment creditors, property owners, businesses, banks and lenders.

Is Equivo regulated?

Equivo is regulated in more ways than most bailiff firms:

• FCA: authorised since 6 February 2020, firm reference number 845356, for debt collecting and debt administration.
• Solicitors Regulation Authority: a licensed body since 1 June 2021, SRA number 811299.
• Enforcement Conduct Board (ECB): accredited since October 2023.
• CIVEA: a corporate member of the Civil Enforcement Association, a trade body.
• High Court Enforcement Officers Association: its directory lists a High Court enforcement officer working with Equivo.

The ECB is independent but voluntary, and there is no statutory regulator for bailiff work yet. The FCA authorisation covers Equivo’s debt collection for lenders, not its High Court enforcement.

Why are Equivo contacting you?

Equivo lists High Court enforcement of judgments, possession orders, employment tribunal awards and foreign judgments; vehicle repossessions, voluntary terminations and early and late stage arrears for lenders; commercial rent arrears recovery, lease forfeiture and evictions for property owners; and commercial debt collection and process serving. Find the one that matches your letter.

A High Court writ

A creditor with a County Court Judgment can transfer it to the High Court, where an HCEO enforces it under a writ of control. Judgments of £5,000 or more must be enforced in the High Court, those 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 credit card or personal loan, can only be enforced in the County Court, whatever the amount. HCEOs also enforce possession orders transferred to the High Court. Our guide to High Court enforcement officers explains writs in detail.

Car finance arrears, repossession or voluntary termination

Equivo says it recovers vehicles for UK lenders under regulated and unregulated agreements, and handles voluntary terminations and arrears collection. Here it is acting for the lender, under FCA rules, not with bailiff powers. Three rules matter most:

• If you are in breach of a regulated hire purchase or conditional sale agreement and have paid a third or more of the total price, the lender cannot take the goods back without a court order.
• You can end a regulated hire purchase or conditional sale agreement at any time before the final payment is due. You then owe up to half the total price, less what you have paid, unless the agreement says less, plus the cost of any damage if you have not taken reasonable care of the vehicle.
• FCA rules require firms to treat people in arrears with forbearance and due consideration.

Our guide to IVAs and car finance explains what happens to a financed car in a debt solution.

Business rent or premises

A business landlord can use commercial rent arrears recovery (CRAR) against a business tenant without a court judgment, if the lease is in writing and at least 7 days’ rent is unpaid. It cannot be used where any part of the premises is let or lived in as a home.

Is the debt yours, and is it right?

Check the name, creditor, reference and amount. For a writ, check the court and claim number; if you never knew about the claim, you may be able to apply to have the judgment set aside. For a credit agreement, you can ask the lender in writing for a copy of the agreement and a statement, for a £1 fee. See how to ask a creditor to prove a debt.

What can Equivo do, and what can they not do?

Under a High Court writ

You must get a notice of enforcement at least 14 clear days before an officer can take control of your goods, or at least 28 clear days if a debt adviser asks on your behalf before the notice runs out. Cases started before 1 May 2026 stay on the old 7-day period. The fees are set by law and added to what you owe:

For example, on a £4,000 judgment in a new case, the compliance fee is £79 and a first visit adds £200 plus 7.5% of £2,800 (£210), so £410. Under the 2026 rules, if you pay in full or keep to an agreed arrangement, only the first enforcement fee can be charged. VAT may also be added. CRAR uses the lower standard scale: £79, then £247 plus 7.5% of the debt above £1,900 at the first visit. See [what bailiffs can and cannot do](/debt-collectors/bailiffs).

You usually do not have to let an officer into your home. They cannot force entry to take goods for an ordinary court debt, cannot enter between 9pm and 6am, and cannot enter if only children under 16 or vulnerable people are present. If you let them in, they can take goods you own that are not protected; essentials, work tools together worth less than £1,350 and other people’s belongings are protected.

When collecting for a lender

A collector has no power to take your goods or force entry. It can only recover a financed vehicle within the terms of the agreement and the law above, and it must follow FCA rules on treating customers in financial difficulty fairly. If you say the debt is statute-barred, FCA rules also limit what a firm can do.

Vulnerable people

Equivo says it uses a tool it calls VulneraTrack to flag vulnerable customers, and will work with you while you get help from a free debt advice service or if you are in Breathing Space. Tell Equivo and the creditor about illness, disability, mental health problems or anything else that makes things harder.

What should you do at each stage?

• A High Court notice arrives: contact Equivo before the notice period ends and offer an affordable plan, or pay in full if you can. Agreeing before the first visit avoids the £200 or more enforcement fee.
• You cannot pay a writ: you can ask the High Court to stay (pause) it if you are unable to pay, setting out your income, spending and assets. The court fee is £321 where the creditor is notified, and help with fees may be available.
• Someone comes for your car: ask which lender instructed them and what agreement it relates to. If you have paid a third or more under a regulated hire purchase or conditional sale agreement and there is no court order, tell them, and contact the lender straight away.
• An officer visits under a writ: ask for identification and check certificated agents on the official register. If you sign a controlled goods agreement, only agree to payments you can keep up.

Is this letter or visit really from Equivo?

• Use the contact details on your own paperwork, or on the creditor’s or Equivo’s official website. This page deliberately does not list any contact or payment details.
• A genuine High Court notice names the court, claim number and officer. A genuine lender contact names the lender and your agreement.
• You can check Equivo on the FCA register. Be wary of anyone pushing you to pay at once into an account you do not recognise.

How do debt solutions affect Equivo?

• A creditor cannot enforce during a Breathing Space, which lasts up to 60 days for the debts it covers.
• 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. See whether an IVA stops debt collectors and bailiffs.
• During a debt relief order, a creditor owed a listed debt has no remedy for it without the court’s permission. DROs are free, for people with debts under £50,000, less than £75 a month spare, assets under £2,000 and a vehicle worth less than £4,000.
• After a bankruptcy order, creditors owed debts in the bankruptcy have no remedy against your property or you personally for those debts. Bankruptcy costs £680 to apply for.

The debt solutions comparison sets them side by side.

How do you complain about Equivo?

1. Complain to Equivo first, quoting your reference. For customers, it says it aims to resolve complaints by the end of the third business day, otherwise acknowledges them within seven calendar days and aims to give a final response within 8 weeks.
2. If the complaint is about FCA-regulated activity, such as collecting car finance arrears, you can go to the Financial Ombudsman Service within 6 months of Equivo’s final response.
3. For enforcement, the Enforcement Conduct Board can review a complaint about something that happened on or after 1 January 2025, within 3 months of becoming aware of the problem or 1 month of the firm’s final response. For High Court enforcement, you can also complain to the High Court Enforcement Officers Association.
4. Complain to the creditor too. Equivo says the Solicitors Regulation Authority can help with concerns about its behaviour, such as dishonesty or unfair treatment.

What to do next

1. Work out which kind of letter you have: a High Court writ, a lender’s arrears or repossession, or business rent.
2. Contact Equivo and the creditor before any deadline, using official contact details, with an offer you can afford. Keep copies of everything.
3. Get free, impartial debt advice from MoneyHelper, StepChange, Citizens Advice or National Debtline. An adviser can ask for the 28-day notice period, help with a stay application and look at all your debts. See where to get free debt advice.
4. For your wider rights with bailiffs and collectors, see dealing with debt collectors.