Trace Enforcement Group: what a letter means and what to do

TRACE collects two very different kinds of debt: council debts, where bailiffs can be used once there is a court order, and private or business debts, where they cannot without a court judgment. Working out which yours is tells you how urgent the letter is. This page covers England and Wales.

Who are Trace Enforcement Group?

TRACE says Trace Enforcement Group is a trading style of two companies, TRACE Debt Recovery UK Limited and TRACE Enforcement Services Limited. On Companies House:

• TRACE DEBT RECOVERY UK LIMITED, company number 10079126, active, incorporated on 22 March 2016. It was briefly called DCL Debt Collection Limited when first formed.
• TRACE ENFORCEMENT SERVICES LTD, company number 13480633, active, incorporated on 28 June 2021.

Both have their registered office in Oldham, and both have been owned (75% or more) by APN Group Limited since 30 May 2023.

Trace Enforcement Group has been accredited by the Enforcement Conduct Board (ECB) since October 2023. Trace Enforcement Services Limited is a member of CIVEA, the Civil Enforcement Association. TRACE also says it is a member of the British Parking Association.

Why are TRACE contacting you?

TRACE lists these areas of work:

• Penalty charge notices for parking, bus lanes and moving traffic, and road user charges such as the Congestion Charge, clean air zones and tunnel and bridge charges.
• Council tax, business rates and other council sundry debts, collected by its certificated enforcement agents.
• Private parking charges and business-to-business debts, collected as debt recovery.
• Commercial rent arrears and removing squatters and trespassers from private land.

The difference matters. For council tax and business rates, the council needs a liability order from the magistrates’ court before it can use enforcement agents; see council tax bailiffs. For a council penalty, bailiffs can only be sent under a warrant of control after an order for recovery. A private parking charge or a business invoice has no such order behind it, so a collector has no power to take your goods unless the creditor first gets a County Court Judgment. You can challenge a private parking ticket with the operator and then an independent appeals service.

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

When TRACE’s agents are enforcing a council debt or a court order, the usual rules apply.

• Notice. A notice of enforcement must reach you at least 14 clear days before an agent can take control of goods, or 28 clear days if a debt adviser asks on your behalf. Cases started before 1 May 2026 keep the old 7-day period.
• Fees. Fees are fixed by law at £79 for compliance, £247 plus 7.5% of the debt above £1,900 from the first visit and £116 plus the same percentage for sale, and our guide to what bailiffs can and cannot do has the full table.
• Entry. You usually do not have to let an agent in, and they cannot force entry to a home for council tax, business rates or a parking penalty. They could clamp or remove a car you own from outside.

TRACE says that if you have already appealed a penalty to its client, it cannot overturn the client’s decision.

What should you do now?

1. Identify the debt. Is it a council penalty, council tax, a private parking charge or a business invoice? The letter should say who the client is.
2. For a council debt, act before the notice period ends. Paying or agreeing a plan before a visit avoids the £247 visit fee.
3. For a private charge, check it. If you think it is wrong, challenge it with the operator in writing.
4. Tell TRACE and the creditor about illness, disability or anything else that makes things harder.
5. Get free advice. A debt adviser can ask for more time and look at all your debts; see where to get free debt advice, and the debt solutions comparison for how formal options treat bailiff action.

How do you complain about TRACE?

1. Complain to TRACE, preferably in writing. It says it acknowledges complaints within 3 working days and sends a full response within 10 days. If you are unhappy, its Compliance Manager reviews the complaint and responds within 10 days.
2. Complain to the council or other creditor. For a council, you can then go to the Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman, or in Wales the Public Services Ombudsman for Wales.
3. The ECB investigates complaints about accredited firms. Complain within 3 months of becoming aware of the problem, or within 1 month of the firm’s final response. For private parking collection, TRACE points to the British Parking Association and the International Parking Community.
4. For serious misconduct by a certificated agent, you can complain to the court on form EAC2.

Our guide to dealing with debt collectors covers complaints about collection agencies.

Is the letter really from TRACE?

Check the client’s name, the penalty or account reference and the amount against your own paperwork, and confirm with the council or operator using contact details you trust. This page does not list TRACE’s phone numbers or payment details. Ask any agent who visits for identification and check the certificated enforcement agent register.