West Country Bailiffs: what a letter means and what to do

West Country Bailiffs mostly acts for creditors and landlords who already have a court order, or for business landlords using their own legal powers. A notice from the firm gives you a short window to act before an agent visits. This page covers England and Wales.

Who are West Country Bailiffs?

The firm’s website says it is Resolve Collections Limited, company number 16506072, trading as West Country Bailiffs. Companies House shows Resolve Collections Limited as an active private limited company, incorporated on 9 June 2025, with its registered office in Torquay and two individuals as its persons with significant control.

A separate company, WEST COUNTRY BAILIFFS LIMITED (16786260), was incorporated on 15 October 2025 and also has its registered office in Torquay, at the address the Enforcement Conduct Board lists for the firm. One individual holds 75% or more of it. Other companies have used the name in the past: one was dissolved in March 2025 and another has since been renamed. Check the full company name on your letter.

West Country Bailiffs has been accredited by the Enforcement Conduct Board (ECB) since July 2025. It is not on the CIVEA members list. There is no statutory regulator for bailiffs yet.

Why are West Country Bailiffs contacting you?

The firm says it works with private clients, businesses, landlords, law firms and local authorities across the South West, England and Wales. Its services include:

• High Court enforcement of County Court Judgments over £600 and less than 6 years old, by transferring them to the High Court for a writ of control. See High Court enforcement officers.
• Commercial rent arrears recovery (CRAR) and forfeiture of commercial leases, for business landlords. CRAR needs no court order, but it cannot be used if any part of the premises is let or lived in as a home.
• Commercial debt recovery, and enforcement for councils under a warrant of control: its regulations page describes the compliance fee as raised when a case is received from the council.
• Evictions of residential tenants, excluded occupiers, travellers and trespassers, and process serving.

What can West Country Bailiffs do, and what can they not do?

Its agents follow the same law as every bailiff in England and Wales.

• Notice. You must get a notice of enforcement at least 14 clear days before an agent can take control of goods, or at least 28 clear days if a debt adviser asks on your behalf. Cases started before 1 May 2026 keep the old 7-day period.
• Fees. For cases started from 1 May 2026, 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, with a higher scale for High Court writs set out in our guide to what bailiffs can and cannot do. The firm’s regulations page, when we checked, still showed the scale for older cases.
• Entry. You usually do not have to let an agent into your home, and they cannot force entry to a home for council tax, business rates, parking penalties or a court judgment.
• Evictions. In England, a private landlord needs a possession order and then a warrant for possession before bailiffs can evict a tenant, unless you have an excluded tenancy or licence. Wales has its own rules. See our guide to rent arrears.

What should you do now?

1. Check the letter. Note the creditor, the court order or lease it relies on, the reference and the amount.
2. Count the days. Work out when the notice period ends, leaving out Sundays and bank holidays.
3. Ask for a fee breakdown in writing if the charges do not match the legal scale for your case.
4. Contact the creditor too. Only the creditor, landlord or council can withdraw the case.
5. Get free advice. A debt adviser can ask for the longer notice period and look at everything you owe; see where to get free debt advice. The debt solutions comparison shows which options pause bailiff action.

How do you complain about West Country Bailiffs?

1. Complain to the firm first, in writing, and keep a copy.
2. Complain to the creditor, landlord or council that instructed it. 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.
4. For serious misconduct by a certificated agent, you can complain to the court on form EAC2, but you may have to pay costs if it finds no reasonable grounds.

Our guide to dealing with debt collectors covers collection agencies, which follow a different route.

Is the letter really from West Country Bailiffs?

Check the company name, the creditor, the court claim number and the amount against your own records, and confirm with the creditor using details you already trust. This page does not list the firm’s phone numbers or payment details. Ask any agent for identification and check certificated agents on the official register.