Wilson & Roe: what a letter means and what to do

A letter from Wilson & Roe is rarely the first you will have heard of the debt. The firm works under High Court writs, so there is normally a court judgment, tribunal award or possession order behind it. That gives its agents real powers, but the same limits on notice, entry, fees and protected goods apply as for every bailiff. This guide covers England and Wales.

Who are Wilson & Roe?

The Enforcement Conduct Board (ECB) lists the firm as Cerberus HCE Limited, trading as Wilson and Roe. Companies House shows CERBERUS HCE LIMITED, company number 13460661, as an active private limited company, incorporated on 16 June 2021, with its registered office in Salford. The Wilson & Roe website gives the same company number. Its registered person with significant control is an individual, not another company.

There is also a company called WILSON & ROE HCE LIMITED (company number 07272611), incorporated in 2010 and called CWHCE Limited until January 2023. Companies House lists it as a non-trading company, owned by Cerberus Holdings Limited. Your notice is most likely to come from the trading business, Cerberus HCE Limited.

Wilson & Roe describes itself as a family-owned High Court enforcement firm established in 2000. It says it acts for law firms, businesses, lenders, local authorities, landlords and property agents. The High Court Enforcement Officers Association (HCEOA) directory lists it as “Wilson & Roe and Andrew Wilson & Co”, with four High Court enforcement officers.

Is Wilson & Roe regulated?

The ECB has accredited the firm since October 2023. Wilson & Roe is a member of CIVEA, the Civil Enforcement Association. The ECB is independent but voluntary and industry-funded, and CIVEA and the HCEOA are trade and membership bodies: there is no statutory regulator for bailiffs yet. We found no FCA register entry for Wilson & Roe or Cerberus HCE. Bailiff work is not regulated by the FCA.

Why are Wilson & Roe contacting you?

Wilson & Roe lists two main areas of work.

• Judgment enforcement: County Court and High Court judgments, foreign judgments and tribunal awards, plus tracing and serving court papers.
• Property and asset recovery: evicting tenants, mortgage repossessions, forfeiting commercial leases, compulsory purchase, and recovering goods under a writ of delivery.

A court judgment moved to the High Court

Most money claims start in the County Court. If a County Court Judgment is not paid, the creditor can ask for it to be enforced in the High Court. Judgments of £5,000 or more must be enforced there, judgments under £600 must stay in the County Court, and in between the creditor can choose. Any judgment on a regulated consumer credit agreement, such as a credit card, personal loan or catalogue account, can only be enforced in the County Court, whatever the amount.

The High Court then seals a writ of control, for which the creditor pays an £82 court fee, and a High Court enforcement officer takes it on. If 6 years or more have passed since the judgment, the creditor needs the court’s permission to issue a writ. Our guide to High Court enforcement officers explains the whole process.

An employment tribunal award

If you run a business and have not paid an employment tribunal award, the claimant can ask a High Court enforcement officer to enforce it. The £600 minimum does not apply to tribunal awards.

Eviction or repossession

A writ of possession is used to evict someone after a possession order has been transferred to the High Court. If your letter is about possession of your home, act the same day: contact your landlord or lender, and get housing or debt advice. Our guide to rent arrears explains your options before an eviction.

Is the debt yours, and is it right?

Check the court, the claim number, the creditor and the amount. Wilson & Roe says it cannot deal with complaints about the creditor’s actions, the court or where the debt came from. So if you think the judgment is wrong, raise it with the creditor or the court. If you never knew about the court claim, for example because it went to an old address, you may be able to apply to have the judgment set aside, and the writ falls with it. See how to remove or set aside a CCJ.

What can Wilson & Roe do, and what can they not do?

Notice

You must get a notice of enforcement at least 14 clear days before an agent can take control of your goods. If a debt adviser asks on your behalf before those days run out, this extends to at least 28 clear days (not for some business debts). For cases that started before 1 May 2026, the old 7-day notice period still applies. Wilson & Roe’s FAQs describe the 14 clear days as time to raise the money to pay in full.

Fees

Enforcement fees are fixed by law, not by Wilson & Roe, and are added to what you owe. High Court writs have their own scale, and VAT may be added in some cases. Wilson & Roe’s FAQs ask whether you are VAT registered for this reason.

For example, on a £6,000 judgment in a new case, the compliance fee is £79, and a first visit adds £200 plus 7.5% of £4,800 (£360), so £560. A second visit adds £520. The fees quickly add up, which is why contacting the firm before the notice period ends matters. Ask for a written breakdown if the charges do not match this table.

Entry and goods

You usually do not have to let an enforcement agent in. They cannot come in by pushing past you, when only children under 16 or vulnerable people are present, between 9pm and 6am, or through anything except a door. They can only force entry to a home to collect criminal fines, Income Tax or Stamp Duty, and only as a last resort. A High Court writ for an ordinary debt is not on that list. An eviction under a writ of possession is different: it is about recovering the property, not taking goods.

If you let an agent in, they can take control of goods you own that are not protected. They cannot take clothes, beds and bedding, a cooker or fridge, a washing machine, basic heating and lighting, items needed to care for children, disabled or older people, pets, work tools and equipment together worth less than £1,350, or anything belonging to someone else. They could take a car you own from outside, unless it displays a valid Blue Badge and is used to carry the badge holder. Our guide to what bailiffs can and cannot do has the full rules.

Vulnerable people

Wilson & Roe asks people to tell its office about any vulnerability, or any risk to agents, so the case can be handled appropriately from the start. Tell the creditor as well, with evidence if you have it. GOV.UK says vulnerable people may be able to get extra time to pay or to get debt advice.

What should you do at each stage?

When the notice of enforcement arrives

Note the date and work out when the notice period ends (Sundays, bank holidays, Good Friday and Christmas Day do not count). Wilson & Roe says you should deal with it, not the creditor, once it is instructed, and that you can propose a payment arrangement during this period. It says that after the notice expires, only payment in full will prevent an agent attending. So make any offer early, and keep it to what you can afford.

If you cannot pay

You can apply to the High Court to stay (pause) the writ. The court can do this if you are unable to pay or there are special circumstances, and you must set out your income, spending and assets in a witness statement. A court fee applies, and you may be able to get help with fees. Tell Wilson & Roe as soon as you apply.

If an agent visits

Ask for identification and check whether the person is a certificated enforcement agent on the official register. If you sign a controlled goods agreement, you keep your goods while you pay but agree not to sell or get rid of them. If you break it, the agent must give you at least 2 clear days of written notice before coming back. Always get a receipt for any payment.

Is this letter or visit really from Wilson & Roe?

• A genuine notice will name the court, the claim number, the creditor and the High Court enforcement officer. Check them.
• Use the contact details on your own paperwork, or ask the creditor or court to confirm that the case was passed to Wilson & Roe.
• Do not rely on a number from a search result, text, email or unexpected call. This page deliberately does not list the firm’s contact details.
• Be wary of pressure to pay at once into an account you do not recognise.

How do debt solutions affect Wilson & Roe?

• Breathing Space pauses enforcement action and stops creditors contacting you about included debts for up to 60 days.
• A debt management plan is informal. Creditors can still take action even if you keep up the payments.
• 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.

If you are facing eviction or repossession, get advice on how these apply to your home specifically. Each has costs, conditions and long-term effects on your credit file. The debt solutions comparison sets them side by side.

How do you complain about Wilson & Roe?

1. Complain to Wilson & Roe first, in writing or by phone. It says written complaints are acknowledged within 2 working days, straightforward complaints are answered within 5 working days and complex ones within 20 working days. If you are unhappy, you can ask for another complaints officer or a senior manager to review it.
2. Because the firm is accredited by the Enforcement Conduct Board, the ECB can review a complaint about enforcement once you have been through Wilson & Roe’s process. Complain within 3 months of becoming aware of the problem, or within 1 month of the firm’s final response.
3. For complaints about a High Court enforcement officer, you can also use the HCEOA’s complaint form.
4. Complain to the creditor too, because the firm acts on its instructions. For serious misconduct, GOV.UK explains how to complain about a bailiff.

Our guide to dealing with debt collectors covers your wider rights.

What to do next

1. Read the notice. Check the court, claim number, creditor and amount, and whether it is about money or possession of a property.
2. Contact Wilson & Roe before the notice period ends, using the details on your paperwork, and offer what you can afford. Get any agreement in writing.
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.