Bailiffs

Overview

If you haven’t paid a debt you might be sent a letter from bailiffs (also called  ‘enforcement agents’) saying they will visit your home to collect payment.

Don’t ignore the letter – this is called a ‘notice of enforcement’. If you do the bailiffs can visit your home after 7 days. As well as collecting payment for the debt they can charge you fees so you could end up owing more money.

Bailiff or Debt Collector

A bailiff or enforcement agent has legal powers to collect a debt,. They can be:

  • Working for private companies
  • Self employed
  • Working for the council
  • County Court bailiffs employed by HM Courts & Tribunals Service

A debt collector works for either:

  • A creditor or
  • A debt collection agency

Collection agents cannot:

  • Take anything from your home
  • Force you to make a payment

They can only ask you to make a payment arrangement.

Check the notice of enforcement is valid

You should first make sure your notice of enforcement includes the right information. If it doesn’t, you can complain to stop the bailiffs coming until a new notice is sent.

For your notice to be valid it must:

  • show your correct name and address
  • show what debt you owe and state the correct amount
  • explain that you have 7 days’ notice before the bailiffs can visit 
  • come from a registered bailiff not a debt collector – you can check on the Bailiffs Register on the Justice website
  • be sent to you by letter – either by post, fax, email, by being fixed to your front door if you don’t have a letterbox or by being given to you
  • be written in a certain legal style – see example of a notice of enforcement on GOV.UK

If a bailiff comes to your property

The first thing to do when a bailiff arrives is to ask for proof of who they are and why they’re visiting.

If they say they’re a bailiff or enforcement agent, ask them to show you a badge, ID card or ‘enforcement agent certificate’. All registered bailiffs have to carry proof of who they are.

They’ll also need to tell you which company they’re from and give you a telephone contact number for the head office.

Tell them to pass the documents through your letterbox or show you at a window. Their proof of identity will show their name and what kind of bailiff they are.

To check their identity you should either:

Tell them to leave if they can’t prove who they are. Say you’ll report them to the police if they don’t go. If they won’t leave you should call 999.

Bailiff power of entry

If you let bailiffs into your home, they can take your property.

If you don’t let them in, they can still:

  • legally clamp and remove goods, including vehicles, from your driveway or on a public road. They can take these items even if you are not home
  • talk to you
  • collect money
  • give you documents

You don’t have to let bailiffs into your home. They can’t force their way in, but they can come in if you’ve left a door unlocked or if you owe certain types of debt, for example

  • unpaid magistrates court fines, for example if you were given a fine for not paying your TV licence
  • tax debts for HM Revenue and Customs, for example if you owe income tax

The bailiff may have the right to gain entry by asking a locksmith to open your door if you won’t let them in. It’s very unlikely they’ll do this – you should still have the chance to pay without them coming in.

If you are concerned about debt please read the advice on our website before coming to see an adviser. We employ specialist debt advisers who will guide you through the process of dealing with debt

Last Updated on June 10, 2026 by Ashford Advice