Bailiff & debt collection company guides

If a letter, text or visit has come from a company you don’t recognise, the first step is working out who they are and what powers they really have. Some firms are enforcement agents (bailiffs) who can visit your home and, in limited circumstances, take control of goods. Others are debt collectors or debt purchasers, who have no enforcement powers at all unless a creditor first gets a County Court Judgment and then asks the court to enforce it.

Each guide below explains who the company is, what debts it usually handles, what it can and can’t do, and practical ways to deal with it. The rules on entry, fees and protected goods are the same whichever company is involved, so our general guides on whether bailiffs can force entry, what bailiffs can take and bailiff fees apply to all of them.

Bailiff and enforcement companies

These firms act as certificated enforcement agents or High Court enforcement officers, usually for councils, courts, the DVLA and other public bodies, or for creditors with a court judgment.

Debt collectors and debt purchasers

Debt collection agencies and debt purchasers are not bailiffs. They can write, phone and email, but they cannot enter your home or take your belongings. If they take you to court and get a County Court Judgment you don’t keep to, the creditor can then ask the court for enforcement. See Lowell CCJs and how to stop a warrant of control for what happens at that stage.

How to check a bailiff is genuine

Scammers sometimes copy the names of well-known enforcement firms. Before paying anything:

• Check the enforcement agent is on the Certificated Enforcement Agents register. High Court enforcement officers are authorised separately and should be able to show their authorisation.
• Match the reference on the letter or text with the original creditor, such as your council or the court.
• Contact the company using the phone number or website you find yourself, not the one in a message.
• Remember you should normally receive a Notice of Enforcement at least 14 clear days before a bailiff takes control of goods (7 clear days for notices before 1 May 2026). Read your rights when dealing with bailiffs.

Not sure what to do next?

Start with how to stop bailiffs, which walks through every stage of enforcement and the options that can pause or end it, including Debt Relief Orders, IVAs and bankruptcy.

Free, independent debt advice is also available from MoneyHelper, StepChange, National Debtline and Citizens Advice.