How to Stop a Warrant of Control

You can usually stop a county court warrant of control by applying to the court on form N245 to suspend it, offering affordable monthly payments. The court fee is £16, and you may not have to pay it if you are on a low income. If the creditor objects, the court decides what you should pay, sometimes at a short hearing.

This guide covers England and Wales only, and reflects the bailiff rule changes that took effect on 1 May 2026. It explains the different kinds of “warrant”, how the N245 process works, what to do if the judgment itself is wrong, how to stop a High Court writ, and what your options are if you cannot afford any offer.

What is a warrant of control?

A warrant of control is a court order that lets bailiffs (enforcement agents) take control of your goods and, in the end, sell them to pay a debt. The name is used for a few different things, so it is worth checking exactly what you have received.

County court warrant of control

If a creditor gets a county court judgment (CCJ) against you and you do not pay as ordered, the creditor can ask the court to issue a warrant of control. It is carried out by county court bailiffs, who are HMCTS staff. The creditor pays a £96 court fee, which is normally added to your debt. This is the type of warrant you can suspend with form N245.

High Court writ of control

If a CCJ is for £600 or more, the creditor can transfer it to the High Court and get a writ of control instead. For CCJs of £5,000 or more, the High Court must be used if bailiffs are wanted. The writ is enforced by a High Court Enforcement Officer (HCEO). Judgments based on a credit agreement regulated by the Consumer Credit Act 1974, such as most loans, credit cards and catalogue debts, cannot be transferred up. They stay in the county court.

Council tax, parking and fines

• Council tax and business rates are enforced using a liability order from the magistrates’ court, not a county court warrant. Form N245 does not apply.
• Parking and traffic penalties (PCNs) are registered at the Traffic Enforcement Centre, which issues its own warrant of control. It has separate forms and strict time limits.
• Magistrates’ court fines are enforced using a warrant of control issued by the magistrates’ court. To stop it, you contact the court’s fines office or the bailiff company and ask for time to pay.

Our guide to the different types of bailiffs explains who enforces which debt.

How to stop a county court warrant of control with form N245

Form N245 is an application to suspend a warrant, or to change the amount you pay under a judgment. You are asking the court to put the warrant on hold as long as you keep to a new, affordable payment plan.

1. Act as soon as you get the notice. Under the rules from 1 May 2026, the bailiff must give you at least 14 clear days’ notice (not counting Sundays and bank holidays) before a first visit.
2. Get form N245. It is free to download from GOV.UK. Use the claim number on your court papers.
3. Work out a realistic budget. The form asks about your income, household bills, priority debts and other debts. Be honest and complete. The court uses these figures to decide what you can afford.
4. Make an offer you can keep to. Offer a monthly amount that leaves enough for rent or mortgage, council tax, energy, food and other essentials.
5. Pay the fee or apply for help. The fee for an application to suspend enforcement is £16 (fee list updated July 2026). If you are on benefits or a low income, apply for Help with Fees on form EX160 or online.
6. Send it to the right court. This is the court dealing with your case. If it has moved to your local county court hearing centre, send it there.
7. Tell the bailiff and the creditor. Let them know you have applied, and keep a copy of everything. Keep in contact with the bailiff until the court has made a decision.

What happens after you apply?

The court sends your offer to the creditor. What happens next depends on how they respond:

• The creditor agrees. The warrant is suspended on the terms you offered. As long as you pay, the bailiffs should not act.
• The creditor objects to your offer. The court may decide a payment amount itself, based on your budget, or it may list a hearing.
• The creditor wants enforcement to continue. A district judge will decide at a hearing.

If the court decides you should pay more than you offered without a hearing, you normally have 14 days to ask for it to be reconsidered by a judge. Do not miss this deadline.

What happens at a warrant suspension hearing?

Hearings are usually short and held in private before a district judge, not in an open courtroom. Some are done by phone or video. You explain your situation and the judge looks at your income and spending.

• Bring payslips, benefit letters, bank statements and household bills.
• Explain any changes, such as job loss, illness or a new baby.
• Tell the judge about other debts and any advice you are getting.

The judge can suspend the warrant on your terms, suspend it on different terms, or refuse. If the warrant is suspended and you then miss payments, the creditor can ask for enforcement to restart, so only agree to an amount you can manage.

Can you set aside the judgment instead?

If the CCJ should never have been made, you can apply to set it aside on form N244. This is different from suspending the warrant. If the judgment is set aside, the warrant falls away with it. Common reasons include:

• You never received the court claim, for example because it went to an old address.
• You had already paid the debt before judgment was entered.
• You have a real defence, such as the debt not being yours or being statute-barred.

You need to apply promptly once you find out about the judgment and explain your reasons in a witness statement. The court fee is £321 for an application made on notice to the other side, although Help with Fees may apply. Setting aside is not a way to buy time if you owe the money, and the court can order you to pay the creditor’s costs if you lose. Get advice first. If Lowell or a similar debt buyer got the judgment, our guide on what to do about a Lowell CCJ covers this in detail.

How to stop a High Court writ of control

If your CCJ has been transferred to the High Court, you deal with an HCEO rather than county court bailiffs. You can:

• Contact the HCEO straight away with an affordable offer. Many writs are settled by a payment plan agreed with the enforcement company.
• Apply to the High Court for a stay of execution. This asks the court to pause the writ while you pay by instalments. You apply to the High Court office or district registry that issued the writ, usually with a witness statement setting out your finances. The court fee listed for an application to stay a High Court writ is £16.
• Apply to set aside the original judgment in the county court if it was wrongly made.

High Court fees are higher, so acting early matters. National Debtline’s guide to High Court enforcement explains the stay process step by step.

Time limits for a warrant of control

• Notice: at least 14 clear days before a first visit, under the rules from 1 May 2026. A debt adviser can ask for this to be extended to 28 days in many cases.
• Taking control: bailiffs normally have 12 months from the notice of enforcement to take control of goods. This can be extended in some situations, for example if you break a payment arrangement.
• Old judgments: a creditor needs the court’s permission to issue a warrant or writ of control on a judgment more than six years old.

What can the bailiff do once the warrant is issued?

Once the notice period ends, the bailiff can visit your home between 6am and 9pm. They can take control of goods you own, usually by listing them in a controlled goods agreement that lets you keep them while you pay. They cannot take essential household items, and they cannot take goods belonging to someone else. Our guide to what bailiffs can take lists the protected items.

Can bailiffs force entry with a warrant of control?

Not to your home on a first visit. A county court bailiff enforcing a CCJ must get in peacefully. They can only use reasonable force to re-enter if they have already taken control of goods inside, you have broken a controlled goods agreement, and they have given you two clear days’ notice. Business premises used by a sole trader have different rules.

What if you cannot afford any offer?

You can still apply on form N245. If your budget shows no spare money, you can explain this and make a small token offer, such as £1 a month. The court will look at your figures and decide. You should also:

• Get free debt advice to check you are receiving all the benefits you are entitled to and that your budget is right.
• Ask about Breathing Space, which pauses most enforcement, including bailiffs, for 60 days while you get advice.
• Consider an administration order if you have at least two debts, including a CCJ, and they total no more than £5,000. This combines your debts into one court-managed payment and stops the creditors included from enforcing.
• Look at formal debt solutions, such as a Debt Relief Order, bankruptcy or an Individual Voluntary Arrangement (IVA). Each has its own rules, costs and effects on your credit file, and each stops the creditors included from using bailiffs.

GOV.UK has more on your rights when bailiffs visit, and Citizens Advice explains how to change a court order for debt.

Common questions

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