About How To Stop The Bailiffs
Who we are, why we built How To Stop The Bailiffs, how we research our guides and how we keep them accurate and up to date.
Why this site exists
A letter from bailiffs, or a knock at the door, is frightening. Most people don’t know what bailiffs can and can’t do, what they’re allowed to charge or what options exist to stop them. That uncertainty makes it easier to agree to payments that can’t be kept up, or to ignore letters until fees have piled up.
Councils in England and Wales passed 1.72 million council tax debts to bailiffs in 2025/26 alone, according to Money Advice Trust research. We built How To Stop The Bailiffs to give people in that position clear, accurate information in plain English – and, if they want it, a straightforward route to speak to an FCA-authorised debt adviser.
We are not a government website
How To Stop The Bailiffs is an independent website run by [Your Company Name] Ltd, a private company. We are not a government website or service, and we are not connected to GOV.UK, HM Courts & Tribunals Service, the Insolvency Service, the Ministry of Justice, any local council or any enforcement company.
Official information about bailiffs and debt is published on GOV.UK. Free, impartial debt advice is available from MoneyHelper and debt charities.
What we do
- We publish free guides about bailiff rules, enforcement fees, your rights and the main debt solutions in England and Wales.
- We keep them up to date. For example, our guides reflect the changes to bailiff notice periods and fees that came into force on 1 May 2026.
- We introduce people who want help to an FCA-authorised debt advice firm. We are not a debt advice provider and we do not give debt advice. With your permission, we introduce you to an FCA-authorised debt advice firm that can discuss your situation and your options. We may receive a fee from that firm for the introduction. This does not affect the advice you receive or what you pay.
What we don’t do
- We don’t give personal debt advice.
- We don’t charge you anything.
- We don’t push one debt solution over another. A Debt Relief Order, for example, is free and can be the right answer for many people – and our guides say so.
- We don’t share your details with anyone unless you’ve agreed, and we name who we’ll share them with.
Our editorial team
Our guides are written by the How To Stop The Bailiffs editorial team and published under the byline of our lead writer, Claire Whitmore. The team researches bailiff law, enforcement practice and personal insolvency in England and Wales, and writes from primary sources:
- legislation, including the Tribunals, Courts and Enforcement Act 2007, the Taking Control of Goods Regulations 2013 and the Taking Control of Goods (Fees) Regulations 2014, as amended
- GOV.UK guidance from the Ministry of Justice, the Insolvency Service and HM Courts & Tribunals Service
- official statistics from the Insolvency Service and the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government
- research from debt charities such as the Money Advice Trust, StepChange and Citizens Advice
Every article shows when it was last checked. Read our full editorial policy.
Expert review
We aim to have our guides reviewed by a qualified debt or insolvency professional. Where a guide has been reviewed, the reviewer’s name and qualifications appear at the top of the page.
Contact us
You can reach us at hello@howtostopthebailiffs.co.uk, or see our contact page. If you’re unhappy with anything we’ve done, please read our complaints procedure.
Company details
How To Stop The Bailiffs is a trading name of [Your Company Name] Ltd, registered in England and Wales (company number [Company number]). Registered office: [Registered office address]. ICO registration number: [ICO registration number].
[Your Company Name] Ltd is [authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority (FRN: XXXXXX) / an appointed representative of XXXXX Ltd, which is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority (FRN: XXXXXX)].