JBW bailiffs: what to do if JBW contacts you

The JBW name stayed on council websites, old letters and online forums for years after it was dropped. So if you’ve been told “JBW” is chasing you, or you’ve found an old JBW reference, you’ll want to know who you are actually dealing with now. This guide explains that, and what to do next.

What happened to JBW?

JBW Group was a private enforcement company set up in 2004. It worked for councils, government bodies and private clients, and a large part of its work was unpaid parking penalties.

In 2020, JBW merged with Phoenix Commercial Collections and Collect Services to form a single company, CDER Group. The company announced at the time that the JBW brand name would end. CDER Group Limited is the same registered company, and its Companies House record still lists its earlier JBW names.

For you, that means three things:

• the business holding your case is the same company under a new name
• the creditor (a council, a court or another public body) is still in charge of the debt
• your rights, and the fees that can be charged, come from the law, not from the company’s branding

For the full picture of how CDER works today, read our guide to CDER Group bailiffs.

Is a letter or message in the JBW name genuine?

Current paperwork should carry the CDER Group name. If a text, email or call uses only the JBW name, be careful. Don’t use any phone number or link in that message. Find CDER Group’s contact details yourself from its official website, or ask the creditor named on your paperwork whether it passed a debt to CDER.

A genuine agent carries ID and an enforcement agent certificate. You can check the name on the Certificated Enforcement Agent Register. Read how to spot a fake bailiff.

If it’s a magistrates’ court fine

This is where JBW’s history matters most. JBW won HM Courts & Tribunals Service contracts to enforce warrants for unpaid criminal fines, starting in 2020. CDER Group now says it is the main contractor for court fines in London, the South East and the Midlands, and the back-up contractor in the rest of England and Wales.

Court fines are enforced more strictly than other debts:

• agents can use reasonable force to enter as a last resort
• fines can’t be included in Breathing Space, a Debt Relief Order, an IVA or bankruptcy
• the fines office can still change your payment terms if you can’t afford them

So contact the fines office using the details on your fine notice, and tell CDER at the same time. Our guide explains how: can’t pay a magistrates’ court fine?

If it’s council tax or a parking penalty

Here the normal rules apply. Agents can only come in peacefully. They can only take control of goods between 6am and 9pm, and they can’t go in if only children under 16 or vulnerable people are home. They can’t take essentials, work tools worth up to £1,350 or other people’s belongings.

If it’s a parking penalty you never knew about, you may be able to reopen the case. See parking fines and bailiffs.

Which fee scale applies?

Fees depend on when the case was passed to the enforcement company, not on when the latest letter arrived. Cases passed on or after 1 May 2026 use the new scale. Anything passed to JBW or CDER before that stays on the old scale.

If an older case has been charged on the new scale, ask for an itemised breakdown and challenge it. See bailiff fees explained.

How to stop enforcement

1. Find out what the debt is for and who the creditor is. The Notice of Enforcement should tell you both.
2. Pay, or offer an affordable plan in writing, with a short budget, before any visit. That keeps the fees at the compliance stage.
3. Ask a debt adviser for the 28-day extension if you need more time. They must ask before your 14-day notice period ends.
4. Ask the creditor to step in if your offer is refused or you’re vulnerable. Councils can recall a debt from bailiffs.
5. Get Breathing Space for debts other than court fines. It pauses most bailiff action for 60 days. See our Breathing Space guide.
6. Look at all your debts together. Our debt solutions compared guide sets out the options side by side.

Complaining about JBW or CDER

Complain to CDER Group first, using the complaints process on its website, and send a copy to the creditor. For council debts, you can then go to the Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman. CDER Group is on the Enforcement Conduct Board’s register of accredited firms, so you can take an unresolved complaint to the ECB. Read how to complain about a bailiff.

Frequently asked questions

Does JBW still exist?

Not as a brand. JBW Group became CDER Group in 2020, and the JBW name was retired.

Is CDER Group the same company as JBW?

Yes. CDER Group is what JBW became after merging with Phoenix Commercial Collections and Collect Services. If your paperwork says JBW, contact CDER Group using details from its official website.

Can CDER force entry for a court fine?

As a last resort, yes. For council tax and parking penalties, no: agents can only enter peacefully.

Will I pay the new or old fees on a JBW case?

It depends on the date the case was passed to the company. Before 1 May 2026, the old scale applies. From that date, the new one does.

Sources

• CDER Group, Announcing the launch of CDER Group, the new name for JBW Group, Phoenix Commercial Collections & Collect Services
• Companies House, CDER GROUP LIMITED overview
• CDER Group, HMCTS
• Credit Connect, JBW awarded four contracts by HMCTS
• Enforcement Conduct Board, Accredited Firms Register