Your rights when bailiffs visit: the rules bailiffs must follow

Who counts as a bailiff?

“Bailiff” is the everyday word. The law uses enforcement agent. There are several types, and they have different powers:

Debt collectors are not bailiffs. They work for creditors or debt purchasers and have no power to enter your home or take your belongings. Read debt collectors vs bailiffs vs High Court Enforcement Officers.

Rule 1: You must get notice before a visit

Before a bailiff can take control of your goods, you must be sent a Notice of Enforcement.

• For warrants and writs passed to bailiffs on or after 1 May 2026, the minimum notice is 14 clear days.
• If a debt advice provider asks on your behalf before that period ends, it extends to 28 clear days (except for non-eligible business debts).
• For cases passed to bailiffs before 1 May 2026, the old minimum of 7 clear days still applies.

“Clear days” don’t count the day the notice was sent, the day of the visit, Sundays, bank holidays, Good Friday or Christmas Day.

If you didn’t receive a Notice of Enforcement, or the bailiff visited too early, the visit may be unlawful and any enforcement fee may not be due. Read our full guide to the Notice of Enforcement.

Rule 2: Visiting days and times

Bailiffs can only take control of goods at your home between 6am and 9pm. They also can’t generally take control of goods on a Sunday, Good Friday or Christmas Day. There are limited exceptions, for example for business premises that trade at those times or where a court has given permission.

Rule 3: How bailiffs can get in

For most debts, bailiffs can only enter your home peacefully:

• through a door (not a window, and not by climbing over a fence or wall)
• if it’s unlocked, or if you or another adult lets them in

They can’t push past you, put a foot in the door or force entry for council tax, parking penalties, CCJs and most other civil debts.

They can use reasonable force, as a last resort, to enter your home to collect unpaid criminal fines and certain HMRC debts (Income Tax and Stamp Duty), or to re-enter to collect goods they’ve already taken control of – for example if you break a controlled goods agreement (they must give you notice first).

Bailiffs can’t enter if the only people at home are children under 16 or vulnerable people. Read can bailiffs force entry? for more detail.

Rule 4: They must prove who they are

If you ask, a bailiff must show you:

• proof of identity
• their enforcement agent certificate (for private bailiffs)
• written authority from the creditor, such as the warrant or liability order details

You can ask them to hold these up to a window or pass a copy through the letterbox. You can check a private bailiff’s certificate on the Certificated Enforcement Agent Register.

Bailiffs working for firms accredited by the Enforcement Conduct Board (ECB) – the independent oversight body for the industry – are expected to wear body-worn cameras during visits under the ECB’s standards. Footage can be important evidence if you complain.

Rule 5: What they can and can’t take

Bailiffs can take control of goods that belong to you (the debtor), such as a TV, games console, jewellery, a second car or a computer you don’t need for work or study.

They can’t take:

• clothes, bedding, beds, a cooker or microwave, a fridge, a washing machine and a dining table with enough chairs for your household
• medical aids and equipment, and items needed to care for a child, an older person or a disabled person
• children’s toys and educational items
• one phone (a landline, or a mobile if you don’t have a landline)
• pets and assistance dogs
• tools, equipment, books or a vehicle you need for your job, business, study or education, up to £1,350 in total
• a vehicle displaying a valid Blue Badge, or used to carry a disabled person
• things that belong to someone else, including your partner, children or lodger – or items on hire purchase that belong to a finance company

Read what can bailiffs take? and can bailiffs take my car?

Rule 6: They can only charge fixed fees

Bailiff fees are fixed by law. For most debts passed to bailiffs on or after 1 May 2026:

High Court enforcement has a different scale. Use our bailiff fees calculator or read bailiff fees explained.

Rule 7: Controlled goods and sale

If a bailiff takes control of your goods, they can either:

• remove them straight away, or
• leave them with you under a controlled goods agreement, where you agree to pay by instalments and not to sell or move the goods.

They must give you an inventory of the goods. Before selling them, they must give you notice of the sale (usually at least 7 clear days) and the goods should normally be sold at public auction. Read controlled goods agreements: should you sign one?

Rule 8: Vulnerable people must be treated fairly

Bailiffs must take extra care if you’re vulnerable – for example because of age, illness, disability, mental health, pregnancy, bereavement or language difficulties. Enforcement may need to be paused or the debt returned to the creditor. Read bailiffs and vulnerable people.

Rule 9: You can complain if the rules are broken

If a bailiff breaks the rules, you can complain to the enforcement company, the creditor, the Enforcement Conduct Board or the court. Research by Citizens Advice and StepChange found that around one in three of the 2.2 million people contacted by bailiffs in the two years to November 2018 experienced them breaking the rules. Read how to complain about a bailiff.

Changes coming to bailiff regulation

The bailiff industry has historically been self-regulated. The Enforcement Conduct Board began handling complaints in January 2025, and the government has announced plans for legal regulation, including requiring private bailiffs to be accredited by the ECB (individually or through their firm) to obtain or renew their certificate. These proposals aren’t yet law, so check back here for updates.

More on your rights

• Got a bailiff letter? What it means and what to do next
• Can bailiffs take my partner’s or family’s belongings?
• Bailiff letters for someone who doesn’t live here
• Can bailiffs take money from my bank account?
• Fake bailiffs: how to check a bailiff is real
• How long can bailiffs chase a debt?
• Bailiffs and self-employed people: protecting your van and tools

Enforcement companies

• Marston bailiffs – what a Marston Holdings letter means
• Equita bailiffs – agreeing an affordable plan with Equita
• Bristow & Sutor bailiffs – parking and council tax letters
• Jacobs bailiffs – what to do if your car is clamped
• Rossendales bailiffs – checking fees and complaining
• Newlyn bailiffs – a 14-day action plan after a Newlyn letter

Frequently asked questions

Do I have to let a bailiff into my home?

No, not for most debts. For council tax, parking penalties, CCJs and most other debts, bailiffs can only come in if you let them or through an unlocked door. The exceptions are criminal fines, some HMRC debts and re-entry after a controlled goods agreement.

Can a bailiff come at night?

Bailiffs can only take control of goods at your home between 6am and 9pm. A visit outside those hours to take goods would break the rules.

Can a bailiff take my partner’s belongings?

No. Bailiffs can only take goods that belong to the debtor, or that you own jointly with someone else. Keep receipts or other proof that items belong to someone else.

What happens if a bailiff breaks the rules?

You can complain to the enforcement company, the creditor (for example, the council), the Enforcement Conduct Board if the firm is accredited, or the court. You may be able to get fees refunded or claim compensation.

Do these rules apply in Scotland?

No. Scotland uses sheriff officers and a different system called diligence, and Northern Ireland uses the Enforcement of Judgments Office. Read our Scotland and Northern Ireland guide.

Sources

• Tribunals, Courts and Enforcement Act 2007, Schedule 12
• The Taking Control of Goods Regulations 2013
• The Taking Control of Goods (Fees) Regulations 2014
• The Taking Control of Goods (Miscellaneous Amendments) Regulations 2026
• GOV.UK, Bailiff powers when they visit your home
• GOV.UK, Government announces legal regulation of bailiffs
• Citizens Advice, A law unto themselves: how bailiffs are breaking the rules
• Enforcement Conduct Board