How to stop bailiffs: the complete guide for 2026

Why it’s worth acting now

Bailiffs – officially called enforcement agents – are used on a huge scale in England and Wales. Councils passed 1.72 million council tax debts to bailiffs in 2025/26, according to Freedom of Information research by the Money Advice Trust, a figure almost unchanged from 1.74 million the year before. Council tax arrears in England reached £7.4 billion by 31 March 2026, up £764 million in a single year, according to official figures from the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG).

The longer bailiff action goes on, the more it costs you, because fees are added at each stage. The good news is that there are more ways to stop it than most people realise, and some of them are free.

Step 1: Work out who is chasing you

Before you can stop bailiffs, you need to know exactly who you’re dealing with. Look at the letter you’ve received and check:

• Is it really a bailiff? Only certificated enforcement agents, county court and High Court enforcement officers can take your belongings. A debt collector has no such powers – read debt collectors vs bailiffs.
• Which company or court sent it? You can check a private bailiff’s certificate on the government’s Certificated Enforcement Agent Register.
• Who is the creditor? This is the organisation you owe – for example, your council, the court or a lender.
• What type of debt is it? Council tax, a parking penalty, a magistrates’ court fine, a county court judgment (CCJ) or tax. The type of debt decides which options are open to you.
• What stage has it reached? A Notice of Enforcement means the bailiffs haven’t visited yet. A letter saying they’ve “attended” means the enforcement fee may already have been added. Our guide to reading a bailiff letter explains each type.

Step 2: Choose the right way to stop the bailiffs

Here are the nine main routes, roughly in the order you should consider them.

1. Pay in full (if you realistically can)

If you can pay the whole amount without leaving yourself short for essentials, paying at the compliance stage (after the Notice of Enforcement, before a visit) limits the bailiff fee to £79 for debts passed to bailiffs on or after 1 May 2026. Always get a receipt.

Don’t borrow from a high-cost lender or miss your rent, mortgage or energy bills to pay a bailiff. That just moves the problem somewhere more dangerous.

2. Agree an affordable payment arrangement

Most enforcement companies will agree instalments. The key word is affordable. Work out a budget first so you know what you can really pay after your essential bills. A StepChange survey of its clients who’d faced bailiff action found half said they’d been pressured into repayment plans they couldn’t afford – a broken plan usually leads to a visit and more fees.

Tips:

• Make your offer in writing (email is fine) and keep a copy.
• Include a short budget showing your income and essential spending.
• If the company won’t agree a reasonable offer, go to the creditor.

3. Ask the creditor to take the debt back

For council tax and parking debts, the council is the creditor and stays in control. You can ask it to recall the debt from the bailiffs and agree a payment plan directly, especially if:

• you’re vulnerable (for example, you have a serious illness, mental health condition or disability)
• you’ve made a reasonable offer that the bailiffs refused
• the bailiffs have broken the rules

Many councils have vulnerability or “return to client” policies. Read our guide to council tax arrears and bailiffs.

4. Ask for more time: the 28-day extension

From 1 May 2026, if a debt advice provider asks on your behalf before your notice period ends, the minimum notice period before bailiffs can take control of your goods is extended to 28 clear days (this doesn’t apply to non-eligible business debts). That gives you time to get proper advice. Read more about the Notice of Enforcement.

5. Apply for Breathing Space

Breathing Space (the Debt Respite Scheme) gives you legal protection from most creditors – including bailiffs – for 60 days while you get debt advice. Interest, fees and charges on most debts are frozen too. A debt adviser applies for you; you can’t apply yourself.

There were 89,130 Breathing Space registrations in England and Wales in 2025, the highest annual total since the scheme started in 2021 (Insolvency Service). If you’re receiving mental health crisis treatment, a mental health crisis Breathing Space lasts as long as your treatment plus 30 days.

Breathing Space doesn’t cover some debts, including magistrates’ court fines. See our Breathing Space guide and can Breathing Space stop bailiffs?

6. Challenge the debt or the fees

Bailiffs must follow strict rules. You may be able to stop or pause enforcement if:

• You don’t owe the debt, or the amount is wrong.
• You didn’t get the paperwork. For example, with a council parking penalty, you can apply to the Traffic Enforcement Centre to reopen the case – see parking fines and bailiffs.
• You didn’t know about a court judgment. You may be able to apply to have a CCJ set aside, or ask the court to suspend a county court warrant using form N245.
• The fees are wrong. Check them with our bailiff fees calculator and read bailiff fees explained.
• The bailiff broke the rules. Read how to complain about a bailiff.

7. A Debt Relief Order (DRO)

A DRO is a formal debt solution for people on a low income with few assets. It’s free. Once it’s approved, creditors named in the DRO can’t take enforcement action, including using bailiffs, without the court’s permission – and the debts are usually written off after 12 months.

You may qualify if you owe £50,000 or less, have £75 a month or less left after essential costs, have assets worth £2,000 or less (plus a vehicle worth less than £4,000), and meet the other conditions. DROs hit a record 46,939 in 2025 after the rules were relaxed in 2024 (Insolvency Service).

Read our DRO guide and will a DRO stop bailiffs?

8. An Individual Voluntary Arrangement (IVA)

An IVA is a legally binding agreement with your creditors to pay what you can afford, usually for five or six years, after which the remaining unsecured debt included in it is written off. Once it’s approved, creditors included in it can’t use bailiffs to collect those debts.

IVAs have fees, affect your credit rating for six years and can affect your home if you’re a homeowner, so they aren’t right for everyone. 71,841 IVAs were registered in 2025 (Insolvency Service). Read our IVA guide and can an IVA stop bailiffs?

9. Bankruptcy

Bankruptcy can stop most enforcement for debts included in it, but it has serious consequences, including the possible loss of your home and other assets. The application fee is £680. Compare it with the other options in our debt solutions compared guide.

Which option works for which debt?

Not every route works for every type of debt. This table gives a general guide – an adviser can confirm what applies to you.

Your rights while bailiffs are involved

Even while enforcement is under way, you have strong legal protections. In summary:

• Bailiffs must usually give at least 14 clear days’ notice before a first visit (for debts passed to them from 1 May 2026; 7 clear days for older cases).
• They can only take control of goods at your home between 6am and 9pm.
• For most debts they can’t force entry to your home, and can only come in through a door.
• They can’t enter if the only people at home are children under 16 or vulnerable people.
• They can’t take essential items, other people’s belongings or work tools worth up to £1,350.
• They must show ID and their certificate if you ask.

Read the detail in our guide to your rights when bailiffs visit, and in our articles on forced entry, what bailiffs can take and whether bailiffs can take your car.

What not to do

• Don’t ignore letters. Ignoring a Notice of Enforcement usually leads to a visit and at least another £247 in fees.
• Don’t let bailiffs in unless you’ve decided that’s best for you – for most debts you don’t have to.
• Don’t sign a controlled goods agreement with payments you can’t keep up. Breaking one can allow bailiffs to force entry later – read controlled goods agreements explained.
• Don’t hide other people’s goods or your own in a way that misleads the bailiff – but do keep proof of ownership for items that belong to family members.
• Don’t pay for help you can get free. Breathing Space and DROs are free, and free advice is available from MoneyHelper and debt charities.

If you have several debts

Bailiffs are often a sign of wider money problems. StepChange reported that the average debt of its clients was £17,936 in 2024, and more than one in three of its clients (35%) had council tax arrears in 2024/25. If you’re juggling several debts, dealing with only the one that has bailiffs attached may not solve the problem. Read about priority debts and compare the debt solutions that could deal with everything at once.

Guides to the main enforcement companies

The rules are the same whichever company contacts you, but people often search for help by company name. Our company guides explain what each firm’s letters mean and how to respond:

• 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

Help for specific types of debt

• Council tax: summons, liability orders, deductions from wages and from benefits, and whether arrears can be written off
• Court fines: can’t pay a magistrates’ court fine?
• Tax: HMRC debt enforcement and Time to Pay
• County court judgments: suspend a warrant of control with form N245 or deal with a High Court Enforcement Officer letter
• Child maintenance: how the CMS enforces arrears

Frequently asked questions

Can I stop bailiffs coming to my house?

Yes, in several ways. Paying or agreeing an affordable arrangement before the visit, getting the debt recalled by the creditor, Breathing Space, a DRO or an IVA can all stop or prevent a visit for the debts covered. If you’ve had a Notice of Enforcement, act within the notice period.

How long do bailiffs have to give notice?

For debts passed to bailiffs on or after 1 May 2026, at least 14 clear days after the Notice of Enforcement, or 28 clear days if a debt advice provider asks for an extension before the notice period ends. For debts passed to bailiffs earlier, the minimum is 7 clear days.

Will bailiffs stop if I pay something?

A payment on its own doesn’t legally stop enforcement, but agreeing an affordable payment arrangement usually does, as long as you keep to it. Get the agreement in writing.

Can bailiffs take my things if I’m on benefits?

Being on benefits doesn’t stop bailiffs, but they can’t take essential items, and you may well be eligible for a free Debt Relief Order or Breathing Space. Many councils will also consider your circumstances if you’re on a low income.

Can I stop bailiffs for council tax?

Yes. Contact the council and the bailiffs straight away, offer an affordable payment, ask the council to take the debt back if you’re vulnerable, and get advice about Breathing Space or a DRO, both of which can include council tax arrears.

Sources

• Money Advice Trust, Freedom of Information research on council bailiff referrals (August 2026): moneyadvicetrust.org
• MHCLG, Collection rates for council tax and non-domestic rates in England, 2025 to 2026
• Insolvency Service, Individual insolvency statistics, December 2025
• StepChange, 2025 personal debt statistics and council tax arrears research
• The Taking Control of Goods (Miscellaneous Amendments) Regulations 2026
• The Taking Control of Goods Regulations 2013
• GOV.UK, Bailiff powers when they visit your home
• GOV.UK, Debt Relief Orders