Dealing with a letter saying bailiffs will visit
If you haven’t paid a debt you might be sent a letter from bailiffs (also called ‘enforcement agents’) saying they will visit your home to collect payment.
Don’t ignore the letter - this is called a ‘notice of enforcement’. If you do the bailiffs can visit your home after 7 days. As well as collecting payment for the debt they can charge you fees so you could end up owing more money.
There are things you can do to stop them coming if you act quickly.
Before you speak to bailiffs, check the extra rules they should follow if you:
are disabled or seriously ill
have mental health problems
have children or are pregnant
are under 18 or over 65
don’t speak or read English well
are in a stressful situation like recent bereavement or unemployment
You might be able to get more time to deal with the notice of enforcement.
If bailiffs say they're evicting you
If you get a letter saying bailiffs are going to evict you, find out how to deal with eviction by bailiffs on Shelter’s website.
Check the notice of enforcement is validAdd reference
You should first make sure your notice of enforcement includes the right information. If it doesn't, you can complain to stop the bailiffs coming until a new notice is sent.
For your notice to be valid it must:
show your correct name and address
show what debt you owe and state the correct amount
explain that you have 7 days' notice before the bailiffs can visit
come from a registered bailiff not a debt collector - you can check on the Bailiffs Register on the Justice website
be sent to you by letter - either by post, fax, email, by being fixed to your front door if you don't have a letterbox or by being given to you
be written in a certain legal style - see example of a notice of enforcementon GOV.UK
Contact your nearest Citizens Advice if you’re not sure if your notice is valid - an adviser can check the notice for you.
Work out what day the bailiffs will visit onAdd reference
After sending you the notice of enforcement the bailiffs have to wait 7 full days before they can visit you. This doesn't include the day you get the notice, the day of the visit or Sundays and bank holidays.
For example, if you get your notice on Monday the bailiffs can't visit you until the Wednesday of the next week
If your notice of enforcement is from a debt collector
Your notice of enforcement won’t be valid if it’s come from a debt collector. They don’t have the same powers as bailiffs - they can’t come to your home to collect a debt. You can send them away if they do.
Even if you send the debt collector away, if you owe the debt you’II still need to make arrangements to deal with it. If you ignore it, the problem will only get worse. Find out how to deal with a debt.
If you think your notice of enforcement has come from a debt collector and you’re worried about dealing with them contact your nearest Citizens Advice.