Notice of enforcement: what the letter means and what to do

Bailiffs By Council Tax Helpline, 10 September 2026

In short

A notice of enforcement is the bailiff firm's first letter. It means your council has passed your council tax debt to them.
A £79 compliance fee is added when the firm gets your case, for cases received from 1 May 2026.
You must be given at least 14 clear days before a visit. If you pay or agree a plan in that time, the £247 visit fee is never added.
It is not a CCJ, and it does not go on your credit file.
Ask your council to take the account back. It can do that at any time.

What is a notice of enforcement?

A notice of enforcement is a letter from an enforcement agent firm, commonly called bailiffs. For council tax, it means:

Your council got a liability order against you from the magistrates’ court, and
It has now passed the debt to a bailiff firm to collect.

The notice is the firm’s first step, and it is required by law. Nobody can visit your home to take control of goods until you have had it, and the notice period has passed.

What the letter will say

A notice of enforcement must include:

The amount owed, including the bailiff fees so far
The deadline by which you must pay or agree something
How to pay, and how to contact the firm, including by phone
Your reference number
Information that free debt advice is available

It may look like a demand for the full amount, and often uses bold or red print. It is still worth reading carefully and calmly.

The £79 compliance fee

For cases a bailiff firm received from 1 May 2026, a £79 compliance fee is added as soon as it gets your case. For cases received before that date, it is £75. That fee is usually already included in the amount on the notice.

Nothing more can be added until someone visits.

You have at least 14 clear days

The firm must give you at least 14 clear days after the notice before anyone can visit. “Clear days” do not count:

The day the notice was sent, or the day of any visit
Sundays, bank holidays, Good Friday and Christmas Day

So the real time is usually more than two weeks. For council tax and other non-business debts, a debt adviser can ask for the period to be extended to 28 clear days.

England and Wales. Cases passed to a firm before 1 May 2026 use the old fees and a 7 clear day notice.

Before any bailiff

Liability order

The magistrates’ court confirms the council tax is owed. Without one, bailiffs have no powers.
Passed to the firm

Notice of enforcement

The firm’s first letter. This is the compliance stage: nobody has visited yet.

Compliance fee added: £79
At least 14 clear days

The cheapest time to act

No visit is allowed until this has passed. Sundays and bank holidays do not count. A debt adviser can ask for 28 clear days.
First visit

Enforcement stage

An agent comes to your home, between 6am and 9pm.

Enforcement fee added: £247, plus 7.5% of anything owed above £1,900
At the visit

Taking control of goods

Usually by a controlled goods agreement, or by clamping a vehicle.
At least 7 clear days after removal

Sale at public auction

Only if goods have been removed and the debt is still not paid.

Sale fee added: £116, plus 7.5% above £1,900, plus auction costs

Why acting now matters

If you pay, or agree a payment plan, before the first visit, the £247 enforcement fee is never added. That is by far the biggest saving at any point in the process. See bailiff fees explained.

What to do

Check it is genuine. Look up the firm independently, not using numbers on the letter alone. See our list of bailiff firms.
Check the debt. Is it your council tax, for years you were liable, at the right band, with every discount you are due?
Work out what you can afford, after rent, energy, food and this year’s council tax.
Contact your council, not only the bailiff firm. Ask it to take the account back and agree a special payment arrangement.
Tell the firm in writing what you are offering, and send a copy to the council.
If you are vulnerable, say so, with any evidence. It can stop the enforcement fee being charged.

Is a notice of enforcement a CCJ?

No. Council tax is collected through the magistrates’ court, not the county court, so it does not lead to a County Court Judgment. A notice of enforcement is not recorded on your credit file. See does council tax debt affect your credit score.

I never received a notice of enforcement

If a bailiff visits and you never had a notice of enforcement, ask the firm for:

A copy of the notice
The date it was sent, and the address it was sent to

If the notice was not sent properly, or was sent to the wrong address, the visit may not have been allowed, and fees may have been charged wrongly. Complain to the firm and your council in writing.

Notices from particular firms

Every firm’s notice follows the same rules, whatever it looks like. If yours is from a firm such as Newlyn, Marston, Equita, DCBL or Bristow & Sutor, see our page for that firm in the bailiff companies list.

Where are you with the bailiffs?

Choose the one that fits best and an adviser will call you back. Free, confidential, and no obligation.

Takes about 3 minutes.