Fees and charges
The enforcement process is set by UK Government to recover outstanding debt. The process can include additional fees that will be added to your initial debt (e.g. council tax).
We will always give you a written bill telling you how much your fees are. Don’t ignore your fees, if you do this it could make your situation worse as further fees could be added.
If you do not engage with us we will have no choice but to ask one of our enforcement agents to try and collect the outstanding debt. If this happens, the best thing for you is to speak with them and explain your situation, they will advise you about the best ways to resolve your debt. Whilst they would prefer not to, they can take your belongings, e.g. motor vehicle, which can then be sold at public auction to pay off the debt. The costs can be considerable and will be added to your initial debt (e.g. council tax). It is preferable therefore to try to agree an affordable payment plan with us before matters reach this stage.
The work of our officers and agents is regulated by the Tribunal, Courts and Enforcement Act 2007 and the Nationals Standards for taking control of goods 2014. For more information read the Ministry of Justice’s national standards for taking control of goods.
Our team will always act in an legal, ethical and transparent way.
Fees breakdown
The fees an enforcement agent can charge are set in legislation, below shows the charges that can be applied, and when.
| Stage | Amount £ |
|---|---|
| Warrant of Control / Liability Order / Commercial Rent Arrears Recovery | |
| Compliance Stage (Administration fee) | £75 |
| Enforcement Stage | £235 plus 7.5% on any amount over £1,500.00 |
| Sale or Disposal Stage | £110 plus 7.5% on any amount over £1,500.00 |
| Where Removal and Sale takes place | |
| Storage costs | Actual costs |
| Locksmith costs | Actual costs |
| Any relevant Court application fees | Actual costs |
| Auctioneers costs where sale is held on the Auctioneers premises | |
| Auctioneers commission | Not exceeding 15% of the sum realised |
| Auctioneers out of pocket expenses | Actual costs |
| Reasonable advertising costs | Actual costs |
| Auctioneers costs where sale is held on the other premises | |
| Auctioneers commission | Not exceeding 7.5% of the sum realised |
| Auctioneers out of pocket expenses | Actual costs |
| Reasonable advertising costs | Actual costs |
| Internet auction costs | Actual costs |
| In some circumstances, exceptional costs will apply | Agreed by court |
Compliance Stage (Administration fee) – Charged from the point which we receive an instruction from a particular department or client.
Enforcement Stage – Charged for any action relating to enforcement charged from the first arrival at property (example: vehicle, house, shop or any related property)
Sale or Disposal Stage – Charged for any action relating to enforcement from first arrival at the property (example: vehicle, house, shop or any related property) for the purpose of transporting goods to sale, or preparing goods for sale from the premises (commercial only) including requesting a recovery vehicle or removal services (vehicle recovery or removal team).
If your goods have been removed:
Charges can continue to accrue after your goods have been removed and other charges such as daily/weekly/monthly storage will be charged for storage until your assets are sold. Should you wish to pay the balance at a later date to avoid this you will be responsible for associated charges.
What can I do?
Our friendly compliance team are on hand to discuss your circumstances and options to avoid unnecessary charges or enforcement action. We could set you up on an affordable repayment arrangement and by working closely with debt management and advice charities we can signpost to additional council support services where we identify a vulnerability.
Protective Control
By entering into a Controlled Goods Agreement we can seize goods belonging to you, but rather than remove these, we can leave them in your custody to use until the balance is paid in full by way of a sustainable payment arrangement. This means that no other acting third party creditor (unless with prior enforcement power) can remove your asset.