Council tax bailiff enforcement: key facts

A council can use enforcement agents after obtaining a liability order. Ask for the year, amount, address, payments, liability-order record, notice and fee-stage history.

For instructions received from 1 May 2026, the fixed non-High Court fees are £79, £247 and £116, with the prescribed percentage above £1,900. Transitional rules may preserve the earlier scale.

Initial entry to a home is usually without force. Direct payment does not necessarily cancel fees; ownership, exemption, vulnerability and challenges require the route suited to the facts.

Sources and scope

This site concerns England and Wales. Principal sources include Schedule 12 to the Tribunals, Courts and Enforcement Act 2007, the Taking Control of Goods Regulations 2013, the Taking Control of Goods (Fees) Regulations 2014, CPR Part 84 and the GOV.UK bailiff guide.

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