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HomeBusiness and Commercial Enforcement

Civil enforcement information

Business and Commercial Enforcement

Do not assume that a director is personally liable for a company debt or that every item at business premises belongs to the debtor.

Telephone consultation £35Identify the enforcement action

Business distinctions

IssueWhy it matters
Legal debtorA company, individual, sole trader and partnership are not interchangeable.
PremisesEntry rules at commercial premises can differ from residential entry.
Goods ownershipGoods may belong to employees, landlords, customers, suppliers, directors or finance companies.
Tools and equipmentThe personal-use statutory exemption is not a blanket exemption for every business asset.
Commercial rent arrears recoveryCRAR is a specific statutory process with its own conditions.
InsolvencyInsolvency procedures can change enforcement rights and require specialist advice.

Evidence

  1. Company registration and accounting records.
  2. Invoices, asset registers and finance agreements.
  3. Lease and landlord inventories.
  4. Employee or customer ownership evidence.
  5. Judgment, writ, warrant or CRAR notice.
  6. Current insolvency or restructuring documents.

Sources

  1. Schedule 12, Tribunals, Courts and Enforcement Act 2007
  2. Taking Control of Goods Regulations 2013
  3. Taking Control of Goods (Fees) Regulations 2014
  4. Civil Procedure Rules Part 83
  5. Civil Procedure Rules Part 85

Review status

Legal content reviewed against the sources identified on this page on 27 July 2026. The next review is due on 27 July 2028.