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Principal scope: England and Wales
Scotland and Northern Ireland use different procedures
HomeComplaints About Enforcement Agents and Bailiffs

Civil enforcement information

Complaints About Enforcement Agents and Bailiffs

A complaint does not automatically suspend enforcement. Separate urgent action may be needed to protect goods, a vehicle, a home or a court deadline.

Telephone consultation £35Identify the enforcement action

Complaint sequence

  1. Identify the person, company, creditor, court or authority and the enforcement power.
  2. State the facts chronologically and distinguish what you saw from what you infer.
  3. Attach only relevant documents, recordings, receipts and photographs.
  4. State the outcome sought, such as an explanation, correction, refund, return, compensation or procedural review.
  5. Complain to the enforcement company and creditor or instructing authority where appropriate.
  6. Use the relevant court, ombudsman, public-body or certificate route only where it has jurisdiction.
  7. Consider limitation, pre-action requirements and costs before starting a civil claim.

Certificate complaints

Form EAC2 is for a complaint concerning the fitness of an individual to hold an enforcement-agent certificate. It is not a universal damages or fee-assessment procedure.

Council cases

Where enforcement agents act for a council, the council complaint process and the Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman may be relevant. The Ombudsman considers fault by the council and cannot determine every private-law or court issue.

Sources

  1. GOV.UK: how to complain about a bailiff
  2. HMCTS Form EAC2
  3. Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman: enforcement agents
  4. Civil Procedure Rules Part 84

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.