What if I have nothing for bailiffs to take?

Bailiffs have to follow a set process to recover a debt.

Warrant of control

The creditor employing the bailiffs will apply to court for a warrant of control. This gives bailiffs the power to take valuables from your home and sell them at auction to repay your debt.

Notice of enforcement

Once the warrant of control is in place, the bailiffs will send you a ‘notice of enforcement’. This is a letter telling you how long you have to pay your debt or arrange a repayment plan before they’ll visit you at your home.

Controlled goods agreement 

If you don’t clear your debt in full, the bailiffs will usually visit you (although sometimes this is done by video call) and make a list of valuables you own that they could sell to pay off your debt.

If you agree a repayment plan as part of a controlled goods agreement, this will stop the bailiffs removing your valuables, providing you stick to the arrangement.

If you’ve been unable to agree a repayment plan and bailiffs have searched your home and found no valuables they can take, there’s not much more they can do.

Even if bailiffs have been unsuccessful in recovering your debt, it won’t simply be written off. In fact, the amount you owe may increase as bailiffs charge for the time and effort spent trying to collect a debt. This fee will be added to the amount you already owe.

When the bailiffs feel there is nothing more they can do to try and collect your debt, they may return it to the original creditor to take over the recovery process.

If your creditor has been waiting for a long time to get paid, they may ramp up their collection efforts at this point e.g. they may take further legal action against you such as applying to make you bankrupt.