Judgment enforcement

• Can you enforce at a registered office address?

  If the registered office address (i.e. where the company is registered at Companies House) is a location where the company operates from, then we are permitted to attend to enforce, provided the Notice of Enforcement has been sent to that address.

  If the registered office is not a trading address of the company named on the writ of control, for example, it is the location of the debtor's accountant, by law we are not permitted to enforce at that address, nor can we ask their accountants to disclose any information relating to the company.

  To obtain information about a debtor, there is a procedure to obtain information via the court.

• How do you keep me updated on my case?

  We will keep you updated at every stage and send you a report by email whenever our system is updated. If we haven’t sent an email report, there is no update, so please wait rather than phone us.

• What happens after I instruct you?

  We apply to court for the writ of control. The court can take up to 28 days but is usually less. Any court backlogs are outside our control.

  Once we get the writ, we send a Notice of Enforcement to the debtor. This gives them 14 clear days to pay in full to avoid an enforcement agent visit. The 14-day notice excludes the day of posting, day of delivery, Sundays and bank holidays. That can mean up to 20 days in total.

  We send the Notice of Enforcement on the day we receive it – or the following working day if our mail has already been collected.

• Which addresses can you enforce at?

  By law we are only permitted to enforce at an address where the debtor resides or operates a trading business.

  Where the registered address is that of the debtor's accountant, but not a trading location, we are not permitted to enforce at that address.

  If you haven’t already given us details of a second address in the instruction form, please send us that so we can send the Notice of Enforcement to both addresses.

  We cannot enforce at an address where the debtor is an employee.

• Where and when can you take control of a vehicle?

  If there is a vehicle, please give us the details, including the registration number. Only when we see the vehicle during a visit, can we check for finance and registered keeper details.

  We are unable to take control of vehicles subject to finance or that are not registered to the person named on the writ. We can only take control of vehicles or other assets at the address/es we have issued a Notice of Enforcement.

• Should I send you details of places the debtor regularly goes to?

  Please don’t send us details of beauty salons, pubs or sports clubs the debtor goes to and don’t send us confidential information like their bank account details or passport.

  The writ only allows us to visit the enforcement address and take control of the debtor’s goods.

• When do you remove goods for sale?

  When removing goods for sale, we look at the value they are likely to achieve at auction, and must balance this against the cost of removal, any associated disbursements and the auctioneer’s fees, which will be deducted from the proceeds of sale.

  We will only remove goods for sale where they are likely to raise all or most of the debt due under the writ, plus enforcement fees.

• Are you a private company?

  Yes, we are a private limited company. Our High Court Enforcement Officers are authorised and regulated by the Lord Chancellor.

• What additional information about the defendant do you need from me to enforce my county court judgment (CCJ)?

  These simple details speed up the process and increase your chance of full recovery.

  • Contact name if a company
  • Contact telephone numbers, landline and mobiles
  • Email addresses
  • Asset details, vans, cars, stock supplied
  • Alternative trading addresses
  • Web pages/social media pages e.g. Facebook/LinkedIn/Instagram etc
  • Where goods were delivered
• I have a question that is not listed?

  You can call any member of our team who will be able to answer your question, no matter how trivial it may seem we are here to help. Contact us on 0151 236 4751.

• How soon will things happen after I instruct you to enforce my unpaid county court judgment (CCJ)?

  As soon as you instruct. The transfer process is only restricted by the speed of the court and is out of our control. On receipt of the Writ at the office, we will issue a notice of enforcement to the debtor. If the debtor does not pay after this notice, an enforcement agent will visit the debtor to take control of the debtor’s goods. They will then report to you direct, as to the action that has been taken.

• How will I know what is happening on my case to recover the debt by enforcing the county court judgment (CCJ)?

  We will update you throughout all the processes – this can be done speedily through email or written reports. This will include any offers made.

• What happens if I deal direct with the defendant after you have started enforcement under a writ of control?

  You will be liable for our full fees. We would ask you that once the enforcement process has started you refer the defendant to our office. Defendants can be known to try and interfere with the process and attempt to delay payment.

• What should I do if the defendant calls me directly after I have instructed HCE Group to enforce my county court judgment (CCJ)?

  The most practical answer is to refer them to us, tell them that the matter is being dealt with through the court and they need to contact the Officer.

• What if the debt that I have a county court judgment (CCJ) for cannot be recovered through enforcement?

  Should it be the case that the Writ cannot be executed, this can be for a variety of reasons – the defendant is insolvent, bankrupt, in liquidation or moved away and cannot be traced – a maximum fixed fee would be charged.

• What will it cost to enforce my county court judgment (CCJ) under a High Court writ of control?

  Her Majesty’s Courts & Tribunals Service (HMCTS) charges a fee to seal the writ. We do all the administration and complete all the forms with no charge to you. This fee is then added to the judgment as an execution cost.

• How do you collect your fees when enforcing a writ of control to satisfy a county court judgment (CCJ)?

  Our fees are incurred as the enforcement progresses through the various stages of enforcement. When part payment is recovered, the amount is shared between HCE Group and the judgment creditor.

• How do you get paid when enforcing a writ of control to recvoer a debt under a county court judgment (CCJ)?

  Our fees, which are specified in the Taking Control of Goods (Fees) Regulations 2014, are added to the judgment and the defendant pays..