Bailiff Support Team is not affiliated with DCBL (Direct Collection Bailiffs) and this page is not their official website. It describes the rules that apply to any enforcement agent in England and Wales.
- On the ECB register
- Yesaccredited since October 2023
- Notice before a first visit
- 14 clear daysrequired by law
- Forced entry to a home
- Noon a first visit
- First enforcement stage fee
- £200set by regulations
Who DCBL are
DCBL stands for Direct Collection Bailiffs Limited, based in Runcorn, Cheshire. Its website describes two different lines of work: High Court enforcement, and letter-driven debt recovery, where it calls itself the largest parking enforcement debt recovery company in the UK and announces a partnership with the car park operator Parkingeye.
It describes DCB Legal, a law firm regulated by the Solicitors Regulation Authority, as its sister company. Its website also refers to the television programme “Can’t Pay? We’ll Take It Away!”.
The Enforcement Conduct Board lists Direct Collection Bailiffs limited (DCBL) at Direct House, Greenwood Drive, Manor Park, Runcorn, WA7 1UG.
Is a DCBL letter genuine?
DCBL (Direct Collection Bailiffs) is a real company. That does not make every message carrying its name real. HM Courts and Tribunals Service has warned about fraudsters who pose as enforcement agents and ask for payment by bank transfer.
- Contact details on a letter or text can be checked against the company’s own website, dcbltd.com, before they are used.
- A genuine Notice of Enforcement is in writing. It names the creditor, identifies the debt, gives a reference number and sets out the amount and the fees.
- An individual agent can be looked up on the Certificated Enforcement Agent Register.
- The creditor named on the notice, such as the council or the court, can confirm whether it has passed a debt to the company.
How to check a bailiff is genuine
What DCBL collects
Two different roles
When DCBL enforces a High Court writ, its agents have enforcement powers. When it writes about a private parking charge or another debt that has not been to court, it is acting as a debt collector and has none. Bailiff or debt collector: how to tell
What DCBL agents can and cannot do
DCBL’s agents have exactly the powers the law gives every enforcement agent in England and Wales, and no others.
The rules allow them to
- Visit between 6am and 9pm on any day, after a Notice of Enforcement that gave at least 14 clear days.
- Come into a home through an unlocked door, or if someone lets them in.
- Take control of goods and vehicles that belong to the person named on the order.
- Use reasonable force to enter business premises when enforcing a High Court writ.
- Add the statutory fees.
The rules do not allow them to
- Force entry to a home on a first visit.
- Come in when the only person present is a child under 16 or a vulnerable person.
- Take protected household items, or work equipment worth up to £1,350 in total.
- Take goods that belong to someone else.
- Refuse to show identification and their authority when asked.
What bailiffs can and cannot do
Rather talk it through with someone? Request a call
The fees DCBL can add
Under a High Court writ the scale is £79 at the notice stage, £200 for the first enforcement stage, £520 for the second and £550 for the sale stage, with 7.5% of the amount over £1,200 added at two of those stages.
These figures are set by regulations and are the same whichever company is instructed. They rose on 1 May 2026. Work out the fees on a debt
Contacting DCBL
| Published details | |
|---|---|
| Office | 0203 434 0423 |
| 24-hour automated payment line | 01302 238353 |
| Website | dcbltd.com |
| Address on the ECB register | Direct House, Greenwood Drive, Manor Park, Runcorn, WA7 1UG |
Bailiff Support Team is not DCBL and cannot take payments or discuss a case on its behalf.
Complaining about DCBL
To DCBL
Every accredited firm has to have a complaints procedure. DCBL’s is available from the company.
To the creditor
The creditor who obtained the writ instructed the enforcement and remains responsible for it.
To the Enforcement Conduct Board
Because DCBL is accredited, a complaint that the firm has not resolved can go to the Board. Its time limit is 3 months from the incident, or 1 month from the firm’s final response.
How to complain about a bailiff
When the debt cannot be paid in full
- An enforcement firm can agree a payment arrangement. It does not have to.
- The creditor can take a case back, for example where someone is vulnerable.
- A debt advice provider can ask for the notice period to be extended to 28 clear days, if it asks before the first 14 run out.
- Breathing Space, arranged through a debt adviser, pauses enforcement of the debts it covers for people who qualify.
Which of these fits is a question for a debt adviser. The ways enforcement can be paused or ended
Common questions
Is DCBL a real bailiff company?
Yes. Direct Collection Bailiffs limited (DCBL) appears on the Enforcement Conduct Board’s register of accredited firms, with accreditation dating from October 2023. That confirms the company exists. It does not confirm that a particular letter, text or call is really from it.
Can DCBL force entry?
Not to a home on a first visit. Under a High Court writ, reasonable force can be used to enter business premises. A closed door does not stop the fees being added, and a vehicle outside can still be clamped.
Are DCBL agents High Court enforcement officers?
High Court writs are directed to an authorised High Court enforcement officer, and enforcement agents working under that officer carry out visits. Authorised officers are listed in the directory kept by the High Court Enforcement Officers Association.
What happens if a DCBL letter is ignored?
The same as with any enforcement firm. Once the notice period has passed an agent can visit, and the £200 first enforcement stage fee is added on the first attendance whether or not anyone answers. Goods outside the home, such as a vehicle, can be taken into control.
What time can DCBL bailiffs visit?
Between 6am and 9pm, on any day of the week. Those hours are set by regulations and apply to every enforcement company.
Is a DCBL letter about a parking charge from a bailiff?
Not necessarily. DCBL also works as a debt recovery company for private parking operators. A letter about a private parking charge that does not mention a court judgment or a writ is a debt collection letter, and a debt collector has no power to enter a home or take goods.
Want to talk it through with someone?
Tell us where things are up to and one of our team will call to talk it through. A debt adviser then explains the options. There is no obligation to go any further.
Speak to someone now on 0161 660 0876
We do not charge for speaking to you. If you choose a debt solution, you are referred to one of our trusted debt solution providers, and we receive a fee if you enter into an agreement with one of them. A debt solution may have fees, which are explained before anything is agreed.
Free debt advice is available
These organisations give free, impartial debt advice and are independent of Bailiff Support Team. Nobody has to use a paid or commercial service to get help with their debts, and using one of the free services does not reduce the options available. Their advisers can also ask an enforcement firm to extend a notice period or apply for Breathing Space where it fits.
- MoneyHelperGovernment-backed. Finds a free debt adviser nearby or online.
- StepChange Debt CharityFree debt advice online and by phone.
- Citizens AdviceDetailed help with bailiffs, online and in person.
- National DebtlineFree advice and sample letters, run by the Money Advice Trust.
Sources
- Enforcement Conduct Board: Accredited Firms Register
- DCBL: company website and contact page
- Tribunals, Courts and Enforcement Act 2007, Schedule 12
- Taking Control of Goods (Fees) Regulations 2014, Schedule (fee tables)
- HM Courts & Tribunals Service: Guidance on bailiff and enforcement officer scam
- Enforcement Conduct Board: Making a complaint