This page covers enforcement agents (bailiffs) in England and Wales. The rules are different in Scotland and Northern Ireland.
The full picture of what agents can and cannot take is on the what can bailiffs take page. This article focuses on what happens to the case and the costs when little or nothing is available.
Why an agent may find nothing to take
Three rules narrow down what an enforcement agent can lawfully take control of, and together they often leave very little in a household.
- Protected goods cannot be taken. These include beds, bedding, a cooker, fridge, washing machine, heating, a telephone, clothing, items needed to care for a child, and work equipment worth up to £1,350 in total.
- Goods belonging to someone else cannot be taken. Only goods in which the debtor has an interest are available. A partner’s belongings, a landlord’s furniture, and goods on hire purchase or rental are not the debtor’s goods.
- Goods that would not raise enough to cover the cost of removal and sale are not normally removed. Official guidance to creditors confirms that agents will only remove goods if they think they will make enough to pay something towards the debt after those costs.
For many households, what remains after those filters is second-hand furniture and older electrical items. Official guidance notes that agents will not usually take such items if they are not likely to fetch very much at auction.
What the agent does at the visit
An agent who enters and finds nothing they can take will usually ask for payment on the spot or discuss an arrangement. They cannot list protected goods in a controlled goods agreement, because an agreement can only cover goods that could lawfully be taken.
The visit itself still has a cost. With a car or without one, for most debts £79 is added when the notice is sent and £247 on the first visit. The £247 enforcement stage fee applies from the first attendance whether or not anything is found and whether or not anyone answers the door.
Fees apply even when nothing is taken
Goods are taken away in a small share of cases: 2,624 of almost 3.7 million in January to June 2025, most often a clamped vehicle. What happens far more often, with a car or without one, is cost. Of the cases that ended in payment in that period, 64% were paid at the enforcement stage or later, after an agent’s first visit had added the larger fee. The average fee collected on a case paid in full was £201, on the lower fees then in force.
What happens to the debt after the visit
When an agent cannot recover anything, the case is returned to the creditor. For a county court warrant, official guidance states plainly that if there are no goods, the agent will not be able to take any more action on the warrant.
The debt itself is not cancelled. It goes back to the creditor, who has other ways to collect it.
| Type of debt | What the creditor can turn to instead |
|---|---|
| Council tax | Deductions from wages or certain benefits, a charging order on a property where at least £1,000 is owed, bankruptcy where at least £5,000 is owed, and in England only, asking a court to consider prison. |
| Magistrates’ court fine | Deductions from earnings or benefits, a clamping order on a vehicle, or a means inquiry hearing at which the court examines ability to pay. |
| County court or High Court judgment | An attachment of earnings order, an order freezing money in a bank account, or a charging order on a property. |
| Parking or traffic penalty | The warrant lasts 12 months. The authority decides whether to pursue the penalty further. |
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The position where there is a vehicle outside
A household may have nothing inside that an agent can take but still own a car. A vehicle on a drive or a public road can be clamped without anyone opening the door, and it must remain where it is for at least two hours before it can be removed. With a car or without one, for most debts £79 is added when the notice is sent and £247 on the first visit.
The rules on vehicles are covered in detail on the can bailiffs take a car page.
Can the agent come back?
Once an agent has entered and found nothing sufficient to take, regulation 24 of the Taking Control of Goods Regulations 2013 limits when they can return. A further entry is allowed only where the agent has reason to believe that more of the debtor’s goods have been brought onto the premises since the last entry, or where something could not be taken the first time because it was in use and taking it was likely to cause a breach of the peace.
Separately, the power to take control of goods runs for 12 months from the Notice of Enforcement. More on that time limit is on the how long can bailiffs chase a debt page.
Nothing stops a creditor instructing an enforcement firm again while its underlying order is still valid. A new instruction means a new Notice of Enforcement and a new notice period, with new fees from the notice stage. The £79 compliance fee is applied again on each new instruction.
Options that may pause enforcement
A Breathing Space moratorium pauses most enforcement action for 60 days while a person gets debt advice. Court fines are excluded from Breathing Space. A county court warrant of control can be suspended by an application to the court using Form N245. What pauses enforcement and what does not is covered on the how to stop bailiffs page.
Will bailiffs give up if I have nothing for them to take?
An agent who cannot recover anything returns the case to the creditor, and the agent’s involvement under that instruction ends. The debt itself is not cancelled. It goes back to the creditor, who has other ways to collect it.
Do bailiffs still charge fees if they take nothing?
The £79 compliance fee is added when the Notice of Enforcement is sent and the £247 enforcement stage fee on the first visit, whether or not goods are found and whether or not anyone answers the door.
Can I keep bailiffs out by not answering the door if I have nothing to take?
For most debts an agent cannot force entry on a first visit, so a closed door is within the rules. A closed door does not stop the costs. For most debts the £247 enforcement stage fee is added from the first visit whether or not anyone answers, and a vehicle outside can still be clamped.
Can bailiffs take benefits or wages if there are no goods?
No. An enforcement agent takes control of goods. Deductions from wages or benefits are separate orders that a council, court or other authority can seek through different proceedings.
Can a creditor send bailiffs again after they found nothing?
Nothing prevents a creditor instructing an enforcement firm again while its underlying order remains valid. A new instruction starts the process again from the Notice of Enforcement, with the £79 compliance fee applied to the new notice.
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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
- Taking Control of Goods Regulations 2013, regulation 4 (exempt goods)
- Taking Control of Goods Regulations 2013, regulation 24 (restrictions on repeated entry)
- Taking Control of Goods (Fees) Regulations 2014, Schedule (fee tables)
- Enforcement Conduct Board: Insight Report 2026 (data for January to June 2025)
- GOV.UK: Apply for a warrant of control
- GOV.UK: Bailiff powers when they visit your home