What a bailiff can and can't do?

If a person fails to settle a debt, as a last resort a court can send a bailiff in to seize the debtor's possessions. Generally bailiffs cannot break into domestic premises. Bailiffs acting on behalf of the Inland Revenue or Customs and Excise can get permission to break into a home, but other bailiffs have to gain what is called 'peaceful' entry.

This means that if required they can climb over a fence or gate, go in through an unlocked door or climb in through an open window. All bailiffs can break into non-domestic premises (that is premises with no living accommodation), which include not only commercial property but also garages and sheds not attached to a house. In this section we have outlined the following points:

• Different Types of Bailiff and Types of Debt they collect
• The Bailiffs Rights of Entry
• The Goods the Bailiff Can or Cannot Seize
• Costs and Fees
• The Payment Arrangements
• Ask for the Bailiff not to be Used
• Refusing Entry
• Complaints.