How to Challenge a Bailiff Debt You Do Not Owe

Updated August 29, 2026 How we produce this guidance

Key facts

Wrong person: Agents may take only the debtor's goods
Traffic penalties: 21 days, on a prescribed form
Unknown judgment: Set aside, or statutory declaration
Council tax liability: Notice first, then a tribunal
Disputing it: Does not pause enforcement by itself

On this page 13 sections

This page is a router. Find the description that matches your situation, then follow it to the guide that sets out that route in full.

Work out who can actually change the answer

Four different bodies sit behind a typical enforcement case, and only one of them can give you what you want.

The enforcement agent and the firm carry out an instruction. They can correct their own fees, and they must stop if the power ends, but they cannot decide that the underlying debt is wrong.

The creditor, meaning the council, the court, the authority or the company owed the money, holds the instruction and can withdraw it. Most disputes about liability, amount or identity belong here first.

A court is the only body that can set aside a judgment, revoke an order or determine a dispute about the amount recoverable.

The Traffic Enforcement Centre at Northampton County Court handles orders registered for unpaid traffic and parking penalties, and its process runs on prescribed forms rather than correspondence.

Sending the right argument to the wrong body is the most common reason a genuine challenge fails. Sending it to the agent alone is the most common version of that mistake.

Enforcement does not pause because you have disputed it

Assume, unless you have something in writing that says otherwise, that fees continue to accrue and a visit can still happen while your challenge is considered.

There are two ways to change that. Ask the creditor in writing to place a hold on the account and to confirm the hold to the enforcement firm. Or, where the debt is enforced under a writ or warrant, apply to the court for a stay: CPR 83.7 allows the court to stay execution where it is satisfied that there are "special circumstances which render it inexpedient to enforce the judgment or order" or that the applicant "is unable from any reason to pay the money".

The traffic route is the exception worth knowing. Where a valid witness statement is filed in time, the county court order is deemed to have been revoked and the charge certificate deemed to have been cancelled, which ends the enforcement rather than pausing it.

The debt belongs to somebody else

An enforcement agent "may take control of goods only if they are goods of the debtor." That is paragraph 10 of Schedule 12, and it is the provision that protects a household from a stranger's debt.

Two situations are usually confused. If the letters name a person who does not live at your address, the debt is not yours and the answer is proof of who lives there. If the letters name you but relate to an account you never held, that is a disputed debt and the answer is a written request to the creditor for the documents behind it.

If goods that belong to you have already been removed for somebody else's debt, the deadline is short. Under CPR 85.4 a claim to controlled goods must be given in writing to the enforcement agent "as soon as practicable but in any event within 7 days of the goods being removed", listing each item and the grounds of the claim.

Full route: bailiffs chasing a debt that is not yours, and third party goods claims where goods have been taken.

The name or the address is wrong

A misspelled name on an otherwise correct account is a clerical matter, not a defence. A different person at your address, or your name attached to a property you never occupied, is a liability question and goes to the creditor's records.

Ask the creditor in writing for the address it used, the dates it holds you as liable, and copies of every notice it says it served. For council tax, ask for the billing address, the bill, the reminder, the final notice and the summons. A council that used an address it was legally entitled to use has not necessarily done anything wrong, but a change of address you notified and it did not action is evidence worth putting in writing.

Where court papers went to an address you had left, see statutory declarations and the sections below on judgments and fines.

You have already paid some or all of it

Paying is not the same as the enforcement agent knowing you paid.

Paragraph 59 of Schedule 12 provides that an agent is not liable for a step taken "unless he had notice, when the step was taken, that the amount outstanding had been paid in full", and that notice includes what they would have found out "if he had made reasonable enquiries." A payment sitting unprocessed at the council is not notice.

Send the proof to both the creditor and the firm on the same day, with dates, amounts and the reference used. Ask for a figure in writing for what remains, itemised between debt and fees, because a payment that clears the original balance does not necessarily clear the amount outstanding.

Where the payment was made before the stage was undertaken, regulation 17 of the Fees Regulations is the relevant provision: an agent "may not recover fees or disbursements from the debtor in relation to any stage of enforcement undertaken at a time when the relevant enforcement power has ceased to be exercisable."

For a traffic or parking penalty registered at the Traffic Enforcement Centre, "I have paid it" is one of the prescribed witness statement grounds rather than a letter, and it is dealt with in the traffic section below.

You dispute the council tax liability itself

This branch is distinct from disputing the liability order, and the two go to different places.

If the argument is that you were not the liable person, or that the amount was wrongly calculated, the route is a liability appeal. Section 16 of the Local Government Finance Act 1992 allows an appeal to a valuation tribunal by a person aggrieved by a decision that they are liable, or by a calculation of the amount. There is a precondition: you must first serve a written notice on the billing authority stating the matter and the grounds, and you may only appeal once the authority has told you it disagrees, has told you it has acted, or two months have passed with no answer.

If the argument is that a discount, exemption or reduction was missed, that is a recalculation request to the council rather than an appeal, and it is often faster.

If the argument is about the band the property sits in, that is the Valuation Office Agency, not the tribunal and not the council's recovery team.

If the argument is that the liability order itself should not have been made, including because the six year limit in regulation 34(3) had passed, see liability orders for the grounds that work and what to ask the council for. Our council tax bailiffs guide covers what happens to enforcement while any of this is going on.

You never received the notices

Non-receipt is a real argument, but which notice you did not receive decides everything about what to do with it.

If you did not receive a notice of enforcement, that goes to the enforcement firm and the creditor. Regulation 6 requires it to be given at least 14 clear days before goods are taken control of, and regulation 7 sets out what it must contain. If no compliant notice was given, the fees charged for that stage are in question and the point is made in writing, with a request for a copy of the notice and proof of how it was sent.

If you did not receive a court summons or a claim form, the notice you are challenging is the court's, and the routes are set out in the two sections below.

If you did not receive a penalty charge notice or an enforcement notice, that is the traffic route, on a prescribed form and against a deadline.

Where an agent has proceeded despite a defect, paragraph 66 of Schedule 12 gives the debtor a route: it applies where an agent "breaches a provision of this Schedule" or acts under an instrument "that is defective", and the court may order goods returned or damages paid.

A parking or traffic penalty you never had the chance to contest

This is the branch with the strictest deadlines and the most specific forms, and it is also the branch where a correct filing genuinely ends the enforcement.

Which form applies depends on who issued the penalty, not on where you live. A council penalty outside the London boroughs, and a parking charge inside one, uses form TE9; Dart Charge, Mersey Gateway and clean air zone charges use a different TE9; and a Transport for London Congestion Charge, LEZ or ULEZ penalty uses a statutory declaration on form PE3 instead. Late applications use TE7 or PE2 respectively.

For an English council penalty, regulation 23 of the 2022 Regulations sets both the deadline and the permitted grounds. The witness statement must be served on the county court that made the order within 21 days of notice of that order, or a longer period if allowed, and it must state one and only one of: that you did not receive the enforcement notice; that you made representations but received no notice of rejection; that you appealed to an adjudicator and did not receive a response, or it was undetermined when the charge certificate was served, or it was decided in your favour; or that you have paid the penalty charge.

The 21 day period applies equally to the statutory declaration route for London road user charging under regulation 19 of the 2001 Regulations.

Filing a false declaration is a criminal offence. Form PE3 carries the warning on its face.

Start at traffic and parking enforcement to identify your issuer, then go to the Traffic Enforcement Centre for what registration means and TE9 or PE3 for the form itself. If the penalty has not yet reached the court, appealing a PCN is the earlier and easier route.

A judgment or a fine made without your knowledge

Two entirely different systems, and people arrive using the wrong vocabulary for both.

A County Court judgment entered in default can be reopened. Under CPR 13.2 the court must set the judgment aside where it was wrongly entered, including where "the whole of the claim was satisfied before judgment was entered." Otherwise CPR 13.3 applies: the court may set it aside where the defendant "has a real prospect of successfully defending the claim" or there is "some other good reason", and it must have regard to whether the application was made promptly. Setting aside is not automatic and the application does not itself stop the bailiffs, which is why a stay is usually asked for at the same time. See setting aside a CCJ.

A magistrates' court fine is not set aside; it is voided by a statutory declaration. Under section 14 of the Magistrates' Courts Act 1980, where the accused declares that they "did not know of the summons or the proceedings until a date specified in the declaration" and serves the declaration on the designated officer within 21 days of that date, the summons and all subsequent proceedings "shall be void." See statutory declarations and magistrates' court fines.

The debt may be too old to enforce

Limitation is a real defence in the right case and a wasted argument in the wrong one, so treat it as one branch of this page rather than the answer to it.

Section 5 of the Limitation Act 1980 provides that an action founded on simple contract "shall not be brought after the expiration of six years from the date on which the cause of action accrued." Two things narrow that considerably. An acknowledgment restarts the clock, and under section 30 an acknowledgment must be "in writing and signed by the person making it". And the limit bites on bringing a claim, not on enforcing a judgment or order that already exists, so a debt already carrying a CCJ or a liability order is usually not answered by limitation at all.

Council tax has its own version rather than the Limitation Act. Regulation 34(3) provides that "no application may be instituted in respect of a sum after the period of six years beginning with the day on which it became due", which limits applying for a liability order, not enforcing one that was granted in time.

Full route: statute-barred debt.

The fees are wrong, even if the debt is right

This is a challenge to the amount recoverable rather than to the debt, and it has its own forum.

Ask the firm in writing for an itemised breakdown showing each stage charged and the date it was reached. Check the date the case was instructed before comparing anything, because the scale changed. For cases instructed on or after 1 May 2026 it is £79 at the compliance stage, £247 at the enforcement stage, and £116 at the sale or disposal stage, with a further 7.5% at the enforcement stage *and* at the sale stage on any sum to be recovered above £1,900. Cases instructed before that date run on the earlier, lower scale, so a bill that looks too high may simply be the older one, see bailiff fees for the figures that apply to each period. The most common errors are a stage fee where no visit took place, and later stage fees charged more than once across several debts held together.

If it is not resolved, regulation 16 of the Fees Regulations provides that on application in accordance with rules of court "any dispute regarding the amount recoverable under these Regulations is to be determined by the court."

Full route: challenging bailiff fees.

When the complaint is about the agent rather than the debt

Conduct and debt are separate arguments and separate destinations, and mixing them weakens both.

Where an agent has breached Schedule 12 or acted under a defective instrument, paragraph 66 allows the debtor to bring proceedings, and the court may "order goods to be returned to the debtor" or order damages for loss suffered. Where the complaint is about behaviour, the route is the firm's own process, then the creditor, then the Enforcement Conduct Board for a private firm.

See how to complain about a bailiff and bailiff compensation claims.

If none of these fit, or you cannot afford it either way

Two of these branches are frequently reached by people whose real problem is affordability rather than liability. If the debt is genuinely yours and the difficulty is paying it, the routes are set out in bailiff payment options.

Free, independent advice on any of the above is available from Citizens Advice, National Debtline, StepChange and MoneyHelper, at no charge.

Frequently asked questions

Can I refuse to pay a bailiff if the debt is not mine?

Refusing at the door does not resolve anything, because the agent cannot decide whether the debt is yours. An agent may take control only of goods of the debtor, so keep the door closed, give your name and confirm the named person does not live there if that is the case, and take the dispute to the creditor in writing the same day.

Who do I complain to about a debt I do not owe?

The creditor, not the enforcement firm, in almost every case. The council, court or authority that issued the debt holds the instruction and can withdraw it. The firm can only correct its own fees and must stop if the power ends.

Does disputing a bailiff debt stop enforcement?

Not by itself. Fees continue and a visit can still take place unless the creditor confirms a hold, a court grants a stay under CPR 83.7, or a valid traffic witness statement is filed, which revokes the order and cancels the charge certificate.

The bailiffs are enforcing a CCJ I never knew about. What do I do?

Apply to set the judgment aside. The court must set it aside where it was wrongly entered, and otherwise may do so where you have a real prospect of defending the claim or there is other good reason, having regard to whether you applied promptly. Ask for a stay of enforcement at the same time, because the application alone does not stop the warrant.

I never got the parking ticket. Is it too late?

Possibly not. For an English council penalty, a witness statement must be served on the county court within 21 days of notice of the order, or a longer period if the court allows, and "I did not receive the enforcement notice" is one of the permitted grounds. Form TE7, or PE2 for the statutory declaration regimes, asks for more time where the 21 days has passed.

Can I use the six year rule against council tax bailiffs?

Rarely. Regulation 34(3) limits the council to six years to apply for a liability order, counted from when the sum became due. It does not limit enforcement of an order that was granted inside that period, so once a liability order exists the argument usually falls away.

Can I challenge how much council tax I have been charged?

Yes, and the route depends on the argument. A dispute about whether you are the liable person, or about the calculation, is a section 16 appeal to a valuation tribunal, after a written notice to the billing authority and either its answer or two months of silence. A missed discount or exemption is a recalculation request to the council. A dispute about the band goes to the Valuation Office Agency.

The bailiff has added fees I do not recognise. Is that a separate challenge?

Yes, and it goes to a different place. Ask the firm for an itemised breakdown against the statutory scale first. If it is not resolved, any dispute about the amount recoverable is determined by the court on application under the Fees Regulations.

What if the enforcement agent has done something wrong?

Where an agent breaches Schedule 12 or acts under a defective instrument, the debtor may bring proceedings and the court may order goods returned or damages paid. Behaviour complaints go to the firm's own process first, then the creditor, then the Enforcement Conduct Board for a private firm.

Sources

Tribunals, Courts and Enforcement Act 2007, Schedule 12, paragraph 10 legislation.gov.uk
An enforcement agent may take control of goods only if they are goods of the debtor.
Checked 2026-08-17
Civil Procedure Rules, rule 85.4 (procedure for making a claim to controlled goods) legislation.gov.uk
Any person making a claim under paragraph 60(1) of Schedule 12 must, as soon as practicable but in any event within 7 days of the goods being removed under the exercise of an enforcement power, give notice in writing of their claim to the enforcement agent who has taken control of the goods ("the notice of claim to controlled goods") and must include in such notice— (a) their full name and address, and confirmation that such address is their address for service; (b) a list of all those goods in respect of which they make such a claim; and (c) the grounds of their claim in respect of each item. On receipt of a notice of claim to controlled goods which complies with paragraph (1) the enforcement agent must within 3 days give notice of such claim to— (a) the creditor; and (b) any other person making a claim to the controlled goods under paragraph (1) ("any other claimant to the controlled goods"). The creditor, and any other claimant to the controlled goods, must, within 7 days after receiving the notice of claim to controlled goods, give notice in writing to the enforcement agent informing them whether the claim to controlled goods is admitted or disputed in whole or in part. The enforcement agent must notify the claimant to the controlled goods in writing within 3 days of receiving the notice in paragraph (3) whether the claim to controlled goods is admitted or disputed in whole or in part. If an enforcement agent receives a notice from a creditor under paragraph (3) admitting a claim to controlled goods the following applies— (a) the enforcement power ceases to be exercisable in respect of such controlled goods; and (b) as soon as reasonably practicable the enforcement agent must make the goods available for collection by the claimant to controlled goods if they have been removed from where they were found.
Checked 2026-08-21
Tribunals, Courts and Enforcement Act 2007, Schedule 12, paragraph 59 (payment of amount outstanding) legislation.gov.uk
The enforcement agent is not liable unless he had notice, when the step was taken, that the amount outstanding had been paid in full… A person has notice that the amount outstanding has been paid in full if he would have found it out if he had made reasonable enquiries.
Checked 2026-08-22
Taking Control of Goods (Fees) Regulations 2014, regulation 17 (fees not recoverable once the power ceases) legislation.gov.uk
The enforcement agent may not recover fees or disbursements from the debtor in relation to any stage of enforcement undertaken at a time when the relevant enforcement power has ceased to be exercisable.
Checked 2026-08-22
Local Government Finance Act 1992, section 6 (persons liable — the hierarchy of liability) legislation.gov.uk
The person who is liable to pay council tax in respect of any chargeable dwelling and any day is the person who falls within the first paragraph of subsection (2) below to apply, taking paragraph (a) of that subsection first, paragraph (b) next, and so on. A person falls within this subsection in relation to any chargeable dwelling and any day if, on that day— (a) he is a resident of the dwelling and has a freehold interest in the whole or any part of it; (b) he is such a resident and has a leasehold interest in the whole or any part of the dwelling which is not inferior to another such interest held by another such resident; (c) he is both such a resident and a statutory, secure or introductory tenant of the whole or any part of the dwelling; (d) he is such a resident and has a contractual licence to occupy the whole or any part of the dwelling; (e) he is such a resident; or (f) he is the owner of the dwelling.
Checked 2026-08-22
Local Government Finance Act 1992, section 16 (appeals to a valuation tribunal on liability and calculation) legislation.gov.uk
A person may appeal to a valuation tribunal if he is aggrieved by— (a) any decision of a billing authority that a dwelling is a chargeable dwelling, or that he is liable to pay council tax in respect of such a dwelling; or (b) any calculation made by such an authority of an amount which he is liable to pay to the authority in respect of council tax. No appeal may be made under subsection (1) above unless— (a) the aggrieved person serves a written notice under this subsection; and (b) one of the conditions mentioned in subsection (7) below is fulfilled. A notice under subsection (4) above must be served on the billing authority concerned. A notice under subsection (4) above must state the matter by which and the grounds on which the person is aggrieved. The conditions are that— (a) the aggrieved person is notified in writing, by the authority on which he served the notice, that the authority believes the grievance is not well founded, but the person is still aggrieved; (b) the aggrieved person is notified in writing, by the authority on which he served the notice, that steps have been taken to deal with the grievance, but the person is still aggrieved; (c) the period of two months, beginning with the date of service of the aggrieved person's notice, has ended without his being notified under paragraph (a) or (b) above.
Checked 2026-08-23
Council Tax (Administration and Enforcement) Regulations 1992, regulation 34(3) legislation.gov.uk
no application may be instituted in respect of a sum after the period of six years beginning with the day on which it became due
Checked 2026-08-13
Taking Control of Goods Regulations 2013, regulation 6, as amended by SI 2026/366 legislation.gov.uk
notice of enforcement must be given to the debtor not less than 14 clear days before the enforcement agent takes control of the debtor's goods. Where, before the expiration of the period of notice indicated in the notice of enforcement, a request is submitted by a debt advice provider on behalf of the debtor, the minimum period of notice referred to in paragraph (1) must be extended to a minimum of 28 clear days before the enforcement agent takes control of the goods. The extension under paragraph (1A) does not apply where the debt is non-eligible business debt. Where the period referred to in paragraph (1) or (1A) includes a Sunday, bank holiday, Good Friday or Christmas Day that day does not count in calculating the period.
Checked 2026-08-17
Taking Control of Goods Regulations 2013, regulation 7 (form and contents of notice) legislation.gov.uk
Notice of enforcement must be given in writing, and must contain the following information— (a) the name and address of the debtor; (b) the reference number or numbers; (c) the date of notice; (d) details of the court judgment or order or enforcement power by virtue of which the debt is enforceable against the debtor; (e) the following information about the debt— (i) sufficient details of the debt to enable the debtor to identify the debt correctly; (ii) the amount of the debt including any interest due as at the date of the notice; (iii) the amount of any enforcement costs incurred up to the date of notice; and (iv) the possible additional costs of enforcement if the sum outstanding should remain unpaid… (f) how and between which hours and on which days payment of the sum outstanding may be made; (g) a contact telephone number and address… (h) the date and time by which the sum outstanding must be paid to prevent goods of the debtor being taken control of and sold… (i) the availability of free advice from a debt advice provider and the contact details for such providers; and (j) the possibility of obtaining an extension of the minimum notice period under regulation 6(1A).
Checked 2026-08-17
Tribunals, Courts and Enforcement Act 2007, Schedule 12, paragraph 66 (remedies available to the debtor) legislation.gov.uk
This paragraph applies where an enforcement agent— (a) breaches a provision of this Schedule, or (b) acts under an enforcement power under a writ, warrant, liability order or other instrument that is defective. The breach or defect does not make the enforcement agent, or a person he is acting for, a trespasser. But the debtor may bring proceedings under this paragraph. Subject to rules of court, the proceedings may be brought— (a) in the High Court, in relation to an enforcement power under a writ of the High Court; (b) in the county court, in relation to an enforcement power under a warrant issued by the county court; (c) in any other case, in the High Court or the county court. In the proceedings the court may— (a) order goods to be returned to the debtor; (b) order the enforcement agent or a related party to pay damages in respect of loss suffered by the debtor as a result of the breach or of anything done under the defective instrument. A related party is either of the following (if different from the enforcement agent)— (a) the person on whom the enforcement power is conferred, (b) the creditor. Sub-paragraph (5)(b) does not apply where the enforcement agent acted in the reasonable belief— (a) that he was not breaching a provision of this Schedule, or (b) (as the case may be) that the instrument was not defective.
Checked 2026-08-21
Civil Enforcement of Road Traffic Contraventions (England) General Regulations 2022, regulation 23 (invalid notices — witness statement within 21 days) legislation.gov.uk
This regulation applies where— (a) a county court makes an order under regulation 22, (b) the person against whom it is made ("P") makes a witness statement complying with paragraph (2), and (c) that statement is served on the county court which made the order, before the end of— (i) the period of 21 days, beginning with the date on which notice of the county court's order is served on P, or (ii) such longer period as may be allowed under paragraph (4). A witness statement must state one and only one of the following— (a) that P did not receive the enforcement notice; (b) that P made representations to the enforcement authority under regulation 5 of the 2022 Appeals Regulations but a notice of rejection was not received from that authority in accordance with regulation 6 of those Regulations; (c) that P appealed to an adjudicator under regulation 7 of those Regulations against the rejection by the enforcement authority of representations made under regulation 5 of those Regulations but— (i) P did not receive a response to the appeal, (ii) the appeal had not been determined by the time the charge certificate was served, or (iii) the appeal was determined in P's favour; (d) that P has paid the penalty charge to which the charge certificate relates. Where this regulation applies— (a) the order made under regulation 22 is deemed to have been revoked, (b) the charge certificate is deemed to have been cancelled, (c) in the case of a witness statement including a statement under paragraph (2)(a), the enforcement notice to which the charge certificate relates is deemed to have been cancelled, and (d) the district judge must serve written notice of the effect of this regulation on P and on the enforcement authority concerned. Service of a witness statement including a statement under paragraph (2)(a) does not prevent the enforcement authority from serving a fresh enforcement notice.
Checked 2026-08-21
Road User Charging (Enforcement and Adjudication) (London) Regulations 2001, regulation 19 (invalid notices — statutory declaration within 21 days; Congestion Charge/LEZ/ULEZ) legislation.gov.uk
(b) the person against whom it is made makes a statutory declaration complying with paragraph (2); and (c) that declaration is, before the end of the period of 21 days beginning with the date on which notice of the county court's order is served on him, served on the county court which made the order.
Checked 2026-08-21
Practice Direction 75 — Traffic Enforcement, paragraphs 5.1-5.2 (statutory declaration vs witness statement; forms PE2/PE3/TE7/TE9) Ministry of Justice (Civil Procedure Rules)
a completed application notice (form PE2 (Application to File a Statutory Declaration Out of Time) may be used for applications relating to statutory declarations and form TE7 may be used for applications relating to witness statements); and (2) a completed— (a) statutory declaration in form PE3 (Statutory Declaration – unpaid penalty charge); or (b) witness statement in form TE9.
Checked 2026-08-21
Form TE9: witness statement — traffic enforcement order outside London boroughs, or a parking charge in a London borough HM Courts and Tribunals Service
Use this form to challenge a traffic enforcement order outside London boroughs or a parking charge in a London borough.
Checked 2026-08-21
Form TE7: apply for more time — traffic enforcement order outside London boroughs, or a parking charge in a London borough HM Courts and Tribunals Service
Use this form to ask for more time to challenge a court order ('order of recovery') for traffic enforcement charges outside London boroughs, or a parking charge in a London borough.
Checked 2026-08-21
Form TE9: witness statement — unpaid penalty charge (Dart Charge, Mersey Gateway, clean air zones) HM Courts and Tribunals Service
Use this form to challenge a court order ('order of recovery') for Dart Charge, Mersey Gateway crossing or clean air zone charges.
Checked 2026-08-21
Form TE7: application for more time to challenge a traffic enforcement order (Dart Charge, Mersey Gateway, clean air zones) HM Courts and Tribunals Service
Use this form to ask for more time to challenge a court order ('order of recovery'), for Dart Charge, Mersey Gateway crossing or a clean air zone charges.
Checked 2026-08-21
Form PE3: statutory declaration, unpaid penalty charge (TfL Congestion Charge/LEZ/ULEZ and other statutory-declaration regimes under PD 75 para 5.1(1)) HM Courts and Tribunals Service
I did not receive the Notice to Owner / Enforcement Notice / Penalty Charge Notice… I made representations about the penalty charge to the local authority concerned within 28 days of the service of the Notice to Owner / Enforcement Notice / Penalty Charge Notice, but did not receive a rejection notice. I appealed to the Parking / Traffic Adjudicator within 28 days of service of the rejection notice, but have had no response to my appeal… Important: Filing a false declaration knowingly and wilfully is a criminal offence under Section 5 of the Perjury Act 1911 and you may be imprisoned for up to 2 years or fined or both.
Checked 2026-08-17
Form PE2: application to file a statutory declaration out of time (statutory-declaration regimes: TfL Congestion Charge/LEZ/ULEZ and PD 75 para 5.1(1)) HM Courts and Tribunals Service
Application to file a statutory declaration out of time
Checked 2026-08-17
Civil Procedure Rules, rule 13.2 (cases where the court must set aside a default judgment) legislation.gov.uk
The court must set aside a judgment entered under Part 12 if judgment was wrongly entered because— (a) in the case of a judgment in default of an acknowledgment of service, any of the conditions in rule 12.3(1) and 12.3(3) was not satisfied; (b) in the case of a judgment in default of a defence, any of the conditions in rule 12.3(2) and 12.3(3) was not satisfied; or (c) the whole of the claim was satisfied before judgment was entered.
Checked 2026-08-22
Civil Procedure Rules, rule 13.3 (cases where the court may set aside or vary a default judgment — real prospect or other good reason; promptness) legislation.gov.uk
In any other case, the court may set aside or vary a judgment entered under Part 12 if— (a) the defendant has a real prospect of successfully defending the claim; or (b) it appears to the court that there is some other good reason why— (i) the judgment should be set aside or varied; or (ii) the defendant should be allowed to defend the claim. In considering whether to set aside or vary a judgment entered under Part 12, the matters to which the court must have regard include whether the person seeking to set aside the judgment made an application to do so promptly.
Checked 2026-08-22
Magistrates' Courts Act 1980, section 14 (statutory declaration — proceedings void where accused did not know of them; 21 days, extendable) legislation.gov.uk
Where a summons has been issued under section 1 above and a magistrates' court has begun to try the information to which the summons relates, then, if— (a) the accused, at any time during or after the trial, makes a statutory declaration that he did not know of the summons or the proceedings until a date specified in the declaration, being a date after the court has begun to try the information; and (b) within 21 days of that date the declaration is served on the designated officer for the court, without prejudice to the validity of the information, the summons and all subsequent proceedings shall be void.
Checked 2026-08-22
Limitation Act 1980, section 5 legislation.gov.uk
An action founded on simple contract shall not be brought after the expiration of six years from the date on which the cause of action accrued.
Checked 2026-08-13
Limitation Act 1980, section 30 legislation.gov.uk
To be effective for the purposes of section 29 of this Act, an acknowledgment must be in writing and signed by the person making it.
Checked 2026-08-13
Taking Control of Goods (Fees) Regulations 2014, Schedule 1 Table 1, as amended by SI 2026/366 legislation.gov.uk
Compliance stage £79.00 0%; Enforcement stage £247.00 7.5%; Sale or disposal stage £116.00 7.5% — percentage of sum to be recovered exceeding £1900.
Checked 2026-08-17
Taking Control of Goods (Fees) Regulations 2014, regulation 16 (disputes about fees) legislation.gov.uk
Upon application in accordance with rules of court, any dispute regarding the amount recoverable under these Regulations is to be determined by the court.
Checked 2026-08-22
Civil Procedure Rules, rule 83.7 (writs of control and warrants — power to stay execution or grant other relief) legislation.gov.uk
the debtor or other party liable to execution of a writ of control or a warrant may apply to the court for a stay of execution… Where the application for a stay of execution is made on the grounds of the applicant's inability to pay, the witness statement required by paragraph (6)(b) must disclose the debtor's means. If the court is satisfied that— (a) there are special circumstances which render it inexpedient to enforce the judgment or order; or (b) the applicant is unable from any reason to pay the money, then… the court may by order stay the execution of the judgment or order, either absolutely or for such period and subject to such conditions as the court thinks fit.
Checked 2026-08-17
Enforcement Conduct Board Enforcement Conduct Board
independent oversight of the enforcement industry (bailiffs) to ensure that all those who are subject to enforcement action in England & Wales are fairly treated.
Checked 2026-08-17

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Not sure where you stand?

Tell us what has happened and we will work out what your options actually are: which stage you are at, what the fees should be, and what can still be challenged.

We tell you if an independent service is the better route
Initial advice is free and there is no obligation
Specialists in enforcement, not general debt advice

Get help with your situation

Prefer to talk?

0161 826 1292

Initial advice is free and confidential

Or ask us to call you back