Bexley Council Tax Bailiffs: Equita, Ross & Roberts, and What Happens Next

The two firms Bexley names

Bexley's own recovery pages name the two enforcement companies it instructs for unpaid council tax: Equita and Ross & Roberts. A letter about a Bexley council tax debt should therefore come from one of those two, and the firm's name on the notice tells you which profile to read for what that particular company can and cannot do. Ross & Roberts is a firm seen far less often in London than Equita, so its name on an envelope is not a reason to doubt the letter is genuine.

The window for arranging with Bexley closes at referral

The most consequential line on Bexley's page is easy to miss: once a debt has been passed to the enforcement agents, the council says it will no longer be able to set up a payment arrangement with you for that debt. In other words, the chance to spread the arrears directly with Bexley exists before referral, on 0345 302 2317, and mostly disappears afterwards, when terms have to be agreed with Equita or Ross & Roberts instead. If a summons or final notice has arrived, that phone call is worth making promptly.

Vulnerable cases come back to the council

Bexley's page states that if the enforcement agents identify customers who, because of their circumstances, may be seen as vulnerable, they will return the case to the council. That only works if the vulnerability is visible, so telling both the firm and Bexley about serious illness, disability, or other difficult circumstances, in writing where you can, gives the return route a chance to operate. It does not erase the debt, but it moves the account away from doorstep enforcement.

Charging orders go to named solicitors

Unusually, Bexley also names the law firms it uses when it secures larger debts against property: charging-order work is handled by Wilkin Chapman on 01472 262773 and Ward Hadaway on 0191 201 4000. If correspondence arrives from either firm about council tax, it is part of Bexley's recovery process rather than a scam, though at that stage independent advice becomes especially important.

Costs, fees, and where to check them

Bexley's page does not publish an exact summons cost, so this page will not invent one: court costs are added when a case goes to the magistrates, and the amount should appear on the summons itself. Once Equita or Ross & Roberts is instructed, the nationally set enforcement fee stages apply on top, and our council tax bailiffs guide explains each stage and when it can be charged. Complaints about the council go through Bexley's own procedure and then the Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman; complaints about either firm's conduct can also go to the Enforcement Conduct Board.