CEA Limited: Which of Its Four Services Is This?

Updated August 29, 2026 How we produce this guidance

Company details

Type	Enforcement company
Registered name	Civil Enforcement Agents (CEA)

Key facts

Company number: 10525507, ECB accredited Oct 2023
Also listed by: High Court Enforcement Officers Association
Council tax: Not advertised on CEA's own site
HC fee scale: Two stages, £1,200 threshold, not £1,900

On this page 14 sections

Who are CEA?

Civil Enforcement Agents Limited, trading as CEA Limited, is registered at Companies House under company number 10525507, incorporated on 14 December 2016, with its registered office at 13 Fusion Court, Aberford Road, Garforth, Leeds, LS25 2GH. The firm has been accredited by the Enforcement Conduct Board since October 2023 and is listed by the High Court Enforcement Officers Association. Its own site does not name an individual High Court Enforcement Officer, so if your letter concerns a High Court writ, ask CEA directly which HCEO is authorising the case and check that name on the HCEOA's public register.

Are CEA bailiffs or debt collectors?

It depends which service is involved, which is the point of reading the letter carefully rather than the company name. Its personal and business debt recovery work is ordinary debt collection: no power to enter a property or take goods, and a county court judgment would first be needed. Its bailiff services, evictions and High Court writs, are enforcement in the proper sense, exercised under Schedule 12 of the Tribunals, Courts and Enforcement Act 2007 once a court has given the necessary authority. See bailiffs and debt collectors if you are unsure which applies to you.

What CEA does, by service line

Service	What it involves	Authority needed
Business debt recovery	Pre-judgment collection between businesses	None yet; ordinary debt collection
Personal debt recovery	Collection from an individual debtor	None yet, unless a judgment has been obtained
Bailiff services	High Court writs, squatter and traveller evictions, process serving	A writ of control, a possession order, or court permission
Security services	Manned guarding, mobile patrols, dog handlers	None; a commercial security contract

CEA's own site describes coverage across Leeds, Bradford, Barnsley, Huddersfield, Harrogate, Keighley, Wakefield and York, alongside wider operations in Manchester, Birmingham and London. Its site does not advertise council tax or Parking Charge Notice enforcement, which is a narrower focus than several other CIVEA and ECB-accredited firms; treat any claim that it holds a council tax case with appropriate care and ask CEA to confirm the specific authority relied on.

High Court enforcement at CEA

Where CEA is instructed on a High Court writ, the underlying debt is almost always a County Court Judgment transferred to the High Court. Under article 8 of the High Court and County Courts Jurisdiction Order 1991, a judgment under £600 can only be enforced in the County Court, and one of £5,000 or more must go to the High Court. A judgment on a Consumer Credit Act regulated agreement cannot be transferred up regardless of amount.

A stay of execution can be sought from the court under CPR rule 83.7 where paying now would be inexpedient or the debtor genuinely cannot pay, and CPR rule 83.2 requires the court's permission to issue a writ where six years or more have passed since judgment or a party has changed.

Evictions: a different process entirely

Traveller and squatter evictions are not debt enforcement and do not follow the Schedule 12 fee scale at all. They generally proceed under a possession order obtained through the civil courts, and the correct response to an eviction notice is to check the order itself with the court that granted it, not to treat it as a bailiff debt case.

Can CEA force entry?

For a High Court writ against a private home, not on a first visit. Entry must be peaceable, through a door you choose to open or one already unlocked. Paragraph 18A of Schedule 12 gives a wider power to enter business premises without permission where the debtor trades there and the debt is not a traffic contravention debt, and a broken controlled goods agreement can permit reasonable force on re-entry under paragraph 19A. See when bailiffs can force entry.

What High Court enforcement through CEA costs

High Court enforcement runs on a different fee scale from council tax and parking work, with two enforcement stages and a £1,200 percentage threshold rather than £1,900.

Stage	Fixed fee
Compliance	£79
First enforcement stage	£200 plus 7.5% of any sum above £1,200
Second enforcement stage	£520
Sale or disposal	£550 plus 7.5% of any sum above £1,200

These figures apply to writs taken on from 1 May 2026. An older writ may remain on the earlier High Court scale.

The Notice of Enforcement and your deadline

Before goods can be taken into control on an enforcement case, you must be given a Notice of Enforcement, giving at least 14 clear days under the rules from 1 May 2026. A recognised debt advice provider can request an extension to a minimum of 28 clear days unless the debt is a non-eligible business debt.

Goods and what is out of reach

Only goods belonging to the debtor can be taken into control. Regulation 4 exempts everyday clothing and bedding, essential household equipment, items needed for medical care, pets and assistance dogs, a vehicle displaying a valid disabled badge, and work tools and equipment up to £1,350 in aggregate. On business premises, goods belonging to a customer, supplier or separate business are not the debtor's to lose, though this usually needs paperwork to establish. See what bailiffs can take.

Disputing a CEA case

Where CEA is pursuing a business or personal debt, dispute it with CEA directly, since no court has yet ruled on it. Where CEA holds a judgment or writ, a dispute about the underlying debt belongs with the court that gave judgment, not with CEA, which has no power to vary it. Whichever applies, ask for a full breakdown of what is claimed and confirm in writing that the amount is disputed.

If you cannot afford to pay

Say so early, with figures. Free help preparing an income and expenditure position is available from National Debtline, StepChange and Citizens Advice, and a business facing High Court enforcement should also consider specialist insolvency advice given the scale such debts often involve.

Checking a CEA letter is genuine

Confirm which service is involved, debt recovery, a High Court writ, or an eviction, since each carries different rules and a different correct response. Use contact details obtained independently from CEA's own website rather than a number printed only on the letter, and ask CEA to name the authorising HCEO if the case is a High Court writ.

Complaining about CEA

First, CEA's own complaints procedure, with the date, reference and the specific issue.

Second, the underlying authority. For a debt recovery matter with no judgment, that is CEA itself; for a writ or possession order, it is the court.

Third, the oversight route. CEA has been accredited by the Enforcement Conduct Board since October 2023, so the ECB can consider a complaint about enforcement conduct once CEA's own process is exhausted. Conduct by a named HCEO can also be raised with the HCEOA.

What to do now

Identify which of CEA's services your letter concerns: debt recovery, a High Court writ, or an eviction.
If it is a writ, check the £600/£5,000 thresholds and ask CEA to name the authorising HCEO.
If it is a possession-based eviction, check the order with the issuing court rather than treating it as a debt case.
If the debt or judgment is wrong, raise it with the right authority above.
If it is right but unaffordable, prepare figures and propose a realistic arrangement.

How a Civil Enforcement Agents (CEA) debt could reach bailiffs

A debt collector cannot send bailiffs. Only a court can, and only after a judgment. These are the stages in between, and each one is easier to deal with than the one after it.

A collector asks you to pay

No court is involved yet. A debt collection agency has no enforcement powers at all, it cannot enter your home, take goods or add enforcement fees. This stage can last a long time.

What debt collectors can and cannot do
A County Court claim is issued

The creditor, or the company that bought the debt, asks the court to decide you owe the money. This is the stage where the deadlines start to matter, and where a defence such as limitation has to be raised.

Check whether the debt is too old to enforce
Judgment is entered (a CCJ)

If you do not respond in time, judgment is entered by default, without anyone examining whether the debt was correct. A CCJ stays on your credit file for six years.

How to check whether you have a CCJ
A warrant or writ of control is issued

An unpaid judgment can be enforced. This is the document that authorises enforcement agents to attend, and the point at which a debt collection matter becomes a bailiff matter.

What a warrant of control allows
Enforcement agents can attend you are here

Now there are real powers: peaceable entry, taking control of goods, and statutory fees of £79, £247 and £116 at defined stages. This is the stage the earlier ones exist to avoid.

What bailiffs can and cannot take

Which bailiffs would actually attend

That depends on the amount and on what kind of debt it is, and the rule is set by article 8 of the High Court and County Courts Jurisdiction Order 1991 rather than by the creditor's preference.

Under £600, the judgment can only be enforced in the county court, so county court bailiffs attend under a warrant of control.
£5,000 or more, and not a regulated credit agreement, it can only be enforced in the High Court, so High Court enforcement officers attend under a writ of control. They charge on a different and higher fee scale.
Anything else, including a regulated credit agreement of any size, may be enforced in either court.

Whether your agreement is regulated by the Consumer Credit Act 1974 changes which court can enforce it. Credit cards, loans, overdrafts and catalogue accounts usually are; council tax, traffic penalties and court fines are not, and those reach enforcement by a different route entirely.

If several debts are enforced together

This happens often, particularly where one company has bought several of your accounts, or where a council has more than one liability order against you. The enforcement agent is instructed on all of them at once and deals with them on the same visit.

The fees do not simply multiply, and this is where people are most often overcharged. Where the agent is instructed under more than one enforcement power against the same debtor, and those powers can reasonably be exercised at the same time, regulation 11 of the Taking Control of Goods (Fees) Regulations 2014 splits the treatment:

The £79 compliance fee may be charged for each enforcement power. Several of these is correct.
The £247 enforcement fee and the £116 sale fee may each be charged only once, however many debts are involved.

So three debts enforced together should cost three compliance fees and one enforcement fee, £484, rather than three separate lots of £326. If you have been charged an enforcement fee for each debt on a single visit, that is worth challenging in writing.

The saving depends on the debts genuinely being enforceable at the same time. Where an agent legitimately attends on separate occasions for unrelated matters, separate fees can apply, so it is worth checking the dates and references on the fee breakdown before challenging it.

Not sure which one is contacting you? How to tell from the paperwork

Frequently asked questions

Is CEA Limited legitimate?

Yes. Civil Enforcement Agents Limited, company number 10525507, has been accredited by the Enforcement Conduct Board since October 2023 and is listed by the High Court Enforcement Officers Association.

Does CEA enforce council tax?

Its own site does not advertise council tax or Parking Charge Notice work; it describes business and personal debt recovery, High Court writs, evictions and security services instead. Ask CEA to confirm the specific authority behind any council tax claim.

Can CEA force entry to my home?

Not on a first visit for an ordinary High Court writ against a private home. Entry must be peaceable. Business premises and a broken controlled goods agreement carry wider powers.

What does a High Court case through CEA cost?

The High Court scale: £79 compliance, £200 plus 7.5% over £1,200 at the first enforcement stage, £520 at a second stage, and £550 plus 7.5% over £1,200 if goods are sold.

Is a CEA eviction the same as a bailiff visit for debt?

No. Squatter and traveller evictions proceed under a possession order from the civil courts, not the Schedule 12 debt enforcement process, so the fee scale and rules above do not apply to them.

How long do I have after a CEA Notice of Enforcement?

At least 14 clear days under the rules in force from 1 May 2026, extendable to 28 clear days unless the debt is a non-eligible business debt on a timely request from a recognised debt advice provider.

Sources

Companies House register GOV.UK Checked 2026-08-13
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
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
Tribunals, Courts and Enforcement Act 2007, Schedule 12, paragraph 17 legislation.gov.uk
Where paragraph 18, 18A, 19 or 19A applies, an enforcement agent may if necessary use reasonable force to enter premises or to do anything for which the entry is authorised.
Checked 2026-08-17
Tribunals, Courts and Enforcement Act 2007, Schedule 12, paragraph 18A legislation.gov.uk
This paragraph applies if these conditions are met— (a) the enforcement agent has power to enter the premises under paragraph 14; (b) the enforcement agent reasonably believes that the debtor carries on a trade or business on the premises; (c) the enforcement agent is acting under a writ or warrant of control issued for the purpose of recovering a sum payable under a High Court or county court judgment; (d) the sum so payable is not a traffic contravention debt.
Checked 2026-08-17
Tribunals, Courts and Enforcement Act 2007, Schedule 12, paragraph 19A legislation.gov.uk
This paragraph applies if these conditions are met— (a) the enforcement agent has power to enter the premises under paragraph 16; (b) the enforcement agent has taken control of the goods by entering into a controlled goods agreement with the debtor; (c) the debtor has failed to comply with any provision of the controlled goods agreement.
Checked 2026-08-17
Taking Control of Goods Regulations 2013, regulation 4 legislation.gov.uk
items or equipment (for example, tools, books, telephones, computer equipment and vehicles) which are necessary for use personally by the debtor in the debtor's employment, business, trade, profession, study or education, except that in any case the aggregate value of the items or equipment to which this exemption is applied shall not exceed £1,350… assistance dogs (including guide dogs, hearing dogs and dogs for disabled persons), sheep dogs, guard dogs or domestic pets; a vehicle on which a valid disabled person's badge is displayed.
Checked 2026-08-17
Taking Control of Goods (Fees) Regulations 2014, Schedule 1 Table 2, as amended by SI 2026/366 legislation.gov.uk
Compliance stage £79.00 0%; First enforcement stage £200.00 7.5%; Second enforcement stage £520.00 0%; Sale or disposal stage £550.00 7.5% — percentage of sum to be recovered exceeding £1200.
Checked 2026-08-17
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
High Court and County Courts Jurisdiction Order 1991, article 8 (as amended) legislation.gov.uk
shall be enforced only in the High Court where the sum which it is sought to enforce is £5,000 or more; shall be enforced only in the County Court where the sum which it is sought to enforce is less than £600; in any other case may be enforced in either the High Court or the County Court. A judgment or order of the County Court for the payment of a sum of money in proceedings arising out of an agreement regulated by the Consumer Credit Act 1974 shall be enforced only in the County Court.
Checked 2026-08-17
Civil Procedure Rules, rule 83.2 (permission to issue certain writs or warrants) legislation.gov.uk
A relevant writ or warrant must not be issued without the permission of the court where— (a) six years or more have elapsed since the date of the judgment or order; (b) any change has taken place, whether by death or otherwise, in the parties— (i) entitled to enforce the judgment or order; or (ii) liable to have it enforced against them.
Checked 2026-08-17
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

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