Equivo: Enforcement, High Court Writs and Car Finance Recovery

The enforcement side runs under the same statutory framework as any other certificated enforcement firm. Motor finance is a separate area of law with its own, quite different, rules on repossession.

Read the letter before assuming which applies. A writ reference, a court name and a judgment amount point to enforcement. A vehicle registration, an agreement number and a finance company's name point to motor finance recovery.

Who are Equivo?

Equivo operate from London and Bracknell and are accredited by CIVEA, the Enforcement Conduct Board since October 2023, and hold membership of the High Court Enforcement Officers Association, which allows the firm to act under a High Court Enforcement Officer's authority as well as through certificated enforcement agents.

That combination, certificated agent status plus HCEO authority, is what lets Equivo take on both county court and High Court enforcement work under the same statutory scheme, Schedule 12 of the Tribunals, Courts and Enforcement Act 2007. The motor finance side of the business sits outside that scheme entirely, which is the point worth understanding before anything else on this page.

Are Equivo bailiffs or debt collectors?

For the enforcement side of the business, enforcement agents, acting either as certificated agents or under a High Court Enforcement Officer's authority depending on where the underlying judgment sits. A debt collection agency cannot enter a property, cannot remove goods and has no authority beyond asking for payment.

For the motor finance side, Equivo are acting as an agent of the finance company, recovering a vehicle the finance company still owns under the credit agreement, rather than enforcing a court judgment. The powers, and the limits on those powers, come from consumer credit law rather than from the enforcement rules described further down this page.

If you are unsure which kind of contact you have received, our guide to bailiffs and debt collectors explains how to tell from the document itself.

Which County Court judgments reach a High Court writ of control?

A money judgment does not automatically become High Court work simply because the debt is large. Article 8 of the High Court and County Courts Jurisdiction Order 1991, as amended, sets the threshold:

That last row matters if a large debt has still reached Equivo through a High Court writ. A judgment from a regulated credit agreement stays in the County Court whatever the amount, so it is worth checking the origin of the judgment if that seems to have happened. Our High Court enforcement officers guide covers the writ of control process in full.

Possession and eviction work

Equivo's own caseload includes writs of possession, which enforce a court order for someone to give up land or premises rather than pay money. This is a different legal process from taking control of goods: it does not follow the fee scale below, does not follow the same entry rules, and a document headed writ of possession should be treated as outside the rest of this page's guidance on fees and force entry. If that is what you have received, get advice specific to possession proceedings.

What each High Court enforcement stage costs

For a writ of control, fees follow the High Court scale, which is different from the scale used for county-court-only enforcement.

These figures apply to instructions taken on from 1 May 2026. An older writ may still sit on the earlier scale. Note the £1,200 percentage threshold here, lower than the £1,900 used for ordinary county-court enforcement.

If Equivo hold more than one enforcement power against you

Regulation 11 of the Taking Control of Goods (Fees) Regulations 2014 allows the £79 compliance fee to be charged once for each enforcement power, but the first enforcement stage fee and the sale fee may only be charged once where the debts can reasonably be enforced together. A separate full enforcement-stage fee for each of several writs enforced on the same visit is worth querying in writing.

Can Equivo force entry?

Not for an ordinary writ of control at a private home, on a first visit. Entry has to be peaceable, through a door you choose to open or one that is already unlocked. There is no penalty for leaving a door closed.

Two narrow paragraphs of Schedule 12 change that. Where the debtor carries on a trade or business on the premises, and the debt is not a traffic contravention debt, paragraph 18A permits reasonable force to enter. Separately, paragraph 19A permits reasonable force for re-entry once a controlled goods agreement has already been signed and then broken. A different, court-authorised route exists under paragraph 20, where an agent applies to the court for a warrant permitting force; that is a separate application, not something available automatically. None of these apply to an ordinary first visit at a home enforcing a straightforward writ of control. See when bailiffs can force entry for the full detail.

Goods may only be taken if they belong to the debtor. Regulation 4 of the Taking Control of Goods Regulations 2013 keeps essential items out of reach regardless of the debt: clothing, bedding, household equipment the home needs to function, items needed for medical care or for caring for a child, a disabled person or an older person, pets and assistance dogs, and a vehicle displaying a valid disabled person's badge. Work tools and equipment are exempt only up to £1,350 in total.

Visits are also restricted by time. Regulation 13 does not permit an enforcement agent to take control of goods before 6am or after 9pm on any day.

Motor finance and arrears recovery: a different legal process

This is the part of Equivo's work that has nothing to do with the taking-control-of-goods rules above, and treating it the same way is where people get the wrong advice.

A hire purchase, conditional sale or PCP agreement means the finance company, not you, owns the vehicle until the final payment is made. If arrears build up, the finance company can instruct an agent, in this case Equivo, to recover it. That agent has no statutory power under the Tribunals, Courts and Enforcement Act 2007 for this work; the relevant law is the Consumer Credit Act 1974.

The one-third rule is the single most important protection here. Under section 90 of the Consumer Credit Act 1974, once you have paid a third or more of the total price of the vehicle, including any deposit, the finance company loses the right to simply retake it and must apply to a court for an order instead. If you have paid less than a third, peaceable repossession can still happen, but it must be genuinely peaceable: an agent has no right to force their way into a garage, a locked property or private land without consent, and taking a vehicle from a public road does not require entering any premises at all.

Getting information about the agreement

Under sections 77 and 78 of the Consumer Credit Act 1974, you can ask the creditor in writing for a copy of the executed agreement and a statement of what has been paid and what remains outstanding. If the creditor fails to provide it, they are not entitled to enforce the agreement while that failure continues. That does not cancel the debt, and the default can be cured once the documents are supplied, but it is a genuine, checkable lever if a request has gone unanswered.

If you think you have already paid a third

Work out the total price actually charged under the agreement, including any deposit and part-exchange allowance, and compare it against what has been paid to date. If the maths supports it, tell Equivo and the finance company in writing that the vehicle is protected goods under section 90 and that repossession requires a court order. Keep your calculation and the agreement documents to hand.

Disputing an Equivo balance or the underlying debt

For enforcement work, take a dispute about the judgment itself to the creditor or claimant, not only to Equivo, since an enforcement agent has no power to reopen a judgment. Ask for the writ reference, the judgment being enforced, and a full breakdown of the balance and fees.

For motor finance work, raise a dispute about the agreement, the arrears figure or a missed payment with the finance company directly, and tell Equivo in writing that the matter is disputed. If the dispute concerns unfairness in how the agreement was sold, that is usually a matter for the Financial Ombudsman Service once the lender's own complaints process has been exhausted.

If you cannot afford to pay

Say so early, with figures. For enforcement debt, an arrangement usually takes the form of a controlled goods agreement; check every listed item is genuinely yours before signing one, since breaching it engages the re-entry power described above. For motor finance arrears, ask the finance company about a revised payment plan before a default notice is issued, since options narrow considerably once a vehicle has actually been recovered. Free, independent help is available from National Debtline, StepChange and Citizens Advice.

Telling Equivo about vulnerability

Put it in writing as early as you can, to whichever part of the business is dealing with your case. Serious illness, disability, bereavement, pregnancy, age-related difficulty, language or literacy barriers and household crisis can all be relevant, and more than one often applies together. The response can include extra time, adjusted communication or a temporary hold. None of it cancels what is owed.

Checking an Equivo letter or caller is genuine

Use contact details found independently, from Equivo's own website or the underlying creditor's published information, rather than a number given only on the letter itself. For enforcement work, confirm the writ reference and the court that issued it. For motor finance work, confirm the agreement number directly with the finance company named on your paperwork.

Before paying anyone, confirm what the payment covers, what stage the case has reached, and get a written receipt. If an agent attends in person, you can pay without letting them into a property, and for a vehicle recovery you are entitled to ask for identification before handing over keys.

Complaining about Equivo

Start with Equivo's own complaints procedure. For enforcement work, an unresolved complaint can be referred to the Enforcement Conduct Board, given Equivo's accreditation since October 2023. For motor finance work, an unresolved complaint about the finance company or its agent can be referred to the Financial Ombudsman Service once the internal process is complete. A dispute over an individual agent's certificate is a separate application to the County Court that issued it.

Keep dates, correspondence and the names of everyone you speak to.

Where to start

1. Work out which side of the business has contacted you: enforcement of a writ, or motor finance arrears recovery. The rules are different.
2. If it is enforcement, check the stage reached and the fees charged against the table above.
3. If it is motor finance, work out how much of the total price has actually been paid, since a third or more changes the legal position significantly.
4. If the debt or the agreement figures are wrong, raise it with the creditor or finance company directly.
5. If you are vulnerable, say so now, in writing.
6. Keep the paperwork for anything you believe is protected, exempt, or not the debtor's property.