Howes Bailiffs: Council Tax, CRAR and Warrants

Who are Howes Bailiffs?

Howes Bailiffs Limited is registered at Companies House under company number 05145945, incorporated on 4 June 2004, with its registered office at 104 High Street, West Wickham, Kent, BR4 0NF. Its own site traces the business to February 2003, when Elisabeth Lombardo, described as an experienced enforcement officer, set it up as Howes Specialist Certificated Bailiffs before it was restructured into the current company the following year. Companies House confirms Elisabeth Lombardo as a director since incorporation.

The firm has been accredited by the Enforcement Conduct Board since October 2023. Checked against CIVEA's published member list in August 2026, Howes does not appear on it; that register is voluntary, and being off it does not affect the firm's statutory powers or fees.

Are Howes Bailiffs bailiffs or debt collectors?

For council tax and business rates work, enforcement agents, the role most people mean by "bailiff." An ordinary debt collector cannot enter a property or take goods and would first have to sue and win a county court judgment. Once a council holds a liability order, Howes is already past that stage and works under Schedule 12 of the Tribunals, Courts and Enforcement Act 2007. See bailiffs and debt collectors if you are unsure which applies to you.

What Howes Bailiffs is instructed to do

Its own site describes contracts running "from Local Authorities to the Private Sector across the South and South East of England" (checked 22 Aug 2026), a description we treat as Howes's own account of its client base rather than an independently confirmed list. No specific council names Howes on its own published enforcement-agent page as of this check, so confirm any council tax case directly with the council named on your letter.

Council tax and business rates: the liability order route

Council tax or business rates only reach Howes once a magistrates' court has granted the council a liability order confirming the sum is owed. Under regulation 34(3) of the Council Tax (Administration and Enforcement) Regulations 1992, a council has six years from the due date to apply for that order; the limit applies to the application stage only and has no bearing once Howes already holds a case. See council tax bailiffs.

Entry to a home on a first visit for this kind of debt must be peaceable, through a door you open or one already unlocked. You are not obliged to let an agent in, and there is no penalty for staying inside; a signed and then broken controlled goods agreement is the narrow exception that can allow forced re-entry under paragraph 19A of Schedule 12. See when bailiffs can force entry.

Commercial rent, forfeiture and warrant work

CRAR applies only to a business tenant with a written lease and at least seven days' net unpaid rent outstanding, never to a residential tenancy. Forfeiture ends a lease for breach rather than recovering rent while it continues, and usually needs a court order behind it. On business premises, paragraph 18A of Schedule 12 allows entry without permission where the debtor trades there and the debt is not a traffic contravention debt, a materially wider power than the household rule above.

Bail and arrest warrant work sits outside the council tax fee scale entirely. Where the underlying case is a magistrates' court fine in default, section 76 of the Magistrates' Courts Act 1980 allows the court to issue a warrant of control or a warrant of commitment, and section 82 requires a means inquiry and a finding of wilful refusal or culpable neglect, with all other methods considered first, before commitment can follow. Schedule 5 to the Courts Act 2003 gives a fines officer a separate route to a warrant of control under a collection order. If a warrant names you, check with the issuing court which type it is and what it is based on before assuming the council tax rules apply.

What a council tax case with Howes costs

Where the case is council tax or business rates, the fee scale is fixed by regulation and identical whichever firm holds it.

These figures apply to instructions taken on from 1 May 2026; an older case may sit on the previous scale. Under regulation 11 of the Taking Control of Goods (Fees) Regulations 2014, more than one enforcement power can each carry its own £79 compliance fee, but the £247 and £116 stages are limited to one instance across debts reasonably dealt with together. Before any visit, a Notice of Enforcement must give at least 14 clear days, extendable to 28 where a recognised debt advice provider requests it unless the debt is a non-eligible business debt. CRAR, forfeiture and warrant work each run on a different cost basis and are not covered by this table.

What is exempt

Regulation 4 of the Taking Control of Goods Regulations 2013 protects everyday clothing and bedding, essential household equipment, items needed for medical care or for a child, disabled person or older relative, pets, assistance dogs, and a vehicle displaying a valid disabled person's badge, regardless of the debt. Work tools are exempt up to £1,350 in aggregate. Only goods actually belonging to the debtor can be taken; something owned by another household member or, on business premises, by a separate business at the same site, is not automatically available, though this usually needs paperwork to establish.

If you cannot pay, or you are vulnerable

Say so early, and support it with figures rather than a general statement that you cannot pay. Free help preparing an offer is available from National Debtline, StepChange and Citizens Advice. If illness, disability, bereavement, pregnancy or a household crisis affects how enforcement should proceed, tell both Howes and the council or court in writing as soon as you can.

Checking a Howes letter is genuine

Find contact details independently, through the firm's own site or the council's published list of enforcement agents, rather than relying on a number that appears only on the letter itself. Before paying, check which debt it settles, what stage the case has reached, and get a reference and receipt.

Complaining about Howes Bailiffs

Start with the firm's own complaints procedure, giving the case reference, the date and the specific rule or error involved. Second, the creditor: the council for council tax or business rates, the landlord for a CRAR or forfeiture dispute, or the court for a fine. Third, the oversight route: Howes has been accredited by the Enforcement Conduct Board since October 2023, so the ECB can consider a complaint once the firm's own process is exhausted, for the debts that fall within its remit. A dispute over an individual agent's certificate is a matter for the county court that issued it.

What to check first

1. Identify which kind of case this is: council tax, business rates, CRAR, forfeiture, or a court warrant, since the rules differ sharply.
2. If it is council tax or business rates, check the stage and fees against the table above.
3. If the debt is wrong, write to the council or landlord today, not just to Howes.
4. If it is correct but unaffordable, prepare figures and make a realistic offer.
5. If you are vulnerable, say so now, in writing, to both Howes and the creditor.