Just: Who Actually Enforces a "Just" Debt?

Updated August 29, 2026 How we produce this guidance

Company details

Type	Enforcement company
Registered name	Just

Key facts

Company number: 12146925, ECB accredited Oct 2023
Named HCEOs: Christopher Badger and Peter Watt
Model: Routes cases to accredited partner firms
Notice period: At least 14 clear days before any visit

On this page 14 sections

Who is behind Just?

The registered company is Just Collect Limited, at Companies House under company number 12146925, incorporated on 8 August 2019, with its registered office at c/o Bishop Fleming LLP, 10 Temple Back, Bristol, BS1 6FL. The company traded as Just Digital Marketplace Limited from incorporation until it was renamed to Just Collect Limited on 20 March 2026, so a company search on the older name will still find the same legal entity. Its trading addresses are given as The Poynt, 45 Wollaton Street, Nottingham, NG1 5FW and 1 Lyric Square, London, W6 0NB.

Just has been accredited by the Enforcement Conduct Board since October 2023. The High Court Enforcement Officers Association lists two named HCEOs at Just: Christopher Badger and Peter Watt. Christopher Badger is also named on the site of Whipps Enforcement Agents, a separate accredited firm, as the HCEO under whom Whipps carries out High Court writs as a delivery partner for Just. That is not a coincidence to be alarmed by; it is how Just's stated model works, but it means the accountable HCEO and the agent physically attending are not always the same organisation.

Is Just a bailiff, a debt collector, or something else?

None of those fits neatly, which is the point of reading Just's own description carefully. Its site describes two services: JustIQ, described as an "adaptive technology" product for developing collection strategies, and JustMS, a managed service that "connects to a trusted and accredited network of debt recovery, litigation, and enforcement partners." Whichever applies to your case, the underlying debt determines the actual legal position: if a court has given a judgment and a High Court writ has been issued, the case is genuine enforcement under Schedule 12 of the Tribunals, Courts and Enforcement Act 2007, carried out by whichever accredited partner firm and HCEO Just has instructed. See bailiffs and debt collectors for the general distinction.

What this means if Just has contacted you

If your letter says	What is likely happening
Just is asking you to get in touch about a debt	Early-stage contact, possibly before any court judgment
Just names a High Court writ or enforcement agent	A judgment has likely been transferred to the High Court, and a partner firm's agent, authorised by Badger or Watt, may attend
A different company's name appears alongside Just's	That is the delivery partner; check that name too before assuming who is legally accountable

Just's own consumer-facing page for people who owe money gives payment options and contact details but does not identify which partner firm will attend in any individual case, so if a visit is imminent, ask Just directly which firm and which HCEO is instructed on your case.

Which judgments reach High Court enforcement through Just

Not every County Court Judgment qualifies. 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; sums in between may go to either. A judgment arising from a Consumer Credit Act 1974 regulated agreement cannot be transferred to the High Court regardless of amount, which rules out most ordinary consumer credit debts.

Can you stop the transfer, or challenge the writ?

Both are applications to the court, not to Just. 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. CPR rule 83.7 lets a debtor apply for a stay of execution where enforcing now would be inexpedient because of special circumstances, or because the debtor genuinely cannot pay, supported by a witness statement disclosing means.

Can an agent acting for Just force entry to your home?

Not on a first visit, for an ordinary civil debt. Entry must be peaceable, through a door you choose to open or leave unlocked, whichever partner firm's agent attends. Business premises carry wider powers under paragraph 18A of Schedule 12, and a broken controlled goods agreement can permit reasonable force on re-entry under paragraph 19A. See when bailiffs can force entry.

What a High Court case through Just costs

High Court enforcement uses a different fee scale from council tax and parking work, with two enforcement stages and a £1,200 percentage threshold.

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. Whipps Enforcement Agents, acting as a delivery partner for Just, separately describes a £66 court transfer fee plus a £75 compliance fee plus VAT for moving a judgment up to the High Court in the first place, which is distinct from the enforcement stages above and is charged before enforcement itself begins.

The Notice of Enforcement and your deadline

Before goods can be taken into control, a Notice of Enforcement must give at least 14 clear days, under the rules from 1 May 2026. A recognised debt advice provider can request an extension to 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. See what bailiffs can take.

Disputing a Just case, or the judgment behind it

A dispute about the underlying judgment goes to the court that gave it; neither Just nor its delivery partner can vary it. A stay of execution under CPR 83.7 is the route where the issue is ability to pay. Where the dispute concerns Just's own conduct, its complaints process is described on its site alongside references to recognised conduct standards.

If you cannot afford to pay

Say so early and support it with figures, since a witness statement disclosing your means is central to a stay of execution application. National Debtline, StepChange and Citizens Advice all offer free help preparing an income and expenditure position; Just's own site also signposts organisations including Shelter for people facing wider financial difficulty.

Checking a letter from Just is genuine

Just's site itself warns about enforcement officer impersonators and advises verifying credentials independently rather than trusting a caller's word. Contact Just using details from its own website rather than a number given only on an unexpected letter, and ask which delivery partner and HCEO is instructed if the case has reached High Court enforcement.

Complaining about Just, or a partner firm acting for it

First, the relevant firm's own complaints procedure: Just's, if the issue concerns its handling of the account, or the attending partner firm's, if the issue concerns a visit or a fee charged on the day.

Second, the oversight route. Just has been accredited by the Enforcement Conduct Board since October 2023, so the ECB can consider a complaint once the relevant firm's own process is exhausted. Conduct by either named HCEO, Christopher Badger or Peter Watt, can also be raised with the HCEOA directly.

What to do now

Identify what stage your case has reached: early contact, or a High Court writ already issued.
If a writ has been issued, ask Just which partner firm and HCEO is instructed and check that name against the HCEOA register.
Check the £600/£5,000 thresholds and the Consumer Credit Act carve-out if you are unsure the debt should have reached the High Court at all.
If the judgment is wrong, apply to the originating court rather than disputing it with Just.
If you cannot pay, prepare an income and expenditure position and consider a stay of execution application.

How a Just 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 Just legitimate?

Yes. The registered entity is Just Collect Limited, company number 12146925 (previously Just Digital Marketplace Limited until March 2026), accredited by the Enforcement Conduct Board since October 2023, with two named HCEOs, Christopher Badger and Peter Watt.

Does Just send its own bailiffs, or does someone else attend?

Just describes a "managed service" model connecting to a network of accredited partner firms rather than a single fixed enforcement team. Whipps Enforcement Agents is one confirmed partner for High Court writs, working under Christopher Badger's authorisation.

Can an agent for Just force entry into my home?

Not on a first visit for an ordinary civil debt. Entry must be peaceable regardless of which partner firm attends. Business premises and a broken controlled goods agreement carry wider powers.

What does a High Court case through Just 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, plus a separate transfer cost to move the case to the High Court in the first place.

Can any judgment be enforced by Just?

No. A judgment under £600 can only be enforced in the County Court, one on a Consumer Credit Act regulated agreement cannot go to the High Court at all, and judgments of £5,000 or more must go to the High Court.

How do I know which company will actually visit me?

Ask Just directly. Because it operates a partner network rather than a single enforcement team, the firm named alongside Just on any letter or notice is the one to check independently, in the same way you would check Just itself.

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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