Urgent Help With Business Rates Enforcement Agents

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Have bailiffs been instructed to collect unpaid business rates?

Receiving a Notice of Enforcement or a visit from an enforcement agent can place immediate pressure on a business.

The amount demanded may include several years of business rates, court costs and enforcement fees. In some cases, the underlying account is correct but the business cannot pay it in full. In others, there may be a genuine dispute concerning liability, occupation dates, relief or the property’s rating assessment. Business Rate Advisors Ltd reviews the complete position and contacts the council or enforcement company where instructed. We cannot guarantee that enforcement action will be suspended, but early intervention, clear evidence and a realistic proposal can make a significant difference. Contact us as soon as possible

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If an enforcement agent is due to visit or is already dealing with the account, please send us:

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• The Notice of Enforcement

• The latest business rates bill

• The council account number

• The enforcement company’s reference

• Details of any court summons or liability order

• A brief explanation of the problem

• Details of any previous payment arrangement

• Evidence supporting any dispute

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Call Steve Adams on 07415048643
Call Mark Allen on 07376443943
Office: 01225667747

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What should you do immediately?

If you have received a Notice of Enforcement:

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• Do not ignore it

• Check the name, property address and amount demanded

• Note the deadline shown on the notice

• Gather the relevant business rates bills and correspondence

• Contact the enforcement company if you need to discuss payment

• Tell the council immediately if the debt relates to the wrong person, property or period

• Obtain advice before the case progresses to a visit

• Keep copies of every email, letter and payment confirmation

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If an enforcement agent attends, remain calm and do not obstruct them. Ask for identification, the enforcement reference and details of the liability order being enforced. Do not sign a controlled-goods agreement or make a payment proposal you cannot maintain without first understanding what you are agreeing to.

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Why have enforcement agents been instructed?

A council may instruct enforcement agents after obtaining a liability order for unpaid business rates.

The usual recovery process can include:

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1. A business rates bill

2. A reminder or final notice

3. A magistrates’ court summons

4. A liability order

5. Referral to an enforcement company

6. A Notice of Enforcement

7. An enforcement visit

8. Taking control of goods

9. Removal and sale of controlled goods

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By the time an enforcement company becomes involved, additional costs will normally have been added to the account.

The council may also have other recovery options, including insolvency proceedings. It is therefore important to address both the enforcement action and the underlying business rates position.

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Business rates enforcement fees

For cases subject to the fee levels applying from 1 May 2026, the statutory fixed fees are generally:

Compliance stage — £79

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This fee is normally added when the enforcement company receives the instruction and issues a Notice of Enforcement.

This is usually the best opportunity to resolve the matter before a visit takes place and further fees are added.

Enforcement stage — £247

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This fee can be added when an enforcement agent attends the premises.

Where the debt exceeds the relevant statutory threshold, an additional percentage fee may also apply.

Sale or disposal stage — £116

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A further fee may be charged where goods are removed for sale or preparations for sale begin. Additional percentage fees and properly incurred disbursements may also apply. The figures should be checked against the notice because the applicable fees can depend on when the case was referred and the stage it has reached.

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Can business rates bailiffs be stopped?

Sometimes enforcement can be paused, withdrawn or resolved without goods being removed, but this is not automatic.

Possible routes include:

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• Paying the amount due

• Agreeing an acceptable payment arrangement

• Persuading the council to withdraw or suspend the instruction

• Providing evidence that the wrong person or company has been pursued

• Showing that the liability dates are incorrect

• Identifying payments or credits missing from the account

• Establishing that relevant relief has not been considered

• Correcting a duplicate account or assessment

• Raising an urgent issue concerning the underlying rating-list entry

• Providing evidence of vulnerability or exceptional circumstances

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The enforcement company acts on the council’s instructions. Where the underlying bill is disputed, it may therefore be necessary to communicate with both organisations. An unresolved dispute does not, by itself, prevent enforcement.

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Can you pay by instalments?

You can ask the enforcement company or council to accept a payment arrangement, but there is no automatic right to pay on the terms you choose. Any proposal should be realistic and affordable. Offering more than the business can maintain may only delay the problem and lead to further enforcement if the arrangement fails.

A sensible proposal may need to include:

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• An initial payment

• The amount available each week or month

• The reason full payment is not possible

• A short income-and-expenditure summary

• Details of other priority liabilities

• Evidence of when the business expects its position to improve

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Where the underlying charge is disputed, the payment proposal should be considered separately from the evidence supporting that dispute.

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What if the business rates bill is wrong?

Enforcement action can expose problems that were not identified when the original bills were issued.

We check for issues including:

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• The wrong person or company being billed

• Liability continuing after occupation ended

• Charges beginning before occupation

• Incorrect empty-property liability

• Missing Small Business Rate Relief

• Other relief not being applied

• Duplicate business rates accounts

• Payments allocated to the wrong account

• Incorrect property splits or mergers

• A demolished or reconstructed property remaining in the rating list

• A rateable value or effective date that may need to be challenged

• Revised VOA information not being reflected in the council account

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Some issues must be resolved by the council, while others require action through the Valuation Office Agency.

We identify the correct route before approaching the organisations involved.

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Will a VOA appeal stop enforcement?

A Check, Challenge or appeal against the property’s rateable value does not normally suspend the business rates bill.

The council will generally continue collecting the amount shown on the account until the rating list is altered. If the VOA later reduces or removes the assessment, the council should recalculate the account and apply any resulting credit.

Where a genuine VOA case is already underway, we can provide the council with details and ask it to consider pausing recovery. The final decision remains with the council.

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What goods can an enforcement agent take?

An enforcement agent may seek to take control of goods belonging to the debtor and use their value towards the outstanding balance.

Disputes commonly arise over:

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• Goods owned by another company

• Leased or hired equipment

• Vehicles subject to finance

• Landlord’s fixtures and equipment

• Personal property belonging to directors or employees

• Items said to be essential for work

• Goods jointly owned with another person

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Ownership should be supported by evidence such as invoices, finance agreements, rental documents, asset registers or statements from the true owner. Do not rely solely on a verbal explanation if documentary evidence is available.

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What if the debt belongs to somebody else?

Tell both the council and enforcement company immediately if:

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• You never occupied the property

• Your occupation had already ended

• A different limited company was the occupier

• The account relates to a former tenant

• You purchased the business but not the previous company

• The property address is wrong

• Goods at the premises belong to another person

• The enforcement agent is pursuing the wrong legal entity

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Trading names, limited companies and individual proprietors should be distinguished carefully. Evidence should clearly identify the legal person that occupied the property during the period in question.

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What if the enforcement agent is already at the premises?

If an agent is present:

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• Stay calm

• Ask for identification

• Ask which council instructed them

• Request the liability-order and account details

• Record the amount being demanded

• Do not obstruct or threaten the agent

• Do not hide, sell or dispose of controlled goods

• Do not make a payment promise you cannot keep

• Obtain urgent advice

• Contact the council immediately if there is clear evidence of mistaken identity or incorrect liability

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If you make a payment, obtain a receipt and keep a record of how it was allocated.

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How we can help

Our business rates enforcement service can include:

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• Reviewing the business rates bill and account history

• Checking the liability order and enforcement notice

• Identifying the exact period being pursued

• Examining occupation and vacation dates

• Checking whether the correct legal entity has been billed

• Reviewing relief, payments and credits

• Identifying council and VOA issues

• Preparing evidence supporting a genuine dispute

• Contacting the council and enforcement company

• Requesting a temporary pause where there is a proper basis

• Helping to formulate a realistic payment proposal

• Reviewing enforcement fees

• Checking revised bills and account statements

• Advising on any related VOA Check and Challenge case

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We focus on the underlying account as well as the immediate enforcement problem.

Can you guarantee that enforcement will stop?

No responsible adviser can guarantee that a council or enforcement company will suspend action.

The outcome depends on:

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• Whether the debt is correct

• The stage enforcement has reached

• The strength of the evidence

• The amount outstanding

• The payment proposal

• The council’s instructions

• Whether previous arrangements have been broken

• Any relevant personal or business circumstances

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We will give you a realistic assessment and take the appropriate action without making promises that cannot be supported.

 

Why choose Business Rate Advisors Ltd?

Direct adviser contact

You will deal directly with Steve Adams or Mark Allen.

Review of the underlying business rates account

We do not treat enforcement as simply a debt problem. We check whether the liability, relief and property assessment are correct. 

 

Evidence-based communication

Where there is a genuine dispute, we organise the relevant documents and explain the correction being requested.

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Clear advice

We will tell you what can realistically be achieved and what action needs to be taken immediately.

Request an urgent review

Please send us:

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• The Notice of Enforcement

• The latest business rates bill

• The enforcement reference

• The council account number

• Any summons or liability order

• Previous payment arrangements

• Correspondence with the council

• Evidence supporting any liability or valuation dispute

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We will review the initial information and explain the available options.

Call Steve Adams on 07415048643
Call Mark Allen on 07376443943
Office: 01225667747

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Click here for business rate disputes or click here to go to the home page