You should seek advice from a Citizens Advice Bureau, an independent advice centre, a solicitor, or a law centre before starting a complaint.
County Court Bailiffs
If you have a complaint about a county court bailiff, you should write to the Court Manager of the county court concerned. You should state your name, address, the case number, the warrant number and the facts about your complaint. The Court Manager will then investigate your complaint and write to you to inform you about what action will be taken. Please read the leaflet I want to complain - What do I do?
Enforcement Officers
You can complain about an Enforcement Officer by telephoning or writing to:
The firm the Enforcement Officer works for; or
The High Court Enforcement Officers' Association - Which is responsible for promoting higher standards within the profession.
Information on the Enforcement Officers' Association complaints procedure can be obtained by writing to:-
The Chairman Complaints Committee High Court Enforcement Officers Association Park View House 24/26 Broadway NorthWalsall West Midlands WS1 2AJ
You can complain about a non-certificated bailiff by telephoning or writing to:-
The firm that the bailiff works for.
The organisation who employed the bailiff to act on their behalf. Some of these organisations, for example Customs and Excise and local authorities have complaints procedures in place and information on how to complain can be obtained from them.
The magistrates' court that issued the enforcement order.
Certificated Bailiffs
You can complain about a certificated bailiff by telephoning or writing to:
The firm the bailiff works for.
The organisation who employed the bailiff to act on their behalf. Some of these organisations, for example Customs and Excise and local authorities have complaints procedures in place and information on how to complain can be obtained from them.
The magistrates' court that issued the enforcement order.
The Enforcement Officers' Association, or the Association of Civil Enforcement Agencies (ACEA) which are responsible for promoting higher standards within the profession. Bailiff Associations will investigate your complaint.
A leaflet on the ACEA complaints procedure can be obtained by writing to:-
The Secretary ACEA Kensington House 33 Imperial Square Cheltenham Gloucestershire GL50 1Q7
If you wish to complain about a certificated bailiff because you do not think he/she is fit to hold a certificate, you need to contact the county court that issued the certificate.
If you are unsure which county court issued the certificate you can contact the Court Service Headquarters on 020 7189 2491 who will find out for you. You should set out your complaint on the bailiff complaints form which can be obtained from any county court and post it to the Court Manager of the court where the bailiff's certificate was issued.
