From 1 May 2026 onwards, all new cases received will be subject to the revised fee structure. Cases received prior to this date will continue under the existing fee arrangements, with no changes applied at any stage of those cases.
The Government has now laid the statutory instrument:
The Taking Control of Goods (Miscellaneous Amendments) Regulations 2026, which will take effect from 1 May 2026.
Key Changes
The new regulations introduce the following:
- Notice period extended
- From 7 days to 14 days
- Up to 28 days if requested by a debt advice provider (non-business debts)
- High Court enforcement rules tightened
- Enforcement Agents cannot move to Stage 2 or recover associated fees unless:
- Initial contact is made at the first visit, or
- A further opportunity to pay is given at a subsequent visit
- Enforcement Agents cannot move to Stage 2 or recover associated fees unless:
- Fee threshold increase
- Additional percentage fee threshold increased from £1,500 to £1,900
- Fee uplift
- All recoverable fees increased by 5%
Standard (non–High Court) Debts
These are the most common (e.g. council tax, parking fines):
- Compliance stage (letter sent): £79.00
- Enforcement stage (visit): £247.00
- Sale/disposal stage (goods removed/sold): £116.00
- Extra fee: +7.5% on any debt over £1,900.00
High Court Enforcement (different scale)
- Compliance stage: £79.00
- Enforcement stage 1: £200.00
- Enforcement stage 2: £520.00
- Sale/disposal stage: £550.00
- Extra fee: +7.5% on any debt over £1,200.00
Transitional Arrangements (Important)
- The date instructions are received determines which regulations apply.
- If instructions are received before 1 May 2026, the old regulations apply throughout the entire case, even if stages occur after this date.
- This includes:
- Breached repayment plans after 1 May
- Re-issued Notices of Enforcement