Many people receiving a letter or a visit from a bailiff/enforcement agent believe that a way of avoiding bailiff fees is to make payment direct to the council or the Magistrates Court of just the amount owed to the council or court (minus bailiff fees). Unfortunately, bailiff fees will not be avoided by this method. This pages outlines why.

We receive a significant number of enquiries via our helpline and online Enquiry Form regarding Dart Charge enforcement. The majority of these are from motorists who only became aware that a Penalty Charge Notice had been issued when they received correspondence or a visit from a bailiff. This is usually due to notices being sent to a previous address. Many times, the reason is because the motorist had forgotten to update his or her V5C (Log Book) with DVLA when moving house. There is a procedure that needs to be followed in such cases which is outlined on this page.

One of the most common enquiries that we receive via our helpline or Enquiry Form is the subject of Magistrate Court fines and whether or not the bailiff/enforcement agent is required to have the distress warrant/warrant of control in his possession and if so, whether he must provide a copy to you.