Certificated bailiffs are sometimes called ‘enforcement officers’.

A certificated bailiff is a bailiff certificated in the County Court under the Distress for Rent Rules 1988.

This is specifically for commercial rent arrears or local authority taxes, etc.

Complaints may be made about the behaviour of bailiffs, for example if they have been unduly aggressive, rude or threatening.

A complaint about a certificated bailiff should be addressed either to the firm the bailiff works for or the organisation that employed the bailiff to act on its behalf. Some of these organisations (for example, HM Revenue and Customs and local authorities) have complaints procedures in place and information on how to complain about debt enforcement can be obtained from them.

A complaint could also be made to the Enforcement Officers Association (EOA) or the Association of Civil Enforcement Agencies (ACEA) which is responsible for promoting higher standards within the profession.

The EOA can be contacted at:
The Chairman Complaints Committee
High Court Enforcement Officers Association
P.O. Box 180
Winsford
Cheshire
CW7 2WP
Email: [email protected]
Website: www.hceoa.org.uk

The ACEA can be contacted at
The ACEA
Chesham House
150 Regent Street
London
W1R 5FA
Tel: 0207 432 0366
Email: [email protected]
Website: www.acea.org.uk