Taking Control of Goods Regulations – What You Need to Know

At the beginning of this month, new changes were brought in to the Taking Control of Goods Regulations, which affects the enforcement of debt collection across the UK. This is the first set of amendments to be made since the regulations came into effect in 2013, and they’re designed to create a more consistent and sustainable enforcement framework for recovering money owed to businesses. But what exactly are the changes, and how will they affect you?

What are the Changes?

Longer notice periods: In the past, the enforcement notice was just 7 days, allowing companies to move quickly to reclaim money owed to them. Under the new changes, any enforcement agents (known as Sheriffs) now have to give a full 14 days of clear notice before they can go to and enter the premises. For personal debts, this can be extended to 28 days if there is a recognised debt advice provider involved supporting the debtor.

Enhanced debtor information: Before enforcers attend a premises, they have always been required to send letters of notice. Under the new changes, these letters must include clearer signposting to free debt advice, and explain the possibility of extending the notice period for personal debts.

Restrictions on escalation: Now, Sheriffs can’t automatically skip to the later enforcement stages if they’re unsuccessful when they visit a premises. This tactic is sadly used more often than you would think, so the changes are designed to give debtors a further opportunity to pay, or to agree a repayment plan.

Updated fees and thresholds: When the high courts issue an enforcement order, there have always been something called ‘Sheriff’s fees’. This is a sum of money that’s deducted from the amount collected and kept by the high court to pay for the enforcement service. These fees have been revised with a 5% uplift, along with the thresholds for when they can be recovered and what percentages. That means the fees have gone from £1,000 to £1,200 for High Court Cases, and from £1,900 to £2,500   for non-High Court cases.

Abortive fee changes: The abortive fee (also known as the compliance stage fee) is a fixed charge that’s applied when an enforcement agent has started the enforcement process, but they can’t recover the debt. It’s basically a fee to cover the cost work carried out up until that point. This fee has been increased to £79 + VAT, and forms part of the wider updated fee system.

New notice of enforcement form: A revised form has been introduced that clearly reflects the longer minimum notice periods we mentioned above. This confirms that the escalation to Stage 2 enforcement can’t happen if there’s no contact at first attendance. This has always been best-practice, but the change means that this is now standard practice across the board.

What Does That Mean in Practice?

Essentially, these changes are designed to slow down the early stages of recovery enforcement, as well as boost the emphasis on engagement and encourage repayment arrangements. While they aren’t major changes, they will impact the way debt recovery is approached from High Court proceedings.

It’s also important to note that these changes will only apply to new cases that are started on or after the 1^st May 2026. So if you have a case already in progress, you will still be working under the original regulations.

We’ve spoken to a few clients who are worried that these changes will impact the rate of successful recoveries. The good news is that, while the timelines may extend slightly, there’s no clear evidence that suggests recovery rates will be affected at all. Thanks to an increased focus on early engagement and structured communications, we expect there to be an increase in sustainable repayment outcomes for most cases. Of course, strong case management is still important, and it’s this that will have the overall impact on success rates.

At Debtcol, we work with businesses to not only recover what they’re owed, but put proactive measures in place to make sure that your accounts don’t reach that level in future. Our aim is to make sure your overdue payments never need to get to the high court level, and to make these changes irrelevant to you. If you have any questions, or you’d like some advice, just get in touch with the Debtcol team today, and we’d be happy to help.