Letter or visit from Collectica? Read this before you respond

A letter, text or visit from Collectica is not from a routine debt collector. Collectica is a certificated enforcement business — bailiffs — and part of the Marston Holdings group, the same parent company as Equita. If Collectica are involved, the underlying debt has usually already been to court (or, for council tax, through the magistrates’ court via a liability order), and the rules governing what they can and cannot do are stricter and more specific than the rules for ordinary debt collectors.

This page covers who Collectica are, what bailiffs can legally do under the Taking Control of Goods Regulations 2013, the seven-day Notice of Enforcement period that protects you, and how an IVA interacts with their enforcement.

Who Collectica are

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Collectica is a UK enforcement business and part of Marston Holdings, one of the largest enforcement groups in the country. The bulk of Collectica’s instructed work is:

• Council tax arrears — instructed by local authorities after a liability order from the magistrates’ court
• Magistrates’ court fines — including unpaid fines for traffic offences and minor criminal matters
• Traffic and parking penalties — bus-lane, congestion-charge and council parking enforcement
• Commercial Rent Arrears Recovery (CRAR) — for landlords against business tenants

Their enforcement agents are certificated bailiffs under the Tribunals, Courts and Enforcement Act 2007. They must hold a current bailiff certificate from a county court and identification documents that they must show on request.

What Collectica can and cannot legally do

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Bailiffs operate under the Taking Control of Goods Regulations 2013 and the related fee schedule. Collectica can:

• Charge statutory fees at three stages: Compliance (£75), Enforcement (£235 + 7.5% of any debt above £1,500), and Sale (£110 + 7.5% of debt above £1,500). Those fees are added to your debt automatically.
• Send a Notice of Enforcement giving you at least seven clear days to settle the debt or arrange a Controlled Goods Agreement before bailiff action begins
• Visit your home during permitted hours (6am–9pm; restricted hours on Sundays and bank holidays)
• Take goods that are not exempt, but only after entering peacefully or with permission
• Clamp or remove vehicles parked on the public highway or your driveway — vehicles are a primary target

What bailiffs cannot do for the typical council-tax or traffic-penalty debt:

• Force entry to your home on a first visit — they need peaceful entry. Force entry is only available on a return visit after peaceful entry has already been gained or you’ve signed a Controlled Goods Agreement that has been breached.
• Force entry at all for unpaid magistrates’ court fines without specific authority
• Take exempt goods: tools of your trade up to £1,350 in value, basic household items (cooker, fridge, washing machine, beds, basic furniture), goods belonging to other people
• Visit between 9pm and 6am in normal circumstances
• Misrepresent themselves as police or other authorities

Use the seven-day Notice of Enforcement

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Once Collectica is instructed, they must send a Notice of Enforcement giving you at least seven clear days before any bailiff visit. Use those seven days:

1. Pay or arrange to pay the underlying creditor directly — for council tax that’s the local authority, for traffic penalties the issuing authority. Once the underlying debt is paid, the enforcement falls away (though the £75 Compliance fee may still be due).
2. Apply for a Controlled Goods Agreement if you can afford instalments — you commit to a payment plan and the bailiff cannot remove goods while you keep up payments.
3. Apply to the issuing court for the underlying order to be set aside, varied or stayed if you have grounds.
4. Seek free, independent advice — Citizens Advice and StepChange both have specialist bailiff advice teams.

If a Collectica agent is at your door before the seven-day Notice period has elapsed, the visit is invalid for fee purposes.

How Collectica’s three fee stages work

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Each stage adds a fixed sum to your debt, and once you cross into a stage that fee is locked in:

• Stage 1 — Compliance (£75). Added when the case is allocated to a bailiff and the Notice of Enforcement is sent. Cannot be avoided once Collectica is instructed.
• Stage 2 — Enforcement (£235 + 7.5% of any debt over £1,500). Added the moment a bailiff visits your address. On a £2,500 debt: £235 + £75 = £310 added.
• Stage 3 — Sale (£110 + 7.5% over £1,500). Added when goods are removed for sale. Same £2,500 debt: another £185.

Resolving inside the seven-day Compliance window costs £75. Letting it run to a visit costs hundreds more, and letting it run to removal costs hundreds again.

What happens if you ignore Collectica

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After the seven-day Notice has lapsed:

1. A bailiff visits — adds the Enforcement fee (£235 + 7.5% over £1,500)
2. They look for vehicles on the public highway or driveway — clamping is fast and visible
3. If they gain peaceful entry, non-exempt goods are listed under a Controlled Goods Agreement
4. If you breach the Agreement (or they return after peaceful entry), they can force entry on a return visit
5. Goods are removed for sale — adds the Sale fee (£110 + 7.5% over £1,500)

By the time goods are removed, the original debt has typically grown by £420+ in fees alone — the cost of inaction.

Routes out

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• Pay the underlying creditor directly — for council tax, often the most effective route. Once the council confirms payment, the enforcement is withdrawn.
• Negotiate a Controlled Goods Agreement with affordable instalments, in writing
• IVA — once approved, an IVA legally stops further enforcement on the included debt, although court fines and (in many cases) council tax debts have specific treatment that should be reviewed with the IP. See How do I stop bailiff action? for the longer answer.
• Bankruptcy in severe situations — also stops enforcement on most included debts
• Application to the issuing court to set aside or vary the underlying order if you were not properly served or the underlying debt is wrong

Pitfalls when Collectica are at the door

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• Don’t open the door if you are not ready to engage. Once a bailiff has gained peaceful entry to your home, they have additional powers — including, on a return visit, the right to force entry to remove already-listed goods.
• Don’t sign anything without reading it. A Controlled Goods Agreement signs over goods; signing without understanding is a real risk.
• Don’t move vehicles into a private garage in panic — driveway vehicles are a target, but garage parking is more protected.
• Don’t pay cash to a bailiff at the door. Pay through Collectica’s official payment channel and keep the receipt — impersonation incidents do happen.

Frequently asked questions

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Are Collectica bailiffs or debt collectors? Bailiffs (certificated enforcement agents). They have specific powers under the Taking Control of Goods Regulations that ordinary debt collectors do not have, and they sit within the Marston Holdings group.

Can Collectica force entry to my home? Generally no, on a first visit. Force entry is only available on a return visit after peaceful entry has already been gained or a Controlled Goods Agreement has been signed and breached.

Will an IVA stop Collectica action? An approved IVA stops enforcement on most included debts. Magistrates’ court fines and council-tax liability orders have specific treatment — discuss the position with the Insolvency Practitioner drafting the proposal.

Collectica are clamping my car — what now? Pay the debt or call Collectica to arrange release. The vehicle can be removed and sold within seven days if the debt is not resolved. Removal triggers further fees.

Related guides

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• Equita — Marston Holdings enforcement profile
• DCBL — High Court enforcement profile
• How do I stop bailiff action?
• Can bailiffs legally enter your home in the UK?
• Can debt be written off?
• How do I apply for an IVA?