Warrant of execution

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What does the court do?

If the defendant does not live within the court's area, the court will send the warrant to his or her local court.

The bailiff will usually send the defendant a letter saying that a warrant has been issued and that he or she must pay within seven days.

If the defendant pays, the court will send you the money. This could take up to 15 days if the defendant paid by cheque. (This is necessary to make sure that the cheque has cleared.)

If the defendant does not pay within seven days, the bailiff will call at the address you gave. The bailiff will go to the defendant's address within 15 working days of the warrant being issued. The bailiff will try to identify goods which they could sell at auction or collect a payment to prevent goods being sold.

If you gave more than one address, the bailiff will visit each address in turn.

If the defendant has goods which can be sold, the bailiff will take the cost of taking, storing and selling the goods from the amount they raise. The court will send you the rest after this has been done.

If this amount does not repay the amount you are owed, the bailiff will visit the defendant to see if there are any other goods which could be sold. If there are not, the bailiff will not be able to take any more action on the warrant.