CRAR legal guide for landlords
Eligibility, notice and enforcement steps for recovering qualifying commercial rent without first obtaining a court judgment.
Read the CRAR guide UK Bailiffs knowledge centre
Enforcement, Property and Commercial Debt Guides
Practical, route-specific guidance for landlords, managing agents, businesses, housing providers, solicitors, public bodies and people affected by enforcement across England and Wales.
Featured guidance
Commercial rent
Commercial leases
Occupation status
Roles and powers
Start with the issue you need to resolve
The most frequently needed legal and operational guides are collected here. Each explains the route, the important limits and the point at which professional advice may be needed.
Relief from forfeiture
What relief from forfeiture means, who may apply and why landlords must preserve a clear evidence trail.
Read the guideExcluded occupiers
Identify the occupation correctly before notice, attendance or possession action is considered.
Read the landlord guideEnforcement agents and HCEOs
Understand the difference between the attending agent, the High Court Enforcement Officer and the authority behind the action.
Read the comparison Commercial rent and debt
CRAR
Subtenants
Insolvency
Rent security
Enforcement
2026 changes
Debt recovery
Pre-action
Credit control
Security
Finance
Service charges
Recovery, insolvency, security and pre-action guidance
Use these pages to distinguish CRAR from general commercial-debt recovery, lease remedies and insolvency restrictions.
CRAR legal guide
The qualifying conditions, statutory notice and enforcement process.
Read guideRecovering rent from subtenants
When rent may be redirected from a subtenant through the statutory route.
Read guideCRAR and insolvency
How liquidation, administration and enforcement moratoriums may affect recovery.
Read guideProtective levy explained
How a controlled-goods arrangement may protect the landlord’s position where appropriate.
Read guideControlled goods agreements
What the agreement records and what may happen if its terms are broken.
Read guideTaking Control of Goods amendments
The principal changes affecting enforcement work from May 2026.
Review changesStatutory demands
Purpose, service and important distinctions in the statutory-demand process.
Read guideLetters before action
Structured pre-litigation correspondence for business-to-business debts.
Read guideCreating enforceable invoices
Invoice wording and administration that can prevent avoidable disputes.
Read guideFixed and floating charges
The practical distinction between two forms of security over company assets.
Read guideProperty lending and receivership
Operational support around secured property and receivership matters.
Read guideService-charge arrears
Why service charges fall outside CRAR and require a different recovery route.
View the service route Practical tools
Late-payment calculator
Taking Control calculator
Occupation determination tools
Calculators and route-selection tools
Use these tools as an initial aid. They do not replace checking the lease, order, occupation or underlying evidence.
Estimate statutory interest and compensation on qualifying business debts.
Open calculatorReview calculations using the amended enforcement-fee framework applying from May 2026.
Open calculatorWork through the facts before selecting an occupier, possession or enforcement route.
Open tools Property and possession
Occupation status
Housing
Homelessness
Eligibility
Squatting
Court process
High Court
Commercial leases
After forfeiture
Lease breach
Illegal use
Occupation status
Locks changed
Vehicles
Occupiers, vehicles, court orders and commercial leases
Excluded occupier and temporary-housing guidance
A detailed landlord guide to identifying excluded occupation and avoiding the wrong route.
Read guideTemporary accommodation evictions
Legal and operational distinctions affecting temporary accommodation.
Read guideRough sleeper and homeless evictions
Authority, welfare and practical considerations affecting occupied land.
Read guideHomelessness myth-busters
Clarification of common assumptions about eligibility, duties and occupation.
Read guideSquatters’ rights and possession orders
Common assumptions compared with the possession routes that may apply.
Read guideInterim possession orders
A focused explanation of IPOs and their strict procedural timetable.
Read guideTransferring possession orders
Guidance on transferring qualifying possession enforcement to the High Court.
Read guideCommercial lease forfeiture
The conditions and process surrounding commercial peaceable re-entry.
Read guidePost Forteiture Applications
Applications for relief, relevant interests and practical risk after re-entry.
Read guideSection 146 notice guide
Why many non-rent breaches require a compliant notice before forfeiture.
Read guideIllegal traders and lease breaches
Issues to assess where unlawful activity may breach a commercial lease.
Read guideLicences, tenancies at will and leases
Why the true character of occupation matters before possession action.
Read guideCommercial tenant lock changes
What to examine when access to commercial premises has been changed or restricted.
Read commercial tenant lock-change guidanceVehicles left on private property
What should be checked before action is taken against a vehicle on private land.
Read guide Traveller, trespass and land
Private land
Occupied vehicles
Public trading
Aerial intelligence
Site recovery
Goods left behind
Unauthorised occupation, land recovery and site intelligence
Traveller and trespasser legislation
Common-law and statutory context for unauthorised encampments.
Read guideVan dwellers and stealth camping
Why occupation, consent, location and available authority must be assessed separately.
Read van-dweller removal guidanceStreet hawkers and pedlars
Pedlar certification, street trading and relevant local controls.
Read hawkers and pedlars guideDrone surveillance
Proportionate aerial capture for property condition, access and operational planning.
View drone-surveillance guidanceLand recovery and protection
A joined-up route from assessment and recovery through clearance, security and prevention.
View overviewTorts Act service pack
Structured support where goods remain on premises or land after possession changes.
View Torts Act guidance People, powers and practical reference
Roles
Powers
Myths and facts
Definitions
Professional entry
Identity
Public register
Received contact?
Debt help
Police
Downloads
Investigation
Asset intelligence
Understand the role, verify the person and find the right information
Enforcement agents, HCEOs and their roles
The difference between the attending agent and the officer responsible for a High Court writ.
Read comparisonWhat is a bailiff?
A plain-English explanation of the role, legal authority and important limits.
Read guideWhat bailiffs can and cannot do
Twenty common claims explained across entry, goods, fees, possession and conduct.
Open Myth BustersEnforcement and bailiff glossary
Plain-English explanations of frequently used enforcement terms.
Open glossaryApplying for an EAC1 certificate
An overview of applying for an enforcement-agent certificate.
Read guideVerify an enforcement agent
Practical checks to confirm identity and authority before making payment.
Verify an agentCertificated Bailiff Register
Find information about certificated enforcement agents and available work profiles.
Open registerInformation after receiving a letter
Check what the contact relates to, how to verify it and how to respond.
Get helpStruggling with debt
Independent-help routes, vulnerability information and practical next steps.
Find supportInformation for police officers
Operational context when police attend an enforcement or possession incident.
Read referenceService brochures
Downloadable information covering the principal UK Bailiffs services.
View brochuresDebtor trace
Tracing options where better address or identity information is needed before recovery action.
View tracing optionsAsset search reports
Information-led reporting to support proportionate commercial recovery decisions.
View asset reports General information—not legal advice.
The correct route depends on the facts, documents, occupation and law applying to the individual matter. Legislation and procedure can change; obtain advice from a suitably qualified solicitor where entitlement or procedure is uncertain.
Standards, safeguards and governance
Policies and professional reference
Direct access to the standards governing conduct, information handling, welfare and operational accountability.
Conduct and accountability
Data and technology
Welfare and safe practice
Move from information to action
Use the service route that matches the required outcome
A guide can clarify the issue. The service pages explain what UK Bailiffs needs before an operational instruction can be assessed and accepted.
Commercial enforcement
Rent arrears, service-charge recovery, forfeiture and related commercial remedies.
View core servicesProperty and land
Traveller, trespasser, rough-sleeper, occupied-vehicle and site-control matters.
View land recoverySpecialist support
Investigation, tracing, drone intelligence, security, access and post-recovery protection.
View specialist supportNeed action rather than general guidance?
Tell us what has happened, what authority you hold and what outcome is required.
