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The sale of your goods

This information applies to England and Wales

About the sale of your goods

If you owe money, your creditor has various options to try and get their money back. Instructing bailiffs to take your things away is one of these options.

A bailiff is someone whose job it is to take away things belonging to people who owe money. The things are then sold and the money is used to pay back the debts.

A bailiff can't usually force their way in to your home. However, if they have been in and taken legal control over your goods, the goods will be taken away and sold unless you can come to an arrangement to pay back all or some of the debt. The money raised from the sale will be used to pay the bailiffs' charges and all or part of the debt.

Except for cars and other vehicles, most second-hand goods are of little value and often the debt won't be completely paid off after sale of goods. In many cases, selling your goods won’t benefit your creditor much, although the threat of your goods being sold might make you pay up.

This page tells you about how the goods are sold and what happens afterwards including:

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How soon will the goods be sold

Usually there will be at least five days before the sale unless a court has ordered otherwise. In most cases, the sale will be by public auction.

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What if you pay off the arrears before the sale

If you pay the arrears and other costs in full before the date of the sale, the sale won’t take place and you’ll have to collect your goods.

However you may still have to pay transport charges, advertising costs and valuation fees.

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The price of goods

The bailiffs have to get the best price they can for the goods. You can ask for an independent valuation of the goods. However, you’ll have to pay the valuer's charges and expenses, which can be high.

In practice, bailiffs are experienced at estimating the sale value of goods and you won’t usually need an independent valuation.

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Can you buy your goods back

Both you and the creditor have the right to buy the goods at the auction, provided that you pay the best possible price.

What happens to the money raised

The money raised from the sale of the goods will be used to pay your debt and the bailiffs' charges. Any money which is left over must be given back to you.

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What if the sale doesn’t raise enough

If the sale doesn't raise enough to pay off the whole debt and all the charges, the bailiffs' charges and costs will be taken first. You’ll still owe the rest of the debt to your creditor.

Generally if you ask the court, you must be given a detailed breakdown of how much money was raised from the sale of your goods and how the money has been shared out.

If you are unhappy about the sale, for example, if you think the bailiffs didn't get the best possible price, you may be able to complain or take action against the bailiffs.

If you want to challenge the amount raised at the auction, you'll need specialist advice.

You can get advice from your local Citizens Advice Bureau. To search for your nearest CAB, including those that can give advice by e-mail, click on nearest CAB.

If the debt isn't cleared the creditor can continue to take further action to recover the rest of the debt. Creditors or the court may also consider writing off the rest of the debt and it's worth asking them to do this.

For more about dealing with debts, see Help with debt.

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Bailiffs' charges

The bailiffs can charge you for removing and selling goods, including the costs of:

  • transport
  • advertising the sale
  • valuation of goods, if you request it
  • storage.

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Further help

On Adviceguide

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