Last reviewed: July 2026 · For use in England & Wales · eLitigant is a Community Interest Company (No. 16566612), not a law firm. Always check the current official form on GOV.UK before you file, and sign the request yourself.
Official form & guidance: Form N323 (Request for warrant of control) →
In short
Form N323 is the request a judgment creditor sends to the County Court to have a warrant of control issued — the step that sends county court bailiffs (enforcement agents) to take control of a debtor’s goods after a CCJ has gone unpaid. You certify the unpaid balance, state the amount the warrant should be issued for, and pay the issue fee. It is the County Court’s counterpart to High Court enforcement by writ of control. eLitigant’s Chris helps you prepare your enforcement paperwork to a professional standard — you check, sign and file.
Draft it
Give us your claim number, the judgment details and the balance still owing. We prepare your N323 request for a warrant of control — the balance certified, the boxes reconciled — drafted to elite drafting standards and ready to file.
Check your draft
Already started an N323? Upload it. We pressure-test the figures — the balance due, the amount the warrant should issue for, and whether county court enforcement is even the right route for your judgment — before the court returns it.
Judgment unpaid — plan your route
A CCJ is not money in the bank. Warrant of control, transfer to the High Court, attachment of earnings, charging order, third-party debt order — we help you choose the enforcement route that fits your debtor, then prepare the paperwork.
Why this matters
Bailiff enforcement is consistently the most-used method of enforcing county court judgments in England & Wales — year after year, warrants of control outnumber every other enforcement route in the Ministry of Justice’s civil justice statistics. There is a reason: it is comparatively quick, it needs no hearing, and the arrival of an enforcement notice is often what finally produces payment. But the request only works if the figures are right and the route fits your judgment — warrants sent to the wrong court, or for the wrong amount, come straight back.
What Form N323 is
Form N323 is titled “Request for Warrant of Control”. It is completed and signed by the judgment creditor (or their legal representative) and sent to the court with the issue fee. Its job is single-purpose: to have the County Court issue a warrant of control, which authorises county court bailiffs — enforcement agents employed by HM Courts & Tribunals Service — to take control of the judgment debtor’s goods and, if the debt is still not paid, sell them to satisfy the judgment.
Two features distinguish it from most court forms:
- It is a request, not an application. There is no hearing and no judge’s discretion at the issue stage. If the judgment (or an instalment due under it) is unpaid and the form is in order, the warrant is issued administratively.
- It contains a certificate. You certify that the whole or part of any instalments due under the judgment or order have not been paid and that the balance shown is now due. Get this figure wrong and the warrant — and everything the bailiff does under it — rests on a false certificate.
Warrant of control or writ of control?
The warrant of control is the County Court’s enforcement instrument. Its High Court sibling is the writ of control, executed by High Court Enforcement Officers after a judgment is transferred up using Form N293A. Which route is open to you depends mainly on the size of the judgment:
| Judgment debt | County Court warrant (N323) | High Court writ (via N293A) |
|---|---|---|
| Under £600 | Yes | No — below the transfer-up threshold |
| £600 to £5,000 | Yes | Yes — your choice |
| Over £5,000 | Generally no — must be enforced in the High Court | Yes |
| Regulated under the Consumer Credit Act 1974 | Yes — stays in the County Court whatever the size | No |
The executing officers differ too: county court bailiffs are salaried HMCTS staff working a local list; High Court Enforcement Officers are fee-charging enforcement businesses. Each route has its place — if your judgment sits in the middle band, it is a genuine decision, and our N293A guide sets out the other half of it.
When you can use it
You can request a warrant of control when:
- The judgment is unpaid — the debtor has not paid by the date the judgment or order required; or
- Instalments are in arrears — where the judgment is payable by instalments, the whole or part of an instalment due has not been paid. You do not have to wait for the full debt to fall due: the warrant can be requested for the unpaid balance, or for part of it (minimum amounts apply to part-warrants — check the current guidance before requesting one).
The judgment itself is the foundation. If there is no CCJ yet, enforcement is premature — start with the claim (see how to start a money claim). And if the debtor has applied to vary the instalments or suspend the warrant on Form N245, the court may pause enforcement while that application is decided.
Completing the form, section by section
The form is one page. Its four numbered sections are:
1. Creditor’s name and address
Your full name and address as judgment creditor, exactly as they appear on the judgment. If the claim was brought by a business, use the precise trading entity — mismatches between the judgment and the warrant cause returns.
2. Name and address for service and payment
Only complete this if payment and correspondence should go somewhere different from section 1 — for example to your legal representative. Include a reference and telephone number if you have one.
3. Debtor’s name and address
The judgment debtor’s full name and the address where the bailiff should attend. This is worth real care: the warrant is executed at an address, and a warrant sent to an address the debtor has left achieves nothing. If the debtor has moved, give the current address — and if they now live in a different court’s area, the warrant will be passed to the bailiffs for that area.
4. Warrant details
The arithmetic lives here, in two boxes and a fee section:
- (A) Balance due at the date of this request — the amount still owing under the judgment today, after crediting every payment received.
- (B) Amount for which the warrant is to issue — usually the same as (A), but where the judgment is payable by instalments you may request a warrant for part of the balance. If (B) is less than (A), the form asks you to state the sum that will still be due after the warrant is paid.
- Fees and costs — the issue fee and any legal representative’s costs are entered and totalled on the form; they are added to what the debtor must pay.
Below the boxes sits the certificate — that the instalments due have not been paid and the balance shown is now due — which you sign and date.
The form ends with a practical section that is easy to undervalue: contact telephone numbers so the bailiff can reach you, the debtor’s telephone number if you know it, and a free-text box for anything that may help the bailiff or any difficulty they may encounter. If the debtor keeps unusual hours, trades from a second address, or has previously refused entry, say so here — it is the one place the person actually executing your warrant will look.
After you file: the form’s own printed warning matters — you must inform the court immediately of any payments you receive after sending in the request. Taking a payment and leaving the warrant running for the full amount is the fastest way to turn a lawful enforcement into a dispute.
Filing, the fee and Help with Fees
Send the completed N323 to the court dealing with your judgment. If your claim is running on Money Claim Online, you can usually request the warrant through your online account instead of on paper. An issue fee is payable — check the current fee on GOV.UK before you file, as court fees change. If you are an individual on a low income you may qualify for Help with Fees: the form has a box for your Help with Fees reference (apply with form EX160 or online). The fee is added to the debt, so a paying debtor ultimately bears it.
Once issued, a warrant of control is valid for 12 months and can be extended on application before it expires.
What happens after the warrant is issued
Notice of enforcement
The bailiff must first send the debtor a notice of enforcement, giving at least 7 clear days’ warning before the first visit. Many debts are paid at this stage — the notice alone concentrates minds.
Taking control of goods
If payment is not made, the bailiff attends the address to take control of goods, following the procedure in Schedule 12 to the Tribunals, Courts and Enforcement Act 2007 and the Taking Control of Goods Regulations 2013. In practice that usually means listing goods under a controlled goods agreement — the debtor keeps the goods but must not dispose of them, and agrees a payment arrangement — rather than immediate removal.
What cannot be taken
Certain goods are exempt: basic household items the debtor and their family reasonably need, and tools, equipment and vehicles necessary for the debtor’s job or business up to a set value. Goods belonging to someone else — a partner, a landlord, a hire company — cannot be sold to pay the debt.
Payment and returns
Money recovered is paid through the court to you. If the bailiff cannot gain access, finds no goods worth taking, or finds the debtor gone, the warrant is returned unexecuted — at which point the money has not moved, and a different route (attachment of earnings, a charging order, a third-party debt order) may fit your debtor better.
If you are the debtor: the other side of the warrant
A warrant of control is serious, but it is not the end of the road. If you have received an enforcement notice on a judgment you cannot pay at once, you can apply on Form N245 to suspend the warrant and offer payments you can afford — and if the judgment itself was wrongly entered, a set-aside application may be open to you. Doing nothing is the one option that never improves matters.
Common mistakes
- Wrong route for the size of the judgment. Requesting a county court warrant on a judgment over £5,000 (outside the Consumer Credit Act exception), when the High Court writ route was required — or transferring up a judgment under £600, which cannot be done.
- An uncredited balance. Certifying a balance that ignores payments already received. The certificate is the legal foundation of the warrant — reconcile every payment before you sign.
- A stale address. Sending the bailiff to an address the debtor left months ago. Verify before you pay the fee, not after.
- Forgetting to report later payments. Any payment received after the request must be reported to the court immediately — the form says so in bold for a reason.
- Leaving the bailiff blind. The contact and information boxes are your channel to the person doing the work. An empty box wastes the one visit that matters.
- Treating the warrant as the only tool. If the debtor has no goods worth taking but has a salary, a property or money owed to them, attachment of earnings, a charging order or a third-party debt order may recover more.
The rules that apply
- CPR Part 83 — writs and warrants of control: issue, validity and execution.
- Schedule 12, Tribunals, Courts and Enforcement Act 2007 — the taking control of goods procedure.
- Taking Control of Goods Regulations 2013 — notice periods, exempt goods and the stages of enforcement.
- CPR Part 70 — general rules about enforcement of judgments.
Always check the current form, the current fee and the current thresholds before filing.
Related Court Forms & Guides
- Form N293A: Transfer a CCJ to the High Court — Writ of Control
- Form N245: Suspend a Warrant or Vary CCJ Payments
- Form N337: Attachment of Earnings Order
- Form N349: Third-Party Debt Order
- Form N379: Apply for a Charging Order on Land
- How to Start a Money Claim Online (OCMC)
- Particulars of Claim
- Civil Court Forms Index
Frequently asked questions
What is Form N323 used for?
Form N323 — “Request for Warrant of Control” — asks the County Court to issue a warrant of control so that county court bailiffs can take control of a judgment debtor’s goods after a CCJ, or an instalment due under one, has gone unpaid. The creditor certifies the unpaid balance, states the amount the warrant should issue for, and sends the form to the court with the issue fee.
Do I need a hearing to get a warrant of control?
No. N323 is a request, not an application: if the judgment or an instalment due under it is unpaid and the form is completed correctly, the court issues the warrant administratively, without a hearing. The certificate you sign — that the balance shown is due and unpaid — is what stands in place of a judge’s scrutiny, which is why the figures must be right.
What is the difference between a warrant of control and a writ of control?
A warrant of control is issued by the County Court and executed by county court bailiffs. A writ of control is the High Court equivalent, executed by High Court Enforcement Officers after the judgment is transferred up on Form N293A. Judgments over £5,000 must generally be enforced in the High Court (unless regulated under the Consumer Credit Act 1974); judgments under £600 cannot be transferred up; in between, the choice is yours.
How much does it cost to request a warrant of control?
An issue fee is payable when you file the N323, and it is added to the debt the bailiff collects. Court fees change, so check the current fee on GOV.UK before you file. If you are an individual on a low income you may qualify for Help with Fees — the form has a box for your Help with Fees reference number.
What can the bailiff actually take?
County court bailiffs follow the taking control of goods procedure: at least 7 clear days’ notice of enforcement, then a visit to take control of goods — in practice often a controlled goods agreement rather than removal. Basic household necessities and tools of the debtor’s trade up to a set value are exempt, and goods that belong to someone else cannot be sold to pay the debt.
What if the debtor pays me after I have sent the request?
Tell the court immediately — the form itself carries this warning in bold. The warrant must reflect the true balance, and enforcement that continues for money already paid exposes you, not the debtor, to challenge.
Can the debtor stop the warrant?
Yes — a debtor can apply on Form N245 to suspend the warrant and offer instalments they can afford, and the court decides what is reasonable. A warrant can also fall away if the judgment behind it is set aside. That is not a reason to hesitate; it is a reason to make sure your judgment and your figures are solid before you enforce.
Can eLitigant complete Form N323 for me?
eLitigant prepares professional enforcement paperwork from the judgment information you supply — including the balance reconciliation the certificate depends on — and can review a draft you have already written, or help you weigh the warrant against the other enforcement routes first. It is not a law firm and does not give legal advice — you remain the litigant in person, and you should always check the current form and fee before filing.
Get your enforcement paperwork right the first time
Give us the judgment details and the payment history. We prepare your request — the balance certified, the route checked against the thresholds — drafted to elite drafting standards and ready to file.
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eLitigant CIC (No. 16566612) — a community interest company. Not a law firm; you remain the litigant in person. eLitigant prepares professional documents from your own information; it does not give legal advice and no outcome is guaranteed. Always check the current form, fee and deadline before filing.
Form content and official guidance on this page are reproduced or adapted from material published by HM Courts & Tribunals Service on GOV.UK. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. eLitigant CIC is independent and is not affiliated with, or endorsed by, HM Courts & Tribunals Service or any government department. Always check the current official form on GOV.UK before you file.