A certificated enforcement agent is a person appointed under Part 3 of the Tribunals, Courts and Enforcement Act 2007 in England and Wales, who may take control of goods and sell them to pay an amount of money when order to do so by a court.
This process requires a person to be an "enforcement agent" in order to exercise the powers it provides.
[2] A judge then considers the application and issues a certificate if he is satisfied that the person:[2] Once issued, the name of the enforcement agent is added to the national register, and their certificate is valid for two years, following which it must be re-applied for.
[2] The functions of an enforcement agent are laid down by the Taking Control of Goods Regulations 2013.
The regulations reformed the ancient law of distress (distraint), providing a set of codified, written rules concerning the process used for taking control of goods and, if necessary, their sale at auction to recover amounts of money owed by debtors.