Form N324 UK: Warrant of Delivery of Goods Guide

At a glance

• What Form N324 does: requests a County Court warrant of delivery under rule 83.23 of the Civil Procedure Rules, instructing a bailiff (enforcement agent) to recover goods a judgment has already ordered be returned.
• Court fee: £148 to issue a warrant of delivery for goods in the county court, per the current GOV.UK civil court fees (EX50) schedule — always check GOV.UK before you pay, as fees are reviewed periodically.
• No extra fee for money claimed at the same time: where the warrant also enforces a debt, damages or costs award alongside the goods, GOV.UK confirms there is no separate fee for that element.
• Two versions of the warrant: a "warrant of specific delivery" (goods only, no option to pay their value) or a warrant to recover the goods or their assessed value, depending on what your underlying judgment allowed (rule 83.23(1), (3) and (4)).
• Permission needed in some cases: the court's permission must be obtained first if six years or more have passed since judgment, if a party has died or changed, or in certain other circumstances set out in rule 83.2 CPR.
• Validity: a warrant of delivery lasts 12 months from issue and can be extended by the court (rule 83.3 CPR).
• Not the same as a warrant of control: a warrant of control seizes and sells a debtor's own goods to raise money towards an unpaid judgment debt (up to £5,000 in the county court); a warrant of delivery recovers specific property the court has already ordered returned to you. See GOV.UK's warrant of control guidance for the money-recovery route.

What Form N324 is for

Form N324 is the County Court form used in England and Wales to ask the court to issue a warrant of delivery of goods. It only becomes relevant once a judgment or order already exists requiring the debtor to hand back specific items — the warrant is purely an enforcement step, not a way to establish who owns the goods in the first place.

Typical scenarios include hire purchase disputes, where a finance company has repossession rights over a vehicle or equipment once an agreement is terminated, or claims where goods were wrongfully retained after a contract ended. In each case, the underlying judgment identifies the goods and orders their return; the warrant of delivery is what turns that order into an actual visit from a County Court bailiff.

Once the warrant is issued, the enforcement agent to whom it is directed must endorse it with the date and time of receipt only where the warrant includes a power to take control of goods to recover a sum of money, as required by section 99 of the County Courts Act 1984 — a pure warrant of specific delivery for goods only, such as the hire purchase repossession example above, does not carry this endorsement duty. No fee is charged for that endorsement step where it applies. The warrant's priority against any other warrants affecting the same debtor is fixed by the date it was issued, not by the date of any endorsement (rule 83.3(9)(b) CPR).

The two kinds of warrant of delivery

Which version of the warrant applies depends entirely on the wording of your original judgment or order, not on your preference:

• Warrant of specific delivery — used where the judgment or order did not give the debtor the option of paying the value of the goods instead of returning them. The bailiff's job is to recover the actual items, not a cash equivalent (rule 83.23(1) and (3) CPR).
• Warrant of delivery to recover the goods or their value — used where the judgment or order gave the debtor the alternative of delivering the goods or paying their assessed value. Here the debtor can settle by paying instead of handing the items back (rule 83.23(4) CPR).

If money is paid into court under a warrant that covers both the goods and their value, rule 83.23(6) CPR sets out that the payment is applied first to any sum of money and costs already awarded by the judgment, before anything is treated as satisfying the value of the goods themselves.

How this differs from a warrant of control or a warrant of possession

These three enforcement tools are often confused, but each does something different. The table below compares them using the current county court fees from GOV.UK's EX50 schedule and GOV.UK's warrant of control guidance.

| Warrant | What it enforces | Typical use | County court fee | |---|---|---|---| | Warrant of delivery (Form N324) | A judgment ordering the return of specific named goods | Hire purchase repossession; goods wrongly retained | £148 | | Warrant of control (Form N323) | An unpaid money judgment, by seizing and selling the debtor's own goods at auction | General debt recovery, up to £5,000 in the county court | £94 | | Warrant of possession | A judgment for possession of property or land | Recovering premises or land | £148 |

A warrant of control cannot be used to get a specific item back — it only raises money from whatever the debtor happens to own that can be sold. A warrant of delivery, by contrast, is targeted: it is only available where the judgment itself already identifies the goods to be returned.

Do you need the court's permission first?

Not always, but check before you apply. Under rule 83.2 CPR, the court's permission must be obtained before a warrant of delivery is issued if any of the following apply:

• Six years or more have elapsed since the date of the judgment or order.
• There has been a change in the parties entitled to enforce the judgment, or liable to have it enforced against them — for example, following a death.
• The judgment is against a deceased debtor's estate and it is sought to enforce against assets that have since come into the hands of executors or administrators.
• The goods to be seized are in the hands of a receiver appointed by a court, or a sequestrator.
• The remedy is subject to a condition and it is alleged that condition has now been fulfilled.

Where permission is required, the application is made under CPR Part 23 and must identify the judgment, explain any delay, and set out any change in the parties. If none of these circumstances apply to your case, you can proceed to request the warrant directly using Form N324.

Illustrative example: judgment more than six years old

Suppose a creditor obtained judgment for the return of specific business equipment in 2019 but only now, in 2026, wants to enforce it. More than six years have passed, so rule 83.2(3)(a) CPR applies: the creditor must first apply to the court for permission to issue the warrant, explaining the reasons for the delay, before Form N324 can be used. This is a fictional example for illustration; your own timeline should be checked against the judgment date on your paperwork.

The court fee — and when there's no extra charge

According to the current GOV.UK EX50 fee schedule, issuing a warrant of delivery for goods in the county court costs £148. Two related fees are worth knowing:

• If your warrant also enforces payment of a debt, damages or costs alongside the delivery of goods, GOV.UK confirms there is no additional fee for that money element — the £148 covers both.
• If the bailiff cannot execute the warrant at the address given and you need a further attempt at a new address, GOV.UK lists a separate fee of £37 for that request (except where a warrant has already been suspended).

Court fees are reviewed periodically by HM Courts & Tribunals Service, so treat these figures as a starting point and confirm the current amount on GOV.UK before you submit the form and payment. If you are on a low income or receive certain benefits, you may be able to apply separately for help with fees.

Step-by-step: how to request Form N324

1. Confirm you have a qualifying judgment. Before applying for a warrant of delivery, the court must already have made an order requiring the debtor to deliver up specific goods. Without that underlying judgment, there is nothing for a bailiff to enforce — check your paperwork carefully and make sure the order clearly identifies the items in question, and whether it gives the debtor the alternative of paying their value.
2. Check whether you need permission first. Work through the rule 83.2 CPR checklist above. If six years or more have passed since judgment, or the parties have changed, you will need a separate application for permission before you can use Form N324.
3. Gather the details you will need. You will need the claim number, the court where the judgment was made, the full names and addresses of both creditor and debtor, the value of the goods, and a precise schedule describing each item. If costs, damages or an unpaid balance are still outstanding, have those figures ready too.
4. Complete and sign Form N324 accurately. Fill in every section that applies to your claim, taking particular care with the schedule of goods, since this is what the bailiff will rely on when attending the property. Vague descriptions can slow enforcement down or create disputes on the doorstep, so be as specific as you reasonably can about make, model or any identifying features.
5. Submit the form with the correct fee. Send the completed and signed form to the County Court that made the judgment, along with the current EX50 fee. Keep a copy of everything you send for your own records.
6. Update the court if anything changes. If the debtor pays any part of an outstanding sum, returns some of the goods voluntarily, or the dispute is resolved in any other way after you have lodged the form, tell the court straight away. Enforcement is based on the figures and items in your request, so keeping the court informed avoids problems later.

What happens after the warrant is issued

Once issued, the warrant is passed to a County Court bailiff. Where the warrant includes a power to take control of goods to recover a sum of money — rather than being a pure warrant of specific delivery for goods only — section 99 of the County Courts Act 1984 requires the bailiff to endorse that element of the warrant with the date and time it was received as soon as possible, and no fee is charged for doing so. The warrant's priority against other warrants affecting the same debtor is fixed by the date it was issued, not by any later endorsement (rule 83.3(9)(b) CPR). No separate court hearing is usually required at this stage; the bailiff simply attempts to attend the debtor's address to recover the listed goods.

If the warrant is for delivery of the goods or payment of their value, the debtor can choose to settle by paying the assessed value instead of handing the items over. Outcomes vary depending on whether the goods are still at the address given and in a recoverable state.

Where a warrant of delivery also covers money owed under the same judgment — outstanding debt, damages or costs — that part is enforced in essentially the same way as a warrant of control, using the goods-seizure and sale procedure under the Taking Control of Goods Regulations 2013. Rule 83.5(4) CPR also allows the creditor to issue a separate warrant of control purely to recover damages or costs awarded by the same judgment, if that is more appropriate.

How long the warrant lasts

Under rule 83.3 CPR, a warrant of delivery is valid for 12 months from the date it is issued. If the bailiff has not been able to execute it within that time, the court can extend it for further 12-month periods on application. Its priority against other warrants affecting the same debtor is fixed by the date it was originally issued — not by any later extension.

If the debtor has moved, or the goods have disappeared

A bailiff can only recover goods they actually find at the address given. If the debtor has moved, GOV.UK's EX50 schedule lists a £37 fee for requesting a further attempt to execute the warrant at a new address (this does not apply where a warrant has been suspended). If the goods themselves have been sold, destroyed or hidden, enforcement by warrant of delivery may simply be unsuccessful, and you may need to consider other legal routes — for example, converting the claim into one for the assessed value and pursuing that as a money debt. This is a point where a short conversation with an adviser can help you weigh up realistic options rather than repeatedly re-issuing a warrant that is unlikely to succeed.

Do you need a solicitor?

There is no legal requirement to instruct a solicitor to complete or submit Form N324, and many creditors — including businesses recovering their own goods — file it themselves. That said, enforcement decisions can involve genuine tactical judgment calls: whether the six-year permission rule applies, whether it is worth pursuing a further attempt at a new address, or whether converting to a money claim makes more sense than continuing to chase specific goods. A short call with an experienced legal adviser can help you think through those choices before you commit time and a further court fee to a route that may not pay off.

What to do next

1. Check your underlying judgment to confirm exactly what it orders — specific goods only, or goods with the alternative of paying their value.
2. Work through the rule 83.2 permission checklist to see whether you need the court's permission before applying.
3. Gather the claim number, party details and a precise goods schedule ready to complete Form N324 accurately.
4. Confirm the current fee on GOV.UK's EX50 page before submitting the form and payment.
5. Keep the court updated if the debtor pays, returns goods voluntarily, or anything else changes after you have lodged the request.
6. Take advice early if your judgment is more than six years old, the debtor has moved, or you are unsure whether a warrant of delivery is still the right tool for your situation.

This guide provides general information about requesting a warrant of delivery of goods using Form N324 in England and Wales. It is not legal advice and is not a substitute for advice tailored to your specific circumstances. The law and fees described were accurate as at July 2026 and are subject to change — always check GOV.UK and legislation.gov.uk for the most current position before you apply.