Form N445: Ask the Court to Reissue a Warrant

At a glance

• Who uses it: the creditor (claimant) who already holds a judgment and whose warrant has lapsed, been returned unexecuted, or needs attempting at a new address.
• What it does: asks the county court to reissue a warrant of control, possession, delivery or committal so enforcement can be tried again on the same judgment.
• Fees (from EX50, updated 10 July 2025): £37 for a further attempt at a new address; £94 for a fresh warrant of control; £148 for a warrant of possession or delivery. Always verify the current figure on GOV.UK before you file.
• Time limits: a warrant of control lapses 12 months from the notice of enforcement (regulation 9(1), Taking Control of Goods Regulations 2013) and can be extended once only; a warrant of possession or delivery lapses 12 months from issue (CPR rule 83.3(3)) and can be extended repeatedly.
• Six-year rule: court permission is required to issue any warrant where six or more years have passed since the date of judgment (CPR rule 83.2(3)(a)).
• Governing rules: CPR Part 83; Taking Control of Goods Regulations 2013 (for warrants of control); EX50 fee schedule.

What Form N445 is and when to use it

Form N445 is the HM Courts & Tribunals Service (HMCTS) form titled "Ask the court to reissue a warrant". You — the creditor — use it to ask the county court to reissue a warrant after the first enforcement attempt did not recover what you are owed.

It is always the creditor who files N445. The debtor never uses this form. If you are the debtor and want to stop a warrant, the relevant form is Form N245, to suspend a warrant or vary payments.

Which warrants N445 covers

According to the GOV.UK guidance for the form, N445 can be used to reissue a warrant of:

• control — authorises enforcement agents (formerly "bailiffs") to take control of the debtor's goods and, if necessary, sell them to satisfy the debt. First issued using Form N323.
• possession — to recover property or land. First issued using Form N325.
• delivery — to recover specific goods. First issued using Form N324.
• committal — for enforcement of a court order against a person.

The three situations where reissue arises

You typically need N445 in one of three situations:

1. The warrant lapsed before the enforcement agent could complete action (the 12-month clock ran out).
2. The warrant was returned unexecuted — the agent attended but could not gain entry, found nothing of value, or could not locate the debtor.
3. The debtor has moved to a new address and you want a fresh attempt there.

Time limits and the expiry rules

Getting the timing right is the single most important step before you file N445.

Warrant of control: 12 months, one extension only

Under regulation 9(1) of the Taking Control of Goods Regulations 2013, an enforcement agent may not take control of goods after a period of 12 months beginning with the date of the notice of enforcement. The court can extend that period — but only once, and only by a further 12 months (regulation 9(3)). After that single extension is used, the mechanism is exhausted. If enforcement has still failed, a different method will be needed.

Warrant of possession or delivery: 12 months, extendable repeatedly

Under CPR rule 83.3(3), a warrant of possession or delivery is valid for 12 months from the date of issue. Unlike the warrant of control, the court may extend it from time to time, each time by up to 12 months (CPR rule 83.3(4)). If you apply before the 12 months expires, the extension runs from the day after expiry; if you apply after expiry, the court sets the start date (CPR rule 83.3(5)–(6)).

The six-year permission rule

Under CPR rule 83.2(3)(a), no writ or warrant may be issued without the court's permission where six or more years have elapsed since the date of judgment. Waiting that long adds a separate permission application to the process and makes enforcement significantly harder — so it pays to act while judgment and warrant are fresh.

The same permission requirement applies where a party has changed since judgment — for example, if the creditor or debtor has died and someone else now stands in their place (CPR rule 83.2(3)(b)).

What you need before you start

Gather these before filling in Form N445:

• the court name and (if applicable) the County Court Money Claims Centre reference;
• your claim or case number as it appears on the original judgment paperwork;
• the original warrant number (if available) — or the issue date and warrant type so the court can match it;
• the full legal names of both parties;
• the debtor's current address, especially if it has changed;
• the amount still outstanding on the judgment after any sums already collected;
• a clear reason the original warrant was not executed.

Completing Form N445 section by section

N445 is a single-page request form. Work through it in order.

1. Court and case details. Enter the court name and your claim or case number exactly as they appear on your judgment. A mismatched number is the most common cause of delay.

2. The parties. Give the claimant's and defendant's full legal names. If you are a company, use the registered company name, not a trading name.

3. The original warrant. Identify the warrant you want reissued — its number and type. If you do not have the number, give the issue date and type.

4. The amount outstanding. State the amount of the judgment debt still owed. Deduct anything the enforcement agent has already collected. Do not include sums that have been paid.

5. The reason for reissue. Explain plainly why the warrant was not executed and what you want now. If the debtor has moved, give the new address here.

6. Sign and date. Sign as the creditor, or as a person authorised to act on the creditor's behalf.

Common mistakes that bounce the request

• Using a trading name instead of the registered company name.
• Quoting the wrong case or warrant number.
• Overstating the balance by forgetting sums already recovered.
• Failing to give the new address when the whole purpose is a fresh attempt there.

Any of these can cause the court to return the form unfiled.

Fees

The fee depends on what you are asking for. The following figures come from the HMCTS civil court fees list (EX50, updated 10 July 2025) — always check the current figure on GOV.UK before filing, as court fees change.

| What you are requesting | Fee | |---|---| | Further attempt at a new address (except where warrant was suspended) | £37 | | Issue a new warrant of control (recovery of money) | £94 | | Issue a new warrant of delivery (goods) | £148 | | Issue a new warrant of possession (property or land) | £148 |

Help with Fees. If you cannot afford the fee, you may qualify for Help with Fees using form EX160, which can reduce or remove the fee depending on your income and savings. See GOV.UK for the current eligibility rules.

No fee for reissuing a suspended warrant. Where a warrant was suspended (because the debtor agreed to pay by instalments, for example) and the debtor has then defaulted, there is no fee to reissue — the EX50 table expressly excludes suspended warrants from the £37 charge.

Filing and what happens next

Send or take Form N445 with the correct fee (or your EX160 application) to the county court that holds your case — usually the County Court Money Claims Centre if your original claim was made online or through that centre. Keep a copy of everything you file.

If the court is satisfied, it reissues the warrant and passes it to the enforcement agents for a fresh attempt. Timescales vary between courts. If you have not heard back within a reasonable period, contact the court that holds your case rather than re-applying.

If the debtor is in a Breathing Space

Under the Debt Respite Scheme (Breathing Space) regulations, if the debtor is in a formal moratorium, enforcement is paused and the court will refuse a request to reissue a warrant during that period. When the Breathing Space ends, enforcement can restart from the point it stopped — GOV.UK guidance confirms there is no additional fee to resume at that point.

Worked example

The names and figures below are entirely fictional, used only to illustrate the process.

Meridian Tiling Ltd won a county court judgment for £3,200 against Mr D. Okafor for unpaid invoices and issued a warrant of control using Form N323 (fee: £94). When the enforcement agent attended the address on the judgment, Mr Okafor had moved out three months earlier. The warrant came back unexecuted.

Meridian later traces Mr Okafor to a new flat. The company completes Form N445: it quotes the original case number and warrant number, gives the new address, states the full £3,200 as outstanding (nothing was collected), and explains "debtor has moved — requesting further attempt at new address". It pays the £37 fee for a further attempt at a new address (EX50).

Because fewer than six years have passed since judgment and neither party has changed, no separate court permission is needed. The court reissues the warrant for a fresh attempt at the new flat.

Running court fee total: £94 (original warrant) + £37 (reissue at new address) = £131, recoverable from the debtor if enforcement succeeds.

When to consider a different enforcement method

Reissuing a warrant makes sense when there is a realistic prospect that the debtor has seizable goods or identifiable property. If enforcement agents have attended multiple times and found nothing of value, or you know the debtor has no assets worth seizing, further warrants may simply add costs without recovering anything.

According to GOV.UK, the main county court alternatives once a judgment is in place are:

• Attachment of earnings order — money is deducted directly from the debtor's wages by their employer (Form N337). The application fee is £135 (EX50).
• Third party debt order — freezes and recovers money held in the debtor's bank, building society or business account (Form N349). The application fee is £135 (EX50).
• Charging order — secures the debt against the debtor's land or property, to be paid when it is sold (Form N379). The application fee is £135 (EX50).

This is general information, not advice about which method to choose. The right route depends entirely on what you know about the debtor's employment, bank accounts and property. See the county court forms overview and the County Court hub for a wider picture.

When to get legal advice

Most creditors complete and file Form N445 themselves — it is a straightforward single-page form and the process is free to navigate without legal representation. Consider taking advice if:

• six or more years have passed since your judgment, meaning you need the court's permission to enforce (CPR rule 83.2(3));
• a party has changed since judgment — for example through death or corporate restructuring — and you are unsure who can now enforce or be enforced against;
• the debt is large, contested, or part of a broader commercial recovery strategy involving several enforcement methods at once;
• the debtor appears to be insolvent, is abroad, or is in a Breathing Space and you are unsure how that affects your ability to proceed.

Support Through Court offers free, practical help to people going through civil proceedings without a solicitor.

This guide gives general legal information about England and Wales — it is not legal advice for your specific situation. Enforcement rules differ in Scotland and Northern Ireland. For advice on your case, speak to a regulated solicitor or legal adviser.

Last reviewed: June 2026 · Next review due: June 2027 or on legislative change.