Need help - Bailiffs and Council Tax Arrears

Hi all, My situation is as follows:

A bailiff from Phoenix Commercial Collections attended my house today while i was at work and my wife answered the door. Apparently we have outstanding council tax debt of £1660 which needs to be paid in full asap.

When she told me this I gave him a call and he informed me that they had sent numerous letters and even posted notes through the door in the last few weeks when they've visited. Needless to say we have not received any letters from them, nor did we receive the notes they supposedly left.

I can't see any way to come up with the money by Friday (which is when he said the money needs to be paid by) and they won't accept a penny less by then (I can possibly pay £800 by borrowing before Friday with promises of £300 per month til this is paid but this was flatly refused). He plans to return on Friday and remove goods if we have not got all the money for him.

Has anyone got any advice for me here? For some reason I assumed that we had until April to clear the council tax, and I'm obviously paying dearly for this mistake now and am really desperate.
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Comments

  • Tixy
    Tixy Posts: 31,455 Forumite
    Did wife let him into the house? did she sign anything?

    Do either of you own cars that are kept outside the property?

    This will be worth a read - http://www.nationaldebtline.co.uk/england_wales/factsheet.php?page=02_bailiffs_and_council_tax
    A smile enriches those who receive without making poorer those who give
    or "It costs nowt to be nice"
  • HappyMJ
    HappyMJ Posts: 21,115
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    If they won't negotiate then ignore them. They'll eventually return the debt to council and you can make payments (however small) to them. DO NOT borrow money to pay this debt.
    :footie:
    :p Regular savers earn 6% interest (HSBC, First Direct, M&S) :p Loans cost 2.9% per year (Nationwide) = FREE money. :p
  • RAS
    RAS Posts: 32,539
    Name Dropper First Anniversary First Post
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    Is this this year's Ct debt?

    You may be able to get hold of your local councillor and get this retrieved.

    But for the future CT is due on April the 1st each year and the Council only let you pay by installments as a favour.

    However the bill almost certainly includes illegal fees
    The person who has not made a mistake, has made nothing
  • My wife did not let him into the house and she didnt sign anything. Also, we do not own a car.

    Thanks for that link by the way.

    If we ignore them, do they have the power to break in somehow or get the police involved. Obviously I dont want to make this any worse.

    By the way, this relates to the Council Tax for 2011/12.
  • Tixy
    Tixy Posts: 31,455 Forumite
    No as long as they haven't been in before then they cannot break in.
    A smile enriches those who receive without making poorer those who give
    or "It costs nowt to be nice"
  • hallowitch
    hallowitch Posts: 1,286
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    Forumite
    The first thing you do is contact the council and ask
    The amount of the liability order (confirm with them that this is the amount that was passed over to the bailiffs)
    the date it was sent to Phoenix Commercial Collections

    DO NOT UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES LET A BAILIFF INTO YOUR HOME
    the CANT return on Friday or any other day for that matter to remove goods
    to remove goods a bailiff must have previously entered your home and issued you with a notice of seizure of goods and inventory listing the goods they intend to remove

    can you please check the bailiff register and confirm that the bailiff is certificated to Phoenix Commercial Collections

    http://certificatedbailiffs.justice.gov.uk/CertificatedBailiffs/

    when you confirm the bailiff is certificated to Phoenix Commercial Collections and you have been in touch with council wee will tell you what to put in the e-mail you are going to send to the council


    If you need to phone the bailiff or Phoenix Commercial Collections can you please record the call (if possible)
    I am not an expert I am self taught i have no legal training any information I post is based on my own personal experience and information gained from other web sites


    If you are in any doubt please seek legal/expert advice help
  • Just to update:

    I phone the council who said that the liability order was in the amount of £1,436.25 and this amount was passed to Phoenix on 29th November. They were also shocked that we were asked for £1,660 as they believed the amount with fees should only be about £1,460 at the moment.

    I then called Phoenix who told me to contact the bailiff and would not listen to any proposals to pay. I then called the bailiff who said that he had added a £200 attendance fee for today and confirmed that he would accept nothing less than the full £1660 by Friday. I kept the conversation short as I could not record it.

    By the way, Im dealing with a Paul Holmes from Phoenix, who doesn't seem to be coming up on that certificated bailiff search, but neither is Phoenix which is confusing.
  • hallowitch wrote: »

    when you confirm the bailiff is certificated to Phoenix Commercial Collections and you have been in touch with council wee will tell you what to put in the e-mail you are going to send to the council

    This would be really useful! :)
  • hallowitch
    hallowitch Posts: 1,286
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    edited 25 January 2012 at 10:22AM
    http://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/showthread.php?t=3527469&page=4

    Have a read of this thread it explains why a bailiff must be certificated to the firm of bailiffs he is employed by

    he may have applied for a change of certificate phone his issuing court to confirm if this is the case



    Paul ArthurHolmesWorcester Combined Court10/08/201109/08/2013RES
    I am not an expert I am self taught i have no legal training any information I post is based on my own personal experience and information gained from other web sites


    If you are in any doubt please seek legal/expert advice help
  • hallowitch
    hallowitch Posts: 1,286
    First Post First Anniversary Combo Breaker
    Forumite
    will post shortly what you have to put in your e-mail to the council

    going to do it in office (so i don't lose the post again)
    I am not an expert I am self taught i have no legal training any information I post is based on my own personal experience and information gained from other web sites


    If you are in any doubt please seek legal/expert advice help
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