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Facing sequestration and terrified! Help?
eklynne
Posts: 2,396 Forumite
Ok, deep breath, here goes!
I am being sequestrated by my council for council tax arrears which amount to over £5,000. This debt has accumulated over 12 years, mostly with my ex for the home we jointly own. We seperated 4 years ago, and I still live in the home with our daughter. I have lost contact with my ex, even though his name is still on the mortgage, I have struggled to keep my home on my own, but obviously things have had to slip. I have no mortgage arrears.
I am currently a University student, on a very low income and I am worried sick about where my daughter and I are going to go when we (inevitably) lose our home. Will I be given time to find somewhere new or will I be turfed out after 14 days? We live in Scotland, is the law different here?
I am due in court on Monday. I really hope someone can help. I have no close family and have no one to talk to about this.
I am being sequestrated by my council for council tax arrears which amount to over £5,000. This debt has accumulated over 12 years, mostly with my ex for the home we jointly own. We seperated 4 years ago, and I still live in the home with our daughter. I have lost contact with my ex, even though his name is still on the mortgage, I have struggled to keep my home on my own, but obviously things have had to slip. I have no mortgage arrears.
I am currently a University student, on a very low income and I am worried sick about where my daughter and I are going to go when we (inevitably) lose our home. Will I be given time to find somewhere new or will I be turfed out after 14 days? We live in Scotland, is the law different here?
I am due in court on Monday. I really hope someone can help. I have no close family and have no one to talk to about this.
Come ride with me, through the veins of history...
I'll show you how God falls asleep on the job.
~Matthew Bellamy.
I'll show you how God falls asleep on the job.
~Matthew Bellamy.
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Comments
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ok so you need to go and talk to your council about this. Surely you must get benefits to get you through your course, and if you have dependants getting more money than usual? Take along an income and expenditure sheet to show that you can't pay anymore....
Surely if you are a mature student, you don't pay the whole council tax anyway as you are a student. I thought they didn't pay? Check with your student union.
If they really won't play ball then you next need to talk to Shelter, they often have a person who will go and help you prepare your case for court. You could argue that if the sequestration goes ahead now and you are made homeless the inevitable disruption to your course, might mean that you don't complete it and therefore are in a worse position to pay it back.
Also urgently talk to your education establishment. Both the union and the poly/uni iteself had hardship funds and I can't imagine that you wouldn't qualify for some help.
Next look to see if you can find you ex's parents if you can't find him. He needs to take responsibility for some of this debt. And the grandparents of your little one can't be so hard as to see their grand child homeless? They are far more likely to be on electoral role being older so maybe that would be a way of finding them?
Also look on sites like Facebook, bebo etc and see if you can find him on there. You should tell the council that you are not solely responsible for the debt, only for the last 4 years or something.
Sorry if this is no help but I thought that it might give you some food for thought. And though you say you have no family close by is there ANYBODY who you can borrow the money from even if they give you loads of i told you so's as part of it? Time to swallow the pride if it gets the council off your back.
best of luck
chevI want a job that is less than an hour driving away from my house! Are you listening universe?
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Hi Chev,
thanks for your reply.
I don't pay council tax but these debts date back to 2003 would you believe?!
Is there still time to offer them a minimum payment if I have already been given a date to appear in court?
I have been having a good read of this brilliant site and have been given some relief as I see I am not alone in this big financial mess! Yesterday I felt like running away but now I see there may be some hope.
I shall take on all your advice and hopefully post up some better news on the situation as and when it happens.
Thanks again.
Lynne.Come ride with me, through the veins of history...
I'll show you how God falls asleep on the job.
~Matthew Bellamy.
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go on to entitledto.co.uk and see if you have all the benefits you are able to get. The main thing now is to confront it and not hide (trust me, been there done that and its a million times worse when you come back)
Have you been to Citizens Advice etc? You need to speak to someone who has experience of this and will help you out.
hope things get better for you.
xxx0
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