Bailiff help please

lizalou1979

Hi guys,
I'm currently sat in tears so any help or davice you can offer would be appreciated.
I have just had a phone call from my housemate saying that a bailiff (jacobs) has pushed a letter through our door addressed to me for £998 + costs with a 12 hour deadline to pay up.
It's for council tax for a year or so ago and i had recieved one letter about it before but because i suffer from bouts of depression had forgotten about it.
There was a mobile number on the letter which i have just tried to ring but with no answer i just left a message.
I can't afford to pay this ammount up front as i am now a student and only work parttime (currently on stat sick pay due to more depression but back at work tomorrow).
Any advice as to what to do next?
My housemat is under the impression that the bailiffs will be back tomorrow.
Please help
Thanks
Liza

Sarahx

Sorry I'm not going to be much help, but I'm sure someone will soon be along to help you. I just wanted to send you a big hug.

Sarah x

bellrooster

Hi Liza

I'm having problems with Jacobs myself at the moment..

Firstly don't worry, the Bailiff can't come into your home! but make sure you keep all your doors and windows shut and locked and if he comes, tell your house mate to not open the door to him. Oh and if you have a car, don't leave it outside your house as they can levi on it.

take a look at www.bailiffadviceonline.com as they are really helpfull

most of all don't feel intimitated by them, you obviously need to pay your council tax bill but only at an amount that you can afford!! Jacobs are known for using awful methods to intimidate people but remember that as long as you are willing to pay off the debt, whatever you can afford per month, and as long as you make it clear to them that you will not allow them peaceful entry into your home, then there's not a lot they can do.

feel free to pm me

feel free to pm me.

lizalou1979

thanks for this, i have pm'd you

RobertoMoir

bellrooster wrote: »

and as long as you make it clear to them that you will not allow them peaceful entry into your home, then there's not a lot they can do.

You shouldn't allow them into your home, but if they have a warrant that allows them to do so, it's up to them to attempt to gain entry peacefully, not for you to tell them whether or not you allow them to! I'm a former bailiff and we never used to take much notice of what people told us they were going to "allow" us to do, we simply concentrated on what we were legally entitled to do.

To repeat what I've said in previous posts about bailiffs:
Ok. For this kind of debt, unless the bailiff has been into your house already and has levied distress on goods in the house and got you to sign a document called a 'walking possession' then they cannot force their way into your house.

They only have the right to gain 'peaceable entry' (presuming my assumptions are correct about them not being in before).

• Peaceable entry doesn't include kicking your door down or getting a locksmith to drill your locks. This is something they can't do.
• Peaceable entry does include tricking someone into letting them in "Oh really? You say you've spoke to the council, can I come in to use your phone to double-check what they said?"
• Peaceable entry does include climbing in through an open window or going round the back to try your back door in case you forgot to lock it.

Speak to the council and find out for yourself if they won't accept an arrangement from you. Some will and some won't in my experience (I'm a former bailiff). If they do, great; if they don't, then it isn't like you've lost anything or incurred more costs just for asking.

Be very careful about letting the bailiff into your house to levy distress. Once they're in, they have the right to remove goods there and then. Not saying they will, in fact they probably won't because they'd rather have the money, but you do need to understand the stakes that you're playing with at this point.

AMBERSHADOW

Contact herbie21 She is brilliant and will solve this for you, Some of the Bailiffs have no morals and will say anything to get your money or goods
please call herbie first she will put you right.
I had a terrible ordeal with Bailiffs they terrorised me for approx 2 hours and I could have just sht the door on them as they both were acting illegaly

misspoppy

The best thing to do is to call the council to try to get an arrangement in place explain to them that you have mental health problems as this makes you a vulnerable person Failing that you need to get an arrangement in place with the baliff.

Good luck

robin_banks

Two thing you need to do.

1) Do not let bailliffs in - ever.
2) When you speak to the council, make sure you've got all the evidence to hand i.e. sick notes, details of medication.

You may be surpised to learn that council staff can be very reasonable about this.

RAS

If you are a student should you be paying CT? Did you not get an exemption letter?

And it would be worth trying to talk to your local councillor as they may be able to help you negoitiate a deal.

looktothefuture

((((((HUG))))))

Sorry to hear that you are being put into a position like this one! Luckily, I have a really understanding bailliff who met me for coffee in the high street instead of anywhere near my home - He's obviously one of the very few bailliffs who have some compassion!

I'd suggest speaking to the Council about your situation and your medical history. Failing which, contact the head office of the bailliffs and ask to speak to someone high up in the management chain. They'll be able to decide if your case needs some consideration before any further action will be taken!

Speak to Herbie21, she's given me some awesome advice and all of which has worked to get round my bailiff - hence the meeting in the high street bit!

lizalou1979

Hi guys,
I phoned the mobile number for the bailliff first thing this morning and explained my situation. I told him that it wasn't my house, that i merely rent a room and he wasn't going to get peaceable entry etc.
I explained that i was willing to make payment in installments but again he wasn't getting inside to levy goods.
He said that because it was council tax i only had til April to pay as that was the start of the next tax year and if payment wasnt done by then then cthe council will commit me to prison.
I said i would call back and then promptly phoned the council offices and repeated what the bailliff had sais to me. They said that alot of people have been saying this and advised that because it was now with bailliffs they couldnt deal with it but siad to ring the head office of Jacobs (the debt company).
This i did and again explained my full situation and what had been siad to me. They told me that i could have six months to pay or sometimes longer and that i needed to call back the bailliff for a earnings/outgoings form.
I rang the bailliff back and told him what i had been told. He then said that he would put the form into my letter box for me in the next few days and take my offer of £20 a month repayments back to the office.
I then phoned the head ofice back, recounted my conversation with the bailliff and asked them to record it in my notes.
I am waiting to recieve a print out of the debt etc from council as requested today and also i plan to both email (tonight) and send by recorded delivery (tomroro) a letter to jacobs head office outlining what has happened today.
The bailliff said that he wouldnt be calling again so i just wondered if the above sounded ok to you guys or too good to be true? Is it a case of me now carrying through with my letters and filling in the form as and when i recieve it then waiting?
Please adviise x