Council Tax Court Summons 7 days before BR Date!!

Simpsona

We have court booked for BR on 6th March but have just recieved a court summons for the 27th Feb for council Tax! We are filling in the form for Council Tax relief which I will hand in tomorrow (we should have been claiming this for the past 4 years but have never done so and always paid in full!) but dont think this will have anybearing on that court summons?? If they get a liability order on feb 27th (before our BR date) will they be able to execute that order and come and take goods to the value of? Or will they back off if I tell them I have court booked for BR booked the following week? This might just make them all the more keen to get the liability order in place to get thier pound of flesh before we go BR?

If they are entitled to come and take stuff because of a difference of 7 days I will be gutted!

fiveyearplan

Can you phone them and make an arrangement to pay? Tell them you lost your job or something but plan to start on 1st March and will work to pay it off ASAP. Try and negotiate anything you can with them.

fermi

Once the liability order has been made, the council must by law give you an additional 14 days notice that they are sending it to bailiffs.

So you should be just fine.

Simpsona

If they get the order prior to the BR date though wont it still stand? Or will the BR cancel it out?

fermi

Simpsona wrote: »

If they get the order prior to the BR date though wont it still stand? Or will the BR cancel it out?

It will be included in the BR. Some councils get a bit shirty about that, but it is just tough.

Simpsona

Thanks Fermi, hope its ok then. Shall I make an arrangement anyway so I dont need to attend court? Dont really wanna go if its not necessary. Or shall I just let court day come and go without me?

broadpaws

hi

You don't need to attend court for summons on your council tax, the judge will declare you are liable and then likel send you a liability order via the post, make sure you return this. Its normally asking for your income and an offer of repayment, if you were not going BR this is when you hope the council will accept your offer of repayment or they will do one of 2 things, an Attachment of Earnings or Bailiff, but as the previous poster said looks like your BR hearing is soon.

Good Luck
BP

Simpsona

Thankyou BP, yeah Br hearing is 7 days after the council tax one so it'l be through and stamped (Hopefully!) before they can issue any action.