Help following bankruptcy in jan

applepiencustard

Hello again, some might know I declared myself bankrupt in January and things have been ticking along nicely but now I find myself with an awful problem again! Before we lost of home some of the bills were in my OH's name, the council tax bill being one of them and of course we were behind with this, I couldn't include this in my BR as it was in his name so have been dealing with Equita who have been hard work but I thought they understood the situation.

Anyway to refresh OH doesn't work, he has had some ill health which seems to come and go, my eldest child is disabled and sometimes I can't work so don't get paid, consequently I've had three payment arrangements and, you've guessed it, when I missed a payment on the last arrangement they gave it to a bailiff.

Said bailiff put a note through the door on thursday saying call him or else he'd remove goods. I called him late afternoon four or five times and he kept cutting his phone off and not answering so I called Equita and said I'd tried and if they took that as not responding I'd sue them. Surprise! bailiff phoned me back straight away and I said look I'd got to pick my child up and could I ring him in the morning, which he said was fine.

To cut a long story short Thursday night I emailed our local district councillor to ask that she intervene to get the council to take it back due to our vulnerable situation but of course have not heard anything yet. I spoke to the bailiff on friday morning who was very abusive and wanted to know why OH wasn't ringing him as debt was in his name, when I started to explain he exploded and said "oh I've had enough of this let's just put it through for committal proceedings". I just ignored him and politely explained OH was long term sick and Equita knew this also they knew the situation with my disabled child, I'd gone BR in jan but couldn't include this as it wasn't in my name or I would have and I was doing my best in a bad situation but was attempting to pay the debt off. He then seemed to calm down and said OK he didn't know any of this and was prepared to hold it until Tuesday to give me time to raise £314 and the remainder I could pay at £5 per week. I said OK I'd call him back on Tuesday but didn't hold any hope of getting that sort of money in two days and could he consider a week, he said yes but to call on tuesday. This has bought me some time.

The balance pre-bailiff was £450, he said he's added £160 for the first visit. Nobody let him in, I was at work and OH doesn't answer the door to ANYBODY. I thought they could only charge £45 or something but don't know. I said surely he couldn't take goods without a signed levy or walking possession order he said "love I've got a liability order with instructions from the council to just take your vehicles, goods whatever you've got". Hmmm.

I'm going to go straight to the CAB office on monday morning but can anybody help?

dalip

Try sending a pm to herbie21 she is something to do with bailiffs. Good luck.Dx

applepiencustard

Thanks very much dalip, I'll try that.

tigerfeet2006

If a bailiff has not been in your house and done a walking possesion order then he cannot come into your house and take any goods at all. Just don't open the door to him and keep all doors and windows locked and keep all vehicles away from the house. As far as I remember they can only charge for 2 visits and as you say there is a limit to what they can charge.

herbies website is https://www.bailiffadviceonline.co.uk which has some very useful info on it. She will help MSEer's via the PM system and on threads and is fantastic.