Council tax and baliffs.

looby75

I've already posted this on the debt free board but no one has been able to give much advice so I thought I would try here because my friend needs help asap and she can't get an appointment at the CAB for weeks and this is really stressing her out (and yes it is genuinely my friends problem not mine, my council tax is paid by benefits at the moment).

Yesterday my friend got a visit from a bailiff because of old council tax arrears, these arrears were partly from when she was with her ex partner (she would give him the money to pay the bill and he didn't pay it, she only found out about the arrears after he left) and partly through her own mistakes due to financial problems and ill health. She was paying a fixed amount each month, then 4 months ago she was really ill and paying bills was the last thing on her mind. She knows it's not a good reason but she genuinely forgot to pay. With late fees/charges etc she owes in the region of £3000. She explained all this to the bailiff and made a payment of £400 there and then (which was all the money she had in her bank account) and offered to set up a regular payment of £100 a month, which will significantly stretch her already tight finances. The bailiff told her that she owed too much for £100 a month to be accepted and advised her to try to get a loan to pay off the full amount. He's given her 2 weeks to arrange it and then he said he will call back. She phoned her bank to try to get a loan and it was declined so now she is worried sick and doesn't know what to do.

Also part of the amount the bailiff says she owed is for last years council tax, which she has been paying....I've been with her when she has paid it most months (at the local council rent office) so I know that can't be right. How can she check she's not being charged too much, she knows and admits she owes some money and wants to sort it out but just doesn't know how now that the bank has knocked her back.

Any advice would be really appreciated, I'm really worried about her, her health isn't great and this stress is going to knock her back off her feet again

Savvy_Sue

I think it would be worth contacting the local council to check what THEY think she owes. Trouble is, I know once bailiffs are involved everything gets more complicated. Also I wonder if a bailiff on the door has the authority to say "That's not enough", or whether contacting the company employing him might be more amenable to making an arrangement.

I would advise against her agreeing to pay off more than she can really afford though: if you've got an agreement, then stick to it, because as long as you are not 'in breach' of the agreement you are on stronger ground than if you 'breach' it.

Shelter might help with Council Tax. Also look to see if you have a local Debt Advice Centre or Law Centre, who MIGHT be able to help sooner than CAB.

hjb123

Does her local CAB not do drop in sessions? Ours does - you go and wait to be seen - no appointments can be made for that time - for drop in only!

LondonDiva

She should get herself down to the council & ask for advice & help in sorting it all out.

However, I don't think councils would just send baliffs to the door without having sent letters which would have given your friend a chance to contact them & try to sort something out or having gone to court etc

looby75

Thanks everyone

She has tried contacting the council but the have told her that as the debt has been passed to the bailiff they aren't allowed to discuss it with her. It's a case of banging her head against a brick wall :wall:

She knows that she owes money even though it's not been all her fault, and all she wants now is the chance to work it out. All this is doing is causing her more stress and at this rate she will end up in hospital

The CAB here is only a small one and doesn't have drop in sessions, they have an appointment system only and she can't get an appointment for 3 weeks

Fran

She needs to go to the next nearest CAB then. She really does need help with this especially if she already has health problems that are putting her under stress. They will be able to negotiate this on her behalf. She should mention her illness and the stress etc. to them.

She should NOT take out a loan to pay this but get advice and help. That would only make her situation worse.

hjb123

Hi,
The Citizens Advice Bureau are trialling an out of hours advice line - you could try this:0844 902 0021

We are currently running an out of hours advice service on a trial basis. This is available Monday to Friday, from 5.30pm to 8pm and on Saturday from 10am to 1pm. The service is available by telephone, email and online chat.

The telephone number is 0844 902 0021. You'll find links to e-mail and online chat on this page at the times when the services are available.

If you can't find the information you need on Adviceguide, and are not using the trial advice service, you can contact your local Citizens Advice Bureau where advisers will be able to help you. To find your nearest CAB, click on the CAB directory.

looby75

Thanks everyone, I'll pass the info on to her.

I just hope she can get something sorted before she has a break down, it's really affecting her that badly

derrick

Don't know where you are based, but there are some phone numbers below (the ones in bold are the geographical numbers) for some CAB's without using the ripoff 0844 number, charged at 5p per minute at all times

Citizens Advice Bureau (CAB) 0870 1264019 0208 2556051 Kingston-upon-Thames Citizens Advice Bureau (CAB) 0870 1264045 01494 448281 High Wycombe; also try 01494 445265 Citizens Advice Bureau (CAB) 0870 1264022 01603 765783 Norwich & District Citizens Advice Bureau (CAB) 0870 1264096 01509 506663 € Loughborough - Shepshed Citizens Advice Bureau (CAB) 0870 1204040 0161 4800116 Stockport (Stockport * Linked offices) also 0161 4808352 Citizens Advice Bureau (CAB) 0870 1204040 0161 4286347 Cheadle (Stockport * Linked offices) Citizens Advice Bureau (CAB) 0870 1204040 0161 4276691 Marple (Stockport * Linked offices) Citizens Advice Bureau (CAB) 0870 1288080 0208 3499840 London - Finchley; Fax: 0208 3494594 Citizens Advice Bureau (CAB) 0870 1264092 01590 679312 Lymington Citizens Advice Bureau (CAB) 0870 1264010 01223 222660 Cambridge

HTH