Help Needed!! With Rossendales Bailiff

Tigerlilly37

Can Anyone Help Me?

I hope you will be able to help me and give me some advice about bailiffs from Rossendale’s.
I had a man call at my home last week, knocking on my door. His knock was very aggressive and I decided not to answer it. He also tried the door handle of both doors before leaving. He left a letter stating that I owed £777 for outstanding council tax which was a great surprise to me as I pay it by DD on a monthly basis and this should have been renewed in April as usual (10 X £77)
I have not received any correspondence from the council about this; he first I knew was the bailiff turning up.
The letter stated I should
, ring him straight away, which I did three times the next day to no avail as it went straight to his answer machine. Each time I left my reference number and my name and said I would ring again. I got so worried that this would get out of hand that the following day I wrote to Rossendale’s Head office with an offer of a regular payment for £80-£100 per month until the debt was cleared. I offered to pay the first instalment on

Yesterday I came home to find a reply from head office saying they couldn’t help me and I had to speak to the bailiff concerned. They made no mention of the payment offer so I wasn’t sure they had even taken any notice of it! They said to fill in the statement of income forms that the bailiff had left but the trouble was-he didn’t leave any.
I came home tonight to find the bailiff had called a second time and left the same notice (except it said second visit)

I thought the best thing to do would be to send the payment I said I was willing to pay (tomorrow or Monday- I will hold off for a few days until you hopefully respond to this PM) and ask for the forms.

I really am at my wits end and I do not have the money to pay them so I am concerned they will try levying goods. Can they legally access my property if it is secure? Most of the property happens to belong to my lodger anyway as I have had to sell everything of mine that is of value to keep a roof over my head.
Would it help to get in touch with the council (I intend to make a complaint anyway as they never informed me it hadn’t been paid and as being disabled I don’t often get to the bank to check things like this- I used to bank online but now as I have no cheque book or cheque guarantee card I can no longer use online banking)
I have heard that you have experience in these matters from a professional point of view and I would really value your help and advice.
Please help
Tigerlily37

DarkConvict

There was a good topic on this i was just reading about council tax. I will try to find it.
Found it, read this topic - http://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/showthread.html?t=1968639

The council must get in touch with you before referring to a Debt collection agency (DCA) as must any creditor. I would get in touch with the council first and discuss it with them. They must inform you.

With regards to the bailiff visit, they may only gain peaceful entry and may not force entry. As to them trying the door, i do not know what to say. I'm sure others will comment on it.

With regards to on-line banking, i do it for everything. For some accounts i don't even have a bank card, just my on-line details. I am sure you can set-up on-line banking with them, although you may need to move to an account that supports it if it has stopped. Should be a simple process, worthwhile ringing your bank to arrange this if online banking is really useful.

Wol2

Do NOT let them into your property, (talk through a window or the letterbox)...lock all doors and windows, keep any vehicles far away from the house..make sure anything in your garden is under lock and key......and above all do NOT sign anything and do NOT send any payment to the bailiffs...yet.

They have visited twice, not gained access...and have therefore not been able to levy any of your possessions (check any paperwork they may have posted through your door to make sure there is no piece of paper with your car/reg no, bits of furniture etc detailed on it)

This means that they should now return the debt to the council (but will they heck)

First of all you need to establish if there really is a debt to pay.

Ring the council......tell them there has been a mistake......a DD should have been set up for this year as per your instructions and in keeping with how you have always paid your council tax. Find out why this has not been the case and ask them for the amount you owe as stated on the Liability order. (The council must have obtained one of these from the magistraites as otherwise they would not have been able to appoint a bailiff to collect).

You need to find out why the DD wasn't set up - it could be the council's error - and if so, this whole "collection matter" should be dropped and the council should call off the bailiffs with no financial penalites incurred by yourself..providing you are wiling to make regular payents to satisfy the debt.

Therefore, if there is a debt..(no matter whose error) .make an offer to the council to repay on a monthly basis for an amount YOU CAN REALISTICALLY AFFORD based upon your monthly income and expenditure. Then start making payments direct to the council if they will accept.. Confirm your intention to pay (and your first payment) in writing and copy this to the bailiffs. Phone your "personal" bailiff and tell them this is what you have done. Do not be intimidated when the bailiff threaten you with all sorts unless you pay up the whole amount. Stand your ground and repeat what you have done....and that you are not refusing to pay the debt but this monthly payment is all you can afford..and the councail ave accepted first payment which you have apid to them direct. (PS £50 pcm is reasonable if you can afford it)

The bailiff can not remove your goods unless they have a "Walking Possession" signed by yourself (which they hope to obtain on the first if not the second visit). However your bailiff had made two visits and not got hold of you, let alone entered the house...that's good

I'll say this again because it is very important.......Check the paperwork they left to make sure they haven't tried to deliver a "Walking Possesion" and levy on any vehicle left outside your property or goods they have spotted through nosing through your windows.

Contact the coucil first thing on monday to sort this out and make sure the bailiff and Rossendales are copied in on your agreement with the council.

Hopefully your council will sort this mistake out.(not all do, some deny all responsibility)..abut there may (porbably will) still be some unpleasant after shocks such as bailiff charges to contest...so please keep us posted every step of the way.

Well done for posting so soon....hopefully you can put a stop to this before it gets really messy.

Good luck.....and as long as you don;t let the bailiff in or sign anything, please stick to your guns and follow up with the council.

xxx

mrs_boop

hi
i am in the same situation but got lots of good advice from the people in this forum

if you have a car put it in someone elses name and back date it before the bailiff came

the only thing you dont want them to do is levy on goods don.t let them in don't talk to them lock doors and windows

if they cant get in contact with you they will send it back to the council and then its easier to sort out

the council told me they expect the bailiff to make at least 3 to 4 visits

check if you are a vulnerable group

phone your local councillor mines been great phones the council for you

get a labrador ha ha see my thread

Tigerlilly37

Well I got in touch with my council today they where about as helpful as bad case of Bubonic Plague!!

I phoned them to ask if they were prepared to take back my account for my council tax from Rossendales Baliffs.

Their answer was a BIG FAT NO!! she was so nasty and very rude. Basically she said it was my problem and I would need to go through Rossendale Balilff. She said "well - if you don't pay this is what happens."

I explained to her that I am not refusing to pay the outstanding council tax of £777.77 thats when she stopped me in my tracks.

She said I had not paid for last year either, so I owe £1600.I told her that I have paid last years and she told me to prove it. So I am going through all my bank statements.

I said surely if I have not paid last year why are they chasing this year and not last year? She could not answer me only to say that it was my problem and I would need to pay £1600.

I told her that I made an offer to Rossendales of £100 to be paid monthly and they have refused it. I said I could pay her right here and now by my debit card and would be preparid to give her my bank details to set up a direct debit.

She would not accept this either!

I am at a loss as to what to do. I feel like a prisioner in my home. I have locked all doors windows and kept curtains shut to keep out of the way of the bailiff but I'm not sure if this is the right thing to do?

Does anyone have any suggestions to what I should do or if I should speak to anyone about this and if I am doing the right thing?

My health is not the best at the moment and this worry is not helping at all.

I know I owe the mony £777.00- I don't dispute that; what I don't like is being bulied from the baliffis and from my local council.
I just want to start to pay it off but if I go to the council they won't take the money and if I go to the Baliliffs they want Blood.

Please Please Can Someone Help Me!!
I am writing to my local councillor tonight to see if he can get the mean b************ to at least be reasonable

Kind Regards
Tigerlilly37:(

DarkConvict

I would ring them again and ask to speak to the manager.

Explain the situation to them instead. State that the council made no attempt to contact you, and it is not that you do not want to pay, but that no one has told you that you have not paid and are now in arrears. Explain you have offered to pay but the previous person refused this. The important thing is to get them to understand a mistake has been made and it was not deliberate. You need to get the bailiffs away otherwise you face addition charges, and that you also now feel trapped in your home.

Do go through your bank statements as much as possible and see where the payments have stopped.

As regards to chasing only 1/2 the amount I am not sure why they would do this.

Also do keep on at talking to the councillor.

kachine1k

DarkConvict wrote: »

I would ring them again and ask to speak to the manager.

This won't do you any good at all. They only pass you onto another member of the team.

I have a friend that worked for Rossendales in that department.

Ames

I don't know anything about benefits, I've just got two things to say.

Firstly, look online at your council website for the complaints procedure. Complain about them not contacting you before it got to bailiffs, and about the attitude when you phoned, and about the problem with the direct debit, and about them having no record of last year's payments. The ONLY time I've got anywhere with my council is by officially complaining.

Secondly, if you're disabled have you applied for council tax and housing benefit? If your only income is benefits then you should be entitled. It can't be backdated, but it'll make things easier from now on. Although if you're eligible for now it should bring the rest of this year's bill down, reducing the £770. When things are sorted out, I'd also get a full benefits check done, by CAB or social services, or best of all if you have one nearby a DIAL.

moneybuster

ask to speak to a collections officer get there name and explain what is happening, they can not refuse payment as it is there duty to collect the tax:rolleyes:, they tried charging me twice as well, and it is illegal for them to charge twice, 25 mins on the phone trying to convince them they where charging me twice and they where having none of it, till the penny dropped with the collections officer, no apology from them just a straight forward payment plan, they must offer you one before sending in the bailiffs,.


did they send you demands for the outstanding balance check out this web site http://www.opsi.gov.uk/SI/si1992/Uksi_19920613_en_6.htm#mdiv18

MB

vixen86_2

i have some trouble with ballifs, regardings parking fines, 7 that amount to £1900, i have had my car clamped and they have said they will leave it there for 2days for me pay atleast £900 of the debt for them to remove it, the problem is, its stil on finance for another 4yrs and the finance is in my dad's name, can they still take the car or not? as far as i'm awarethey can't touch it if its still on finance and finance thats not in my name, since speaking to the balif this morning, i have been ringing him to arrange payments when i can make them and given him dates. what is the next best thing i can?

velocity.girl_2

Hiya, what a rubbish time you seem to be having... i can't offer much advice but i am dealing with Rossendales...i owed my local housing association £2,500 in rent...(for an old property) very complicated but i found there head office to be very reasonable and i am paying £20 a month(plus extras if it's a good month) via their online payment and as long as i pay when i say i will get no further hassles and because i do...i've not heard from them in a year and i now owe £1,500.

I am having problems with my council tax too i owe £302 for my old address and this is going to got to a liability order and i've found them as much use as a chocolate teapot too...

I hope this situation works out for you, try the rossendales head office again and hopefully you will get someone decent this time.