Am I liable for outstanding Council Tax 3-4 years old?

isabella23

Hi
I am new to this site, can anyone offer any advice.
I recently moved from a property, and the council have sent me to outstanding invoices from 3-4 years ago of £390. Can I be made to pay such an old invoice? They told me my account was in credit after moving and sent me a cheque of £9.61. How can an account be in credit this year, and in arrears 3-4 years ago. There explanation is that they made an error under charging me by six months by saying my flat was under occuppied because it was being re-decorated...I never told them this and do not where they got this info came from. I do remember trying to pay a certain time of year and them telling me I had made an overpayment (I sometimes use to pay a few months in advance.)
They have said if I do not pay this, I will be issued with a Court Summons and then have bad credit rating.
Can a debt be wiped off after a certain amount of time.
Any advice would be greatly appreciated.
Kind regards
Karen

RobertoMoir

isabella23 wrote: »

Hi
I am new to this site, can anyone offer any advice.
I recently moved from a property, and the council have sent me to outstanding invoices from 3-4 years ago of £390. Can I be made to pay such an old invoice? They told me my account was in credit after moving and sent me a cheque of £9.61. How can an account be in credit this year, and in arrears 3-4 years ago. There explanation is that they made an error under charging me by six months by saying my flat was under occuppied because it was being re-decorated...I never told them this and do not where they got this info came from. I do remember trying to pay a certain time of year and them telling me I had made an overpayment (I sometimes use to pay a few months in advance.)
They have said if I do not pay this, I will be issued with a Court Summons and then have bad credit rating.
Can a debt be wiped off after a certain amount of time.
Any advice would be greatly appreciated.
Kind regards
Karen

If you want to challenge the legitimacy of their claims that's one thing, but if you are liable for council tax for that year you will need to pay it. I'd consider this a matter of urgency because they will tend to apply for liability orders to enforce the debt via bailiffs, etc, quite quickly if they don't think things are moving and it's much easier (and cheaper) to solve things before that happens.

If you speak to the council about making an arrangement to pay in installments they should be sympathetic.

As for being in credit one year and in debt the next, each year's council tax is a separate account. This is quite possible.

Oldernotwiser

isabella23 wrote: »

Can a debt be wiped off after a certain amount of time.

Council tax debts are one of those that don't become statute barred after 6 years.

CIS

They told me my account was in credit after moving and sent me a cheque of £9.61. How can an account be in credit this year, and in arrears 3-4 years ago

It happens all the time (I work in council tax recovery) where information comes to light after an account has been closed and a new demand needs issued.

A Council Tax debt, within 6 years of the Demand being issued, can be progressed through the courts for a Liability Order to be issued. Once issued the Liability Order remians in force until the balance is clear.

If the Council do not get the Liability Order within the 6 years then they lose the chance to gain a Liability Order but they can still pursue the debt, they just dont have any legal powers to force payment.

There explanation is that they made an error under charging me by six months by saying my flat was under occuppied because it was being re-decorated...I never told them this and do not where they got this info came from

You need to contact them to discuss. If an exemption had been added to your account then you are legally responsible for advising the council that this is incorrect and you are responsible for any charge due.