Equita chasing for council tax - asking for more than i can pay please help!!

astraea

Hi
My situation is that i am currently a full time student. i have 4 children and my husband is also a full time student - although he is not entitled to any finance as he is not on higher education but further education (he starts his degree in september). I work part time and earn 500-600 a month.

i currently owe about 2000 in council tax. this is several different accounts added together (we have been struggling for a while now). my current year is paid. this has now been passed to equita!!

in the last three months i have paid about £500 off the debt, but i am now facing possible eviction, as equita would only accept £25 a week and so i have not been paying al of my rent, to try and cover this amount.

We are getting everything we are entitled to, but i can only afford abou £15 a week to pay this off.

I have been readingn through the boards and i want to try and get in tuch with my councillor to see if they can get the council to take the debt back at a rate i can afford. I cant sleep i cant eat, and i am terrified i am going to loose either my home, or everything in it.

How do i go about asking for this help. how do i find out my local counciller or is it MP?

i would really appreciate any help. i am really trying to get out of this mess, but the money they are asking for is just too much!!

vikki

moneypenny2k

I can't really help much apart from suggesting you see a debt counsellor but I didn't want to read and run.

There are so many people on this board who have been where you are and to be frank in far worse places but they have come through it. There are currently people working their way through it currently. Most of them have got help and support from debt counsellors. Please seek help, there is help available to you. Make a little time to read through the threads here and you'll see what I mean. Also make sure you're getting all the benefits that you're entitled to.

I sincerely hope that things start to improve for you shortly.

Best wish

Moneypenny2k

Nottoobadyet

If you're both full time students and you are the only adults in the house, you shouldnt be paying any council tax. Can you perhaps get your status updated and backdated?

astraea

We are not paying council tax now and this years is up to date. these council tax bills are from several years ago and it is 5 differnt years ranging from £27 on one accoutn to £700 on the most.

what would i ask my counsillor to do? are they any good at helping?
my local council just sort of said "not our problem", but if they would have accepted a realistic amount form me in the first place i would not be in this mess.

i dont know where else to turn.
vikki

barbie_babe

Hi,
I notice you are both full time students so you shouldn’t be paying council tax. Students are exempt from paying council tax.

Also what where you both doing for work when the 2,000 was owed. If you were students you should look into if you owe this, if you worked part time only you also need to see if you owe this money.

Hope this helps been a student can be a stressful time.

barbie_babe

Sorry posted after someone asked you same question

NorthernLas

I think it would be a good idea to speak to one of the debt free charities. Follow this link to find their details https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/2077631

They will be able to advise you as to which debts to pay and personally I would say that your rent is far more important than being hassles by a DCA to pay more than you can afford.

astraea

NorthernLas wrote: »

I think it would be a good idea to speak to one of the debt free charities. Follow this link to find their details https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/2077631

They will be able to advise you as to which debts to pay and personally I would say that your rent is far more important than being hassles by a DCA to pay more than you can afford.

But how can i get the council to take this back at an affordable rate?
i know the rules about letting them into the house, but i cannot afford to lose my car. i am not sure of the rules surrounding taking cars, but i need it for my job (care officer in a children's home, need it to take kids out etc), and for my degree course (student social worker, need car for placement or i cannot complete my course), and also to take my children to school (my 13yr old has recently been diagnosed with epilepsy, and i need to take her a nd pick her up as she has already ended up in hospital in last month after collapsing int he street and having a grand mal seizure!)

I am terrified about them taking my car, i have no where to hide it either as we live in a cul de sac miles formm anywhere.

what should i do?

tallyhoh

Is there a possibility your husband could postpone his course & take a job?

In the meantime do you have court orders for the CT repayment. Have you written to them asking if they can reassess your payments?

Look on your local council site (google it) it should give you a list of your local councillors, they might talk to the council for you.

NorthernLas

I have found some links that might help - and you may already have looked at these (sorry if you have)

http://www.nationaldebtline.co.uk/england_wales/factsheet.php?page=02_bailiffs_and_council_tax

http://www.direct.gov.uk/en/MoneyTaxAndBenefits/ManagingDebt/DebtsAndArrears/DG_10034289

http://www.advicenow.org.uk/advicenow-guides/consumer-and-money-problems/dealing-with-bailiffs/if-you-get-a-letter-from-bailiffs-html,619,FP.html

The national debtline one has specific information about paying what you can afford. The advice now one says to phone and explain your circumstances e.g. your DD illness and ask them to make an exception. And I found another reference that suggests that a baliff cannot take your car if it is essential for your work ... your DD health problems may make it essential.

There are other users with far more experience than me I'm afraid ... did you do an income and expenditure sheet to work out what you could afford to pay?

Hopefully someone will come along soon ... if you can change the title to have bailiff collecting past years council tax ... being asked to pay more than I can afford, others may pick it up

astraea

e live in Hull and my husband is a joiner. the building trade is non-existent here at the moment, he had been out of work for nearly a year before giving in and returning to college. he has also still been applying for jobs. one of the last jobs he applied for had 1200 applicants for one part time position!!

I am close to giving up uni, i am trying to give my children a better life, but i cannot get out of this cycle to do so!! just feel like giving up!!