Lambeth Council - help!

blckbrd

Jaspaz, I make no judgement of you. Take 'you' as being any Joe with a looming invoice - your neighbours perhaps.

Dvardy, the council will go all out for a ccj. That's the culture now especially with non-resident lessees and even more so when council's have cuts to accomodate. Fiduciary duty and all that.

Compared to some of the bills for Decent Homes works, this involves a relatively minor amount and a landlord who is servicing an investment at the expense of public funds - that won't attract a great deal of bending over backwards from the court or the council I'm afraid.

CCJ info - even if instalments are agreed, it's still a ccj:
http://www.direct.gov.uk/en/MoneyTaxAndBenefits/ManagingDebt/CourtClaimsAndBankruptcy/DG_10013083

Fire_Fox

jaspaz wrote: »

Oh how easy it is for people to make snap judgements on forums about us having had 4 years to save blah blah without knowing our full financial and work history :rotfl:after a disastarous time last year with an employer who did not pay me on time and seriously screwed up our cash flow situation, my husband was made redundant in Feburary and this has wiped out all and everything we had scrimped together to save. We are only in our early 30s, very recently married, and working very hard to pay debts off on top - so surprise surprise we never had much in the way of savings as we are only just now starting to earn the levels of salaries where we could put sums by.

Yes we knew the bill was coming - to the point where we were hassling the council to invoice us so we could sort out a payment plan. Our personal situation wasn't something I was going to go into as it doesn't really have much relevance on our current situation (or of much interest to others tbh) - asides from the fact that we don't have any spare cash lol

And as for asking my parents for money....they have been generous to the point of lending us a vast sum to reduce the mortgage enough so we could switch from a residential to a buy to let. Asking for more is not an option.

From a legal perspective, tough titty. You are contracted in your long lease to pay service charges and major works, your personal circumstances are your own problem. On a personal level I have sympathy with you as I am a leaseholder myself with major works hanging over my head whilst on JSA, but there really is no point in mincing words: if you get taken to court you WILL lose, you WILL get a CCJ and you WILL likely have all the costs added to your mortgage. You have no legal right to a payment plan, if you cannot afford this property you should have sold up rather than borrow to switch to BTL. I genuinely am sorry to be so harsh, but I don't want you to end up with legal fees added to your debts.