Help!! Bailiffs

kaya

when it gets returned to the court you will get a summons, you turn up and make an arrangement with the judge to pay in a way you can afford to, you fill in a means form for the court to help them work out what they think you can afford to pay, job done, but if you dont pay what you have arranged with the judge they will arrest you and put you in prison, but thats only ever an issue if you dont pay, when you make an arrangement to pay through the court the council tax people cannot interfere or override the decision that has been made.

level200

Hmmm not keen on court, can i make an offer of payment via a letter?

Rossy.

level200 wrote: »

Hmmm not keen on court, can i make an offer of payment via a letter?

Yes of course you can but dont offer the full amount they are saying you owe

the DCA has prob paid 10-20% of the total debt you owe but will obviously take you for the whole amount to net a tidy profit

If you really feel the need to pay up now then offer a reduced settlement figure say 50%

They may come back and say no but don't budge and they should eventually accept

bigtuk51

Firstly it's highly unlikely they'll bother with your car. As for signing your goods over to a family member that is frought with problems Try goodsprotection.com. Well thought out, 100% legal and extremely cheap for TOTAL peace of mind.

NorthernLas

OP: It would be worth you reading up on council tax arrears and bailiffs.

Useful and valid sources of advice are
http://www.direct.gov.uk/en/MoneyTaxAndBenefits/ManagingDebt/DebtsAndArrears/DG_10013198

http://www.bailiffadviceonline.co.uk/counciltax.htm

As I'm sure you know, council tax is a priority debt and should be paid above other debts like credit cards. The bailiff advice on line says that you can offer a payment plan but they do not need to accept it. I would offer it anyway but also look at ways of raising money to cover the debt. I would also speak to the council to see if you can arrange payments with them.

The goverment link has information on free organisations that you can speak to like national debtline (they also have another good fact sheet http://www.nationaldebtline.co.uk/england_wales/factsheet.php?page=02_bailiffs_and_council_tax#chapter7)

RobertoMoir

bigtuk51 wrote: »

Firstly it's highly unlikely they'll bother with your car. As for signing your goods over to a family member that is frought with problems Try goodsprotection.com. Well thought out, 100% legal and extremely cheap for TOTAL peace of mind.

Yes signing over your goods to a trusted family member or friend is fraught with problems, but selling it all to a total stranger running a random website is just fine.

Sure. I'd say more, but I wouldn't want to over-egg the pudding.

Oh wait, I will add one more thing. Just been reading the FAQ.

8. Why should I sign title of ownership of my belongings over to Goods Protection instead of a friend or relative?
A. if you do not sign the title of ownership of your belongings over to Goods Protection, your belongings may be seized by a bailiff in order to recover the payment of your debts. It is very difficult for a friend or relative to prove title of ownership without legal documents and assurances that come with dealing with a large national organisation.

Complete and utter balls. Two words for you: "Statutory Declaration".

I don't know if you're involved in that site, or if you're a well meaning but naive "customer", but it beggars belief that anyone would sign up for a service like this.

Enfieldian

bigtuk51 wrote: »

Firstly it's highly unlikely they'll bother with your car. As for signing your goods over to a family member that is frought with problems Try goodsprotection.com. Well thought out, 100% legal and extremely cheap for TOTAL peace of mind.

Oh, your company that you are advertising does not deal with cars then?

RobertoMoir

myothercarisaferrari wrote: »

AFAIK, they are not allowed in your house unless you let them. Keep all your doors and windows locked, move your car away from your house if needs be, then tell them to FO :-) they have about as much power as....um, Tony Blair!

Wrong. It's not up to you whether or not you let them in the house, it's up to them to attempt to gain what is known as peaceful entry.

Blahah wrote: »

Yup, keep doors and windows closed, curtains drawn. Don't answer the door. Don't enter into a conversation with them - just let them leave. Make sure your car is locked etc.

Wrong. Locking the car would not stop them levying on it.
And I'm curious, what do you think drawing the curtains will do?

Rossy. wrote: »

Yes of course you can but dont offer the full amount they are saying you owe

the DCA has prob paid 10-20% of the total debt you owe but will obviously take you for the whole amount to net a tidy profit

If you really feel the need to pay up now then offer a reduced settlement figure say 50%

They may come back and say no but don't budge and they should eventually accept

Utter nonsense, and dangerous advice to boot.

On top of that other idiot with their "sign your goods away to a random website" idea, I've got to ask: What is this, the special bad advice thread?

• If these are bailiffs acting for council tax, they are not debt collectors but "real" bailiffs.
• They have NOT purchased the "debt", they are bailiffs acting under a court order (a liability order granted in a magistrates court) to recover a tax which has not been paid.
• The council who has hired them to assist in recovering the tax is legally obligated to do all it can to recover the debt, and neither they or the bailiff will accept offers to only pay half and write off the rest.
• Council tax is a priority debt. It is one of the few debts you can go to prison for not paying (though this is unlikely to happen).

Kaya is right about the debt being returned to the council if the bailiff can't collect it, though I don't know where this idea that bailiffs can only make 3 visits came from. That certainly never used to be the case and I've seen no indication that either law or "custom and practice" have changed recently on this.

I'm sure you're all trying to help the OP but if you don't know what you're talking about then please don't try and give advice on matters involving council tax and/or bailiffs collecting it.

CIS

That certainly never used to be the case and I've seen no indication that either law or "custom and practice" have changed recently on this.

The bailiff companies we use will attend as many times as required, once they have their fees maxed out though they are a bit more likely to return the case if its looking more cost effective for themselves.

RobertoMoir

Yes, CIS, that's how I remember it...