Council Tax Nightmare

murphy1315

Hi
Ive been having a problem with LCC for nearly 8 years now!
It all started when I lived in a house that had been converted into 4 flats.
Long story short; most of us moved out, owner went bust.
I moved into my new property in 2004 and paid all my bills/council tax etc
Then around 2005/6 I got a bill from a bailiff asking for nearly 2500 on behalf of LCC.
I got in touch with LCC and asked what the bill was for. They told me it was for my old address. I immediately told them that they knew id moved out and was paying CT in my new address. I sent them proof of tenancy and dates for my new address including bills etc...
LCC refused to accept any of this and continued pursuing for payment.
I eventually got LCC to a IT and the IT found in my favor back to mid 2004.
LCC however still say I owe nearly £600 now from the dates around 2003-2004.
I have continued to dispute these dates and argued that the original liabiltiy order they had issued had been granted under false pretense. Also the fact the any original request for payment amounts had not been recieved by me originally due to the fact I was never at the address they were sending them to. and they know this as the IT have found in my favor that I wasnt there!!!
I have been told yet again to follow another complaints procedure(that im still in the middles of) however I have now just recieved a bailiff letter for the amount of £600
I have tons of paperwork etc about this case and I am trying my best to put it as simple as possible here to get more advice.
The main points I need advice on are:
1) LCC obtained a liabilty order with incorrect amounts/dates- therefore it shouldnt be enforcable- how do I go about this
2) I have never had the chance to argue my case in court or to provide evidence to them as I wasnt at the address at the time- why wont they accept this as they know its fact
3) How the H*LL do i get rid of them, this has been ongoing since 2005/6
If i think of any more points I will update
I know its a bit long winded but im at the end of my patience.
Thanks all

murphy1315

Can anybody please help and advise me. I have now received a bailiff letter threatening removal of goods. LCC are now ignoring any of my contact, even though they have told me to follow their procedures??!!

Gothicfairy

which council is it ? LCC is where ? Liverpool, Leeds, Leicester etc

Do you owe them any council tax at all ? you say the property was split and most moved out but that does seem to mean you must have been living there for some time. Did you ever pay council tax at the property ?
Do you have proof of the dates you moved out and by that I mean tenancy agreement with an end date ? The council could well say you were responsible for more then one address.
Just because you tell them you have moved does not mean they close the old account down.

murphy1315

sorry yes Liverpool
And by split it was a house with 4 seperate flats.
I know for a fact 2 other people are having exactly the same arguments but LCC wont budge
And i did pay council tax at the property and when i moved into my new address i paid it there. Ive had the arguments that I could occupy 2 houses etc.. But all this has been quashed by the tribunal. They have found that I wasnt in the property at the times LCC quoted.
My main points again are that when LCC first sent alleged bills I never received them as I wasnt there, so how can they make a judgement against me? The tribunal again have confirmed I wasnt at the address, so therefore I have never had the chance to contest a liabilty order.
I sent every type of proof from tenacy agreements to utility bills, driving license etc... They refused all of this but the tribuanl accepted it

oman2010

Can somebody help me?
i am a british expat working in the middle east, on a 2 year contract. My girlfriend is living in a house that we rent. i contacted my local council to suggest we qualify for the single occupancy tax discount, as i am only in the uk for a maximum of 6 weeks in a year. They declined and said it was because i had a uk bank account at that address. Surely i shouldnt have to pay council tax for less than 6 weeks in a year! Does anybody know of a solution?

CIS

From what you have posted so far you are resident for council tax purposes . Working abroad does not remove council tax liability.

The main case for this is Ward V Kingston upon Hull

WARD v KINGSTON-UPON-HULL CITY COUNCIL (1993)
Mr Ward spent only six to nine weeks in the United Kingdom and his wife was considering joining him in Saudi Arabia. The High Court held that Mr Ward had greater security of tenure at his dwelling in the United Kingdom, as opposed to that at his employment-related accommodation in Saudi Arabia, and that on this basis Mr Ward and his wife had their sole or main residence in the United Kingdom.