If a bailiff sees something from your window

Jerryjerryjerry

P.S. There was no bathroom to speak of. The electrics were all faulty and one of us nearly got an electric shock. We had to fit a new shower. We had to REWIRE the whole house! Which we have receipts for. There has been no cooker plugged into the house since we bought it... although we've just last week managed to get one fitted in.

The kitchen was falling to pieces.. the roof was falling in and had to be repaired twice... and we have receipts to prove it. So hopefully this might come to something.

Jerryjerryjerry

I'd also like to add that apart from the one "judgemental post" where it was said, i can afford paint but not to pay my council tax... well... I would have paid it if I could afford it. I have paid all my other bills up to date.. because I've had to. The mortgages (we have two), have been our priority. If we didn't pay gas/electricity, we'd freeze. For the last two years we have lived the most frugal existance you can imagine. I have never, in two years, bought a coffee from a coffee shop (watching my workmates do it every day, but still).

We have been out once (that was to a free cinema screening from this website).

Any clothes we have bought, have been from EBAY or charity shops. My shoes are scuffed, and in an appalling state. My clothes are clean but tatty.

I've had the same hand bag since about 5 years ago. the leather/whatever, is peeling off. But nobody notices.

We've existed.. not lived. Our quality of life has been terrible.

We haven't even bought ourselves so much as a card at christmas/valentines/wedding aniversary let alone gone out or done anything to celebrate.

We have bought ALL our meat on reduced (we go to supermarket at certain times). We buy 2 for 1's. We stay in every night and cook from scratch. Rarely buy ready meals unless they are on for 20p giveaway.

We have a £5,000 credit card bill which i'm slowly paying off the minimum (its on zero percent thanks to this site). We buy our groceries some months, with our credit card. As well as the paint, the plaster, all B&Q things - we get on the card.

So.. yea.. I guess I could always use the credit card again to pay this bully boy bailiff.. but I'm not going to. I'm going to contact the council and come to an affordable arrangement. Or at least die fighting.

We are hoping, that after we have everything in control by Christmas (fingers crossed), that we will go somewhere cheap (on our credit card).. but we are so desperate for a break from all of this. (to top it all off, another story another day, my mother in law has done nothing but nag.. she says the house doesn't look any different.. and where does our money go). I give up.

pure_dead_dopey

jerry

don't feel you have to justify yourself here, this board is about help, just concentrate on getting yourself sorted and don't worry about negative and unhelpful comments. good luck I hope you get it sorted and so far you've had mostly fabulousl advice

Jerryjerryjerry

Thanks pure dead dopey. Much appreciated.

QueenB.

I can't add any more information as the wonderful people on here have already done such a good job but i just wanted to that when we where in debt the threat of a bailiff turning up scared me constantly so i understand how you feel.:(

Follow the great advice you have recieved here, stay strong and don't allow the worry to make you so stressed that it affects your health (easier said than done i know:))

I will keep you in my thoughts and i hope this situation all works out for the best as soon as possible for you both.

CIS

Especially if he says he's levied them. Can he levy through window?

The basic 'rule of thumb' is if the bailiff can touch the goods then he can levy (although not if he has to reach through windows etc to do so).

MoneySaver82

Jerryjerryjerry wrote: »

I'd also like to add that apart from the one "judgemental post" where it was said, i can afford paint but not to pay my council tax... well... I would have paid it if I could afford it.

In fairness to Happy Camel I just wanted to say I don't think it was meant in a judgemental way - I think how it was meant was that you are paying a painter to come in and do the work when you could be saving money by doing the painting yourself.
Don't want to take sides, just wanted to show how it could be read from another perspective - you're under so much stress it's easy to see how you could feel like they were having a go at you but I don't think it was meant that way.

From the sounds of things you are working amazingly hard and having a horrible time trying to scrimp and save wherever you can and I can imagine the last thing you want to come home and do is start painting when you have a million other things to do!! So well done on all your hard work and hope things do eventually get better for you both - it definitely sounds like you deserve a break! I'm sure if you keep going the way you are there will eventually be light at the end of the tunnel.

Sorry I don't have any constructive advice re: baliffs as have so far managed to avoid getting to this point (just about!!) but just wanted to say keep up the good work :T and don't let yourself be bullied by these thugs. :T

RobertoMoir

CIS wrote: »

The basic 'rule of thumb' is if the bailiff can touch the goods then he can levy (although not if he has to reach through windows etc to do so).

This is the idea. The point of a levy is that it is in itself the seizure of goods. So in order to be able to levy on something the bailiff must be able to physically seize it at the time they levied.

I know you know all that CIS, just spelling it out further for other people who read the thread for help!

Jerryjerryjerry

I don't have my council tax number. I turned the house upside down last night.. as did my husband. He looked in the garage and the shed, and I looked everywhere else. We don't have one letter from the council with our council tax number on it!

So... we could not go any further with the council. They wont speak to us without that number.

Therefore, its us against Equita. We are just going to have to ride it through for a few weeks/months, until that thug of a bailiff, comes into our house when we are not home and takes what he wants, or manages to get our car at some point. We parked our car elsewhere last night and will continue to do so for the foreseeable future. That's all we can do.

Jerryjerryjerry

My husband tried one last final thing. He went to the Neighbourhood office in person armed with his passport and other forms of id and they finally let him have our reference number!

I phoned the council who were very helpful. They've asked me to email them photographs etc. I've done this. I've set out the dates the house was inhabitable from and have asked them to re-evaluate what we owe - considering we were excempt for the first 12 months and I will be happy to set up a DD to start paying them.

Have also contacted (Equita) - the council told me to.. And told them what was going on.

Will keep you posted.