Council Tax and Baliffs

jayjay2910

Good Afternoon everyone, hope you can help been reading these forums all morning after getting a call from my girlfriend saying i have been had a hand delivered letter through the door from a baliff firm

i have a liabilty order outstanding for £650 for council tax from a previous address about 6 months ago, and i have been away due to a family berevement and havent really been on the ball sorting out bills etc , and now back to work after being on the sick for 3 months(some background my father past away and i have been trying to sort his affairs out which means i have been in another part of the country trying to deal with it, it was a sudden illness he was fit as fiddle one day, next he was in hospital after passing out on the golf course, and died within 5 days)

so rang the bailfiffs cacking myself, and said i could afford to pay them £50 a month to clear this debt starting 27 of this month october, rang one number was told i would be transfered to the baliff dealing with my account, and got through to another office where the women was very nice but said they would want the debt cleared within 8 week and would accept 2 monthly payments of £260 to clear the debt and this would reduce the amount owing.

Said i couldnt really afford this , as this would leave me broke, she said then they would make an appointment for the baliff to visit me at home to discuss a repayment arrange, said i don't want this and she said the only option i have then is too make the two payments.

so i turn to you guys for your advice on how best to proceed with this now, i could afford the amount by cutting back and missing a few bill payments this month, and proberaly living on a very basic shop. i have a dispoble income of about £80 a month left after i pay all my current debt and bills why i made the offer of £50 a month, i dont have a social life as times are hard after being on the sick for a while everything got on top i made the stupid mistake of getting a pay day and ended up taking several out to cover living cost, but now have them sorted, and only one left to pay, which i come to an arrangement with the company to pay back over 3 month.

so i would like to know, can the baliffs make me pay back over the 8 weeks and if not can they make me let them in to my flat as reading online this is a tatic for them to assess my goods.

so any help or pointers would greatly appriceated

RAS

Hi

First rule of bailiffs - they cannot come in your house as long as you refuse to open the door (and keep both the doors and windows locked). Do you have a car?

second rule of bailiffs - they lie. They need to clear this CT debt by March 2012. Also they only want to come inn your house because if you let them in a) they can add lots of nice juicy fees, and b) they can then reenter and threaten you any time you are a day late in making payments.

Get hold of your local councillor and explain the suituation. You may be able to argue that you are a vulnerable person on the basis of the bereavement and ill health and get the Council to take the account back.

jayjay2910

Thanks for quick reply, no i don't have a car, i walk and get the train to work everyday.will contact the council and see what they can do for me.

RAS

Hi

Just noted that this bill is for last year? Bit different but they do not need it in two months.

Do not contact the Council. A good many of them have their CT collection provided by Capita, who just happen to own Equita who are one of the biggest CT bailiffs there are.

Contact you local councillor. They can pull strings for you.

Smellthecoffee

I think it would be best for you to contact the council and see if they would be willing to take the debt back and have you pay in more manageable instalments. The CT collection agency will simply bully you and try to scare you into trying to pay more than you can actually afford. speak to council and explain about your bereavement. They are often quite sympathetic. I had some issues in the past and they were actually pretty helpful & understanding. Best of luck.

pmlindyloo

Smellthecoffee wrote: »

I think it would be best for you to contact the council and see if they would be willing to take the debt back and have you pay in more manageable instalments. The CT collection agency will simply bully you and try to scare you into trying to pay more than you can actually afford. speak to council and explain about your bereavement. They are often quite sympathetic. I had some issues in the past and they were actually pretty helpful & understanding. Best of luck.

I agree with this. You need to get the council to take the debt back.

Most councils give the standard reply that 'you need to deal with the bailiffs', but councils can take the debt back and arrange a manageable repayment plan.

From what you have said there were special circumstances surrounding this debt so they should help.

It may be worth enlisting the help of CAB to telephone them on your behalf.

jayjay2910

don't worry im not gonna be buillded by a baliff i work for a major insurance company and deal with pushy finanical adivsors all day long and those guys make baliffs look like choir boys :rotfl:, thanks very much again for the advice i have just finished writing a letter the council explaining everything that has happened and fingers crossed they will be helpful, set out my outgoings etc from and even offered to up the payment plan after christmas and make a final one off payment in march when i get my end of year bonus, now just to be promoted to the chief exec's job, and my worries will be over, maybe i should apply to the EU for a bailout like the rest of europe has done:beer:

Again my heartfelt thanks to you guys, you have taken a big weight of my shoulders.

jayjay2910

ok update time, have contacted the council via email offering a repayment plan along with a budget sheet explaining my situation etc and that the bailifs have refused my offer of a resonable payment schedule and that i have spoken to the CAB and read the National debt helpline factsheet.

They have emailed me back saying basically, we offer our condolences for your loss, but we dont care it's been passed to the bailiffs and you would need to speak to them, and they will accept a resonable payment offer without the need to come out,

so emailed them back and said that i have already contacted the bailifs Rundle & co, who told me that the debt would need to be cleared within 8 weeks and that they would need to come round to discuss a repayment plan over a longer term, which they don't need too.

Awaiting an email back from the council now, will keep everyone updated.

hallowitch

have you check with the council the date of the liability order amount of the liability order and liable period of the year the debt relates to (always advisable when its for a previous address)

have you had any hand delivered letters from the bailiffs stating the outstanding balance due for council tax and the fee charged for the visit(s)

jayjay2910

have check the dates with the council 2009/2010, only had a hand delivered letter from the bailffis saying about how they where coming to collect my goods etc, no mention of amount outstanding or any fees charged.

L7oopys

Hi
Iv had similar experiences. The bailiffs are providing a service to the council therefore should do what they say.

I managed to get the council to contact the bailiffs telling them to accept my offer of what I could afford each month.
They are scum good luck