Please help! council tax debt and Equitas bailiffs

t29

Hi all, I'm new to the site and am desperate need of some help.

I have come home from work this afternoon and received a hand delivered letter from equitas stating they are returning tomorrow to collect my goods. (I was stupid and have racked up £1580 - according to the bailiff - in council tax arrears)

I phoned him to agree something and he said he won't come round tomorrow but i must pay the whole amount by next friday...the amount is more than i earn and i live in a private rented property... if i dont pay he will take my stuff, if i do i cant do the whole amount and will have literally £0 until next month.

I'm in a real panic and crying...is there anything I can do?

please?
Theresa

HappyMJ

Relax nothing to worry about. Don't answer the door. Email the council to find out exactly what the debt covers. You do not have to hand over your entire pay packet all at once you can pay in reasonable affordable instalments.

hallowitch

as said by HappyMJ
Do not answer the door to the bailiff

Keep your door locked even when you are at home bailiffs can and will open an unlocked door and walk
keep your windows closed if you have a car do not park it on your drive or outside your house park it well away from the house

do not speak to the bailiff on the phone unless you can record call do everything in writing by e-mail or recorded delivery letter to the council with a copy sent to Equita

Is your bailiff certificated to Equita
www.hmcourts-service.gov.uk/CertificatedBailiffs

PLEASE NOTE

The bailiff cant get a locksmith to enter your property and remove goods even in your absence
the bailiff cant get the police to arrest you for refusing them entry

the bailiff cant get you sent for committal for refusing to pay them


send an e-mail to the revenues at your council and ask
how many liability orders there are against you
the liable year the debt relates to
the period of the liable year the relates to
the address each liability order relates to (if you have moved home)

Make an offer of payment to the council (they will tell you to deal with euita)don't offer what you cant afford include a income expenditure with your offer inform them that you are not refusing to pay this debt however due to your financial circumstances this is all you can reasonably afford without going into default thus putting back in same positing you are in now

RAS

Do not answer the door to the bailiff. Do not make any agreement you cannot pay.

Equita by the way frequently add illegal fees, so the ask the Council for details of the liability orders and make sure they are right before you do anything.

Then come back here for advice.

t29

thank you so much.

I'll email the council now. What happens on Friday when he turns up expecting cash? Should I call him/write to him stating I want to pay in instalments and that I'm dealing with the council direct?

t29

ok, so I followed advice and emailed the council, but I haven't heard anything and the bailiff is coming back round tomorrow to either collect the payment in full or take goods.

I don't have a landline and no credit until tomorrow, so can't call council till then. If I phone the council tomorrow and make a payment then inform the bailiff that I'm paying the council directly, will he still come round??

I'm really worried, and to top it all off, my aunt has come over from Australia and is supposed to be calling round for a visit tomorrow; how awful will it look if he turns up when she's here?! Argh!!!!

RAS

Hi

Please stop panicking.

The bailiff can call round, but unless you are stupid enough to invite him in, he is completely powerless in law.

What he does have is the advantage you you are in a panic and are frightened so he can bully you into believing things that are not true.

Do NOT open the door to the bailiff. make sure that all doors and windows are closed and locked.

He can make peaceful entry (climb in through an open window) but he cannot break the door down, call the police (although they are notoriously bad at understanding bailiff law when applied to CT) or get you committed to prison.

And once he has made this second visit, unless you are stupid and let him in, he cannot charge you any additional fees for additional visits.

Do you have a car?

hallowitch

t29 wrote: »

ok, so I followed advice and emailed the council, but I haven't heard anything and the bailiff is coming back round tomorrow to either collect the payment in full or take goods.

He cant take your goods as he has not previously been in your house to levy distress keep your door locked even when you ar at home he can (and will) open your door and walk in

I don't have a landline and no credit until tomorrow, so can't call council till then. If I phone the council tomorrow and make a payment then inform the bailiff that I'm paying the council directly, will he still come round??
yes he will still come to your home (may not be tomorrow what bailiffs say and do are two different things) paying the council wont stop the bailiff the council have to take the debt back from Equita before bailiff enforcement stops
I'm really worried, and to top it all off, my aunt has come over from Australia and is supposed to be calling round for a visit tomorrow; how awful will it look if he turns up when she's here?! Argh!!!!

as a rule if Equita is the councils bailiffs of choice then Capita will administrate the council tax and enforcement Equita are part of the Capita croup of company's


Make an offer of payment in writing (e-mail) to the revenues Dept of your council offer what you can afford (no more) send an income expenditure with your offer tell them you will pay by standing order only on (day of month ) get this correct there is a big difference between on xx day or by xxx day (and this slip up can cost the debtor dearly ) inform them you are not refusing to pay this debt you only want a fair payment plan that you can afford without going into default which would result in you being in the same position as you are in now


they will tell you to deal with Equita (but stick at it)

do not enter into an agreement with Equita or there bailiff over the phone (unless you can record the call) or on the door step as bailiffs have very selective memories and remember the by xx day or or on xxx date of each month

hallowitch

And watch ITV on monday 31st october (halloween)

Exposure

Episode: 6 of 6
Monday, 31 October 2011, 10:35PM - 11:35PM

Factual

• Production house: Snapper TV
• Press contacts: Grant Cunningham [EMAIL="grant.cunningham@itv.com"]grant.cunningham@itv.com[/EMAIL]
• Picture contacts: Peter Gray [EMAIL="peter.gray@itv.com"]peter.gray@itv.com[/EMAIL]
• Viewer enquiries: [EMAIL="viewerservices@itv.com"]viewerservices@itv.com[/EMAIL]

Bailiffs: This film goes undercover to investigate the behaviour of the bailiffs instructed to chase millions of householders and car owners each year.

It asks whether the voluntary guidelines that bailiffs are meant to follow are enough to protect the public.

HappyMJ

t29 wrote: »

ok, so I followed advice and emailed the council, but I haven't heard anything and the bailiff is coming back round tomorrow to either collect the payment in full or take goods.

I don't have a landline and no credit until tomorrow, so can't call council till then. If I phone the council tomorrow and make a payment then inform the bailiff that I'm paying the council directly, will he still come round??

I'm really worried, and to top it all off, my aunt has come over from Australia and is supposed to be calling round for a visit tomorrow; how awful will it look if he turns up when she's here?! Argh!!!!

Don't call the council. Keep everything in writing. Email or post your choice.

Of course he'll come around. He won't know about any payments you have made to the council. That's even if the council accepts them. Just ignore him and tell aunty whoever not to answer the door either. It will not look awful if you explain it.

t29

thank you. i'll email the council again now as suggested and will make a payment tomorrow as soon as I get paid. I hate this, it's such an awful feeling and I'm feeling very foolish as i did agree (in blind panic) to pay the full amount to the bailiff by tomorrow. I can't do this even if i wanted to...it's more than my monthly wage

Thank you so much for all your advice.

I do also own a car, and have a courtesy car on the drive due to an accident i had recently, but I'll move them round the road or something tomorrow.