Please help, massive council tax arrears! SCOTLAND

pinklipy

I'm not sure what your problem with me is Mildred1978. I am trying to get advice about council tax debt and the good people on this site are taking their time to post helpful replies, where as you are obviously trying to make me even more stressed going on about tax returns and clearly picking on me for having another baby. This is about council tax debt, I'm sure their are plenty people on the benefits forums you can pick on if that's how you get your kicks, or maby it's only heavily pregnant women you prefer.

HappyMJ

pinklipy wrote: »

I'm not sure what your problem with me is Mildred1978. I am trying to get advice about council tax debt and the good people on this site are taking their time to post helpful replies, where as you are obviously trying to make me even more stressed going on about tax returns and clearly picking on me for having another baby. This is about council tax debt, I'm sure their are plenty people on the benefits forums you can pick on if that's how you get your kicks, or maby it's only heavily pregnant women you prefer.

Just click ignore and answer only the helpful replies.

pinklipy

Ok, I have a think about all that has been said, thanks again everyone.
Should I:

a. Offer £300 plus keep up to date with current council tax

b. Offer what he originally said (400-500) but I will offer £400 and keep up to dat with current council tax.

Option b is verging on unrealistic and I'm not actually sure that I could pay that but I absolutley will not risk loosing my home(s).

If option a is declined by council will that be that? No more chances to make another offer and straight to court?

Thanks xx

mildred1978

pinklipy wrote: »

I'm not sure what your problem with me is Mildred1978. I am trying to get advice about council tax debt and the good people on this site are taking their time to post helpful replies, where as you are obviously trying to make me even more stressed going on about tax returns and clearly picking on me for having another baby. This is about council tax debt, I'm sure their are plenty people on the benefits forums you can pick on if that's how you get your kicks, or maby it's only heavily pregnant women you prefer.

I couldn't give 2 hoots about how many children you have. You've prioritised sky and mobile phones over your priority bills.

Who knows what else you've not done because "you didn't know it was important".

mildred1978

pinklipy wrote: »

Option b is verging on unrealistic and I'm not actually sure that I could pay that but I absolutley will not risk loosing my home(s).

Cancel sky, downgrade your phone, cut back on Xmas, give your car back. Shouldn't be hard to squeeze an extra £100 a month out of your budget.

HappyMJ

pinklipy wrote: »

Ok, I have a think about all that has been said, thanks again everyone.
Should I:

a. Offer £300 plus keep up to date with current council tax

b. Offer what he originally said (400-500) but I will offer £400 and keep up to dat with current council tax.

Option b is verging on unrealistic and I'm not actually sure that I could pay that but I absolutley will not risk loosing my home(s).

If option a is declined by council will that be that? No more chances to make another offer and straight to court?

Thanks xx

If you can afford to pay it. There is a formula based on your earnings and it's about 17% of your take home pay if you earn between £1,420 and £2,020 per month and 50% of everything in excess of £2,020. If you earn less than £1,420 the percentages are less. So £300 a month would be affordable if you earn more than £24,000 per year. The court will not order you pay any more or less than that figure.

pinklipy

Thanks happymj,

I will be on mat leave very soon so not sure how that affects my "wage" as even tho I am classed as working for tax credits purposes they take of £3900 if your on mat leave for full 39 weeks. The point that I am trying to stress is that I don't even want it to go to court at the risk of loosing my home. If I put in an offer and it's declined will I get another chance? Or is it last chance saloon?

HappyMJ

pinklipy wrote: »

Thanks happymj,

I will be on mat leave very soon so not sure how that affects my "wage" as even tho I am classed as working for tax credits purposes they take of £3900 if your on mat leave for full 39 weeks. The point that I am trying to stress is that I don't even want it to go to court at the risk of loosing my home. If I put in an offer and it's declined will I get another chance? Or is it last chance saloon?

You won't lose your home if you are paying what is affordable. It's not your last chance. You have plenty of room to negotiate.

Once you are on maternity pay after the first 6 weeks of 90% of your pay your pay will reduce to £128.73 per week. You can then pay 3% of that figure to clear your council tax arrears. About £4 a week.

goodz

pinklipy wrote: »

Thanks goodz,
Yes I am working and recieving wtc and ctc and I will be going on mat leave in the next few weeks although my "wage" will go down I will be taking my 4 year old out of private nursery so it should equal itself out.
Did you manage to pay off the £7000 in one go or did they offer you any kind of payment plan? Thanks for replying and showing that you too have been through it albeit half of what I owe!
I know this isn't going to go away so really need to get my head together, just would of been easier in jan when I won't be heavily pregnant or spending £ on Santa, heyho. I just have to avoid any court action at all costs but I'm scared of what will happen if I committ to £400 then can't pay.
Should I ask on phone if they'd accept £300? Or all in writing?
Thanks

You're welcome, I'm glad if maybe this is some help. I found it quite stressful for a while, the threats were a bit scary at times. Rather ugly.

I did all mine over the phone and made a note of their name, and the time and date of the call. Then sometimes when they'd agreed something I asked if they could send it in writing but sometimes that wasn't necessary as I was going to do a payment so I didn't particularly need it in writing off them once they'd agreed to it and said it was on their system.

Luckily I didn't get any mistakes at their end except for once when I'd sent them an odd bit and so then they wrongly assumed that there was now an agreed arrangement. But that was in my favour so their mistake was fine in that instance.

Apart from once when the bailiff said he was going to rip my front door off and come in. What a liar. But I didn't know that at the time. He got me on a bluff. So I handed him £700 through the letter box. If only I'd known that he was lying. Oh well, you live and learn.

I negotiated with them. Although in general they were fairly fixed about it they also varied a bit each time I spoke to them. Some of them were a bit more helpful than others. They've got their rules and guidelines but also they've sort of got a bit of leeway and discretion, well, sometimes. They kind of make out that it's important but also they're just doing their job. Some of them are nice, well, some of mine were. So if you're pleasant and polite with them and can slightly get a good atmosphere going and make them like you a bit then occasionally a nice one will sort of try to help you a bit rather than just steamroller you.

But the tough ones don't muck about and aren't interested in any stuff at your end. And especially if they've just heard ten other people all in a row being rude or pushy or making a nuisance of themselves and making daft excuses that just sound like a pack of silly transparent lies. And still not paying etc.

So it can sometimes be worth trying to do a bit of negotiating. And if the first one is not having any of it then I used to say, oh, well I'll leave that for now and try and work something out, I'll call back a bit later. Then I'd phone back half an hour later to hopefully get a nicer one and then if it is a nicer one then sometimes they let you do what you ask even if the earlier one just refused you point blank.

I managed to fob them off for years but then eventually a twit in my house opened the front door and a process server incorrectly bogusly served him with the bankruptcy order for me. I bunged them, what, can't quite remember now, but something like about a grand or so and that kept them at bay for a bit.

Then I also made the mistake of opening the door myself and despite denying that I was me the process server just served me the papers anyway and this time it really was curtains. So that's when I had to raise the 7k in a hurry. Oh dear, what a nuisance.

But not quite all at once, I think I did about 2k within a couple of days and promised them all the rest quite soon, just to immediately cancel the bankruptcy court case.

Then I did about another grand or so about a week later.

And then I managed to negotiate with yet another person and it was about £600 a month for another 7 months for the rest. Here in England, about fifteen years ago when this happened, they were allowed to let me stretch it over 9 months but no longer.

So of course that was then and here but this is now and where you are so whether it might be similar or not for you is the obvious question arising. Maybe, maybe not, it all depends.

Not really relevant to your case - or maybe it might be - but while we're at it this reminds me of another one. Again, about fifteen years ie about 1996, and here in England, my mate on the dole, though, got done for his huge one, something like ten years worth like yours.

After him dodging them and ignoring them and them doing CCJs. And hunting him down for about three or even five years or so. And threatening him lots for all of it at once. Threatening bailiffs taking away his stuff and all that caper. Then eventually, miraculously, they suddenly finally agreed to take the repayments at just £2 a week. Which was going to take about 80 years. What a result. He was amazed. I remember him celebrating it.

Rather odd, like, a fair bit longer than he was likely to live for. Brill. So then he moved house and left it behind. Bit naughty but that's what he did. 80 years, indeed. So, really in essence, they were pretty much just letting him off. After hunting him for three or even five years and giving him lots of threats and grief and stress. What a relief. Nice.

Don't know if they still do weird stuff like that. Probably only if you're on full benefits. But perhaps bear this in mind in case for some reason you do go on full benefits for any reason. It might still be doable.

In fact this might even be an option for you to consider eg do you get maternity leave when you have the new baby and how important is it to you to try to hold onto this job and such like. Or if you leave the job due to the baby then can you get benefits. Or does it not work like that. Might be worth looking at the benefits website to try to analyse this. And or asking CAB.

Hope this is also of help. Or at least of some interest. And perhaps entertainment.

pinklipy

If that was the case they would not accept £4 a week if they are looking for sums in the region of £400+ I think it would then go to court and I would be made bankrupt?
If I have room to negotiate then I will start off with an offer of £300, will I just call and ask or is their more of a chance they'll accept in writing?