Bailiff Help - Can they add to a debt?

doobiesis_2

Good Afternoon all.

I had a council tax debt with council a year ago for £1,300 which is almost paid off now, I called up Ross & Roberts Bailiffs to get the final balance and they advised me that the local council had been in touch with them in February 2012 (I've moved house) and authorised Ross & Roberts to add the remaining amount of £587 to my existing order attached to my car and the current payment plan I've arranged.

My question is, are they allowed to add the money on and charge me for visiting etc? I obviously would prefer to deal with the council but they've instructed me to continue paying for another few months to R&R and that's the council tax sorted out.

Of course I'll continue, it just makes me mad that Bailiffs are a low unto themselves and just get away with it

RAS

It sounds like the bailiffs have a levy on your car?

If so they can charge some extra fees.

Unfortunately they have a habit of paying off their charges first and then the Council tax debt.

They will have pre-loaded the fees. If you keep stum for a bit you can challenge the fees and they will not be able to justify them and they will either have to reduce them or refund them. If you kick off now, they will start playing SB. If they decide to come over with a van, then they can charge you loads of money so it is important that you do not given them an opportunity to bring a van.

CIS

I had a council tax debt with council a year ago for £1,300 which is almost paid off now, I called up Ross & Roberts Bailiffs to get the final balance and they advised me that the local council had been in touch with them in February 2012 (I've moved house) and authorised Ross & Roberts to add the remaining amount of £587 to my existing order attached to my car and the current payment plan I've arranged.

You need to check how many liability order there are - I suspect that you have had a 2nd liability order that the council have passed to the bailiff company to collect alongside the existing one, if this is the case then the levy would have been valid against the first liability order.

There are other possibilities but this is the most likely one.

adi_clarke85

CIS wrote: »

You need to check how many liability order there are - I suspect that you have had a 2nd liability order that the council have passed to the bailiff company to collect alongside the existing one, if this is the case then the levy would have been valid against the first liability order.

There are other possibilities but this is the most likely one.

Either that, or the liability order was granted for more than the amount that R&R are collecting, reduced due to a change in circumstances/benefit claim and then when this has been amended increased again, i.e. liability order granted for £1000, single person discount awarded for this period so reduced by £250 and then found that you weren't the sole occupier, single person discount cancelled and liability order increased.

You need to confirm with the council what the situation is.