Staring into the abyss

hallowitch

Council tax: £200 (court action threatened)

once the council obtain a liability order the full amount up to march 31/2013 will be due

you should receive a letter from the council giving you 14 days to pay before bailiffs are involved
try to make an arrangement to pay the council (keep everything in writing by either e-mail or recorded delivery letter)

the council will more than likely not accept your offer(you should get your local councillor involved if the refuse your offer) and send it to the bailiffs

Legally you do not have to allow a bailiff into your home they can only enter through a closed but unlocked door (they can walk in) open window or by invitation (do not answer the door to them as they are very very good at putting there foot in the door so you cant shut it if you must speak to the bailiff its very important to record video all conversations with the bailiff and the bailiff firm most bailiffs bailiffs are accomplished lier's and councils always believe the bailiff

If you do not allow the bailiffs into your home to levy goods and you keep your car well away from the house the most you can be charged in bailiff fees is £42.50 a levy can add (depending on the amount of the liability order) approx £ 300 to the debt

sunshineangel

working tax credits are for working familys but cant remember the wage cut off point... might be worth googling though. even thou you werent getting paid any money when getting income support you would have been getting ur pension stamp.

downsizer3

Self employed are eligible for income support not JSA - so I don't understand why you can't get any help. It must be related to contributions and if you owe the tax man.......
You need to get professional help from CCCS or someone quickly - give them a call now as I can't believe that with a young child you don't get any help - can't be right.

downsizer3

PS - your wife should apply for tax credits too - she's earning a small amount right?

Dr_No_Vocal_Cords

wannabee_in_credit wrote: »

I think that you urgently need to get some advice. I would contact one of the debt charities rather than citizens advice as you're more likely to get answers quickly. I have a dmp with CCCS and highly recommend them.
I'm not sure why you wouldn't qualify for help from the state - genuinely I don't know. Is it something to do with your contributions or other income.
But it seems to me as though you urgently need some advice. You also need to bin the non essentials like Sky, and school fees. How do you stand job wise - are you looking for work?
I really do wish you good luck.

Thank you so much, I appreciate your advice and your sentiment.

The school fees are unavoidable - we took him out of nursery (£800 per month) to start school. The fees are 'nominal' (£30 a week), for a year only and substantially cheaper than nursery.

Thanks again - will call CCCS this afternoon.

Dr_No_Vocal_Cords

jet9cat wrote: »

Hi and welcome

Just a quick hit and run answer here as I'm at work, but you should be getting at least th basic child tax credit and should talk to them to see if you qualify for working tax credit as well. Also have you spoken to HMRC about the debt or just not paid it? They can sometimes be quite helpful about spreading payments due but only if you discuss it with them, otherwise they will automatically go down the taking you to court route.

I'm afraid I haven't spoken to them - I sort of buried my head in the sand but also since my wife got ill I've been running the show on my own, essentially a single Dad since my wife is bed-ridden.

Dr_No_Vocal_Cords

hallowitch wrote: »

Council tax: £200 (court action threatened)

once the council obtain a liability order the full amount up to march 31/2013 will be due

you should receive a letter from the council giving you 14 days to pay before bailiffs are involved
try to make an arrangement to pay the council (keep everything in writing by either e-mail or recorded delivery letter)

the council will more than likely not accept your offer(you should get your local councillor involved if the refuse your offer) and send it to the bailiffs

Legally you do not have to allow a bailiff into your home they can only enter through a closed but unlocked door (they can walk in) open window or by invitation (do not answer the door to them as they are very very good at putting there foot in the door so you cant shut it if you must speak to the bailiff its very important to record video all conversations with the bailiff and the bailiff firm most bailiffs bailiffs are accomplished lier's and councils always believe the bailiff

If you do not allow the bailiffs into your home to levy goods and you keep your car well away from the house the most you can be charged in bailiff fees is £42.50 a levy can add (depending on the amount of the liability order) approx £ 300 to the debt

Thank you very much, I will bear all of this in mind.

bargainbetty

Re: your landlord. To evict you they will have to serve a proper notice S21, and then take steps to kick you out. It's not fair to them, and you can go back and pay them later, but don't jump until they push you. If you are evicted, you can apply for emergency housing from the council. If you leave voluntarily you might be classed as 'intentionally homeless'.

I hate suggesting you do this to your landlord, but you could ask them them to do it sooner rather than later to save you both suffering further hardship?

hallowitch

Dr_No_Vocal_Cords wrote: »

I'm afraid I haven't spoken to them - I sort of buried my head in the sand but also since my wife got ill I've been running the show on my own, essentially a single Dad since my wife is bed-ridden.

as you wife is ill you may be classed as vulnerable
as soon as you receive the liability order (14 day letter) you should inform the council providing proof (doctors letter etc )
http://www.debtfreeme.co.uk/assets/dfm/national-standards-enforcement-agents.pdf

Vulnerable situations

Enforcement agents/agencies and creditors must recognise that they each have a role in ensuring that the vulnerable and socially excluded are protected and that the recovery process includes procedures agreed between the agent/agency and creditor about how such situations should be dealt with. The appropriate use of discretion is essential in every case and no amount of guidance could cover every situation, therefore the agent has a duty to contact the creditor and report the circumstances in situations where there is evidence of a potential cause for concern. If necessary, the enforcement agent will advise the creditor if further action is appropriate. The exercise of appropriate discretion is needed, not only to protect the debtor, but also the enforcement agent who should avoid taking action which could lead to accusations of inappropriate behaviour.

Enforcement agents must withdraw from domestic premises if the only person present is, or appears to be, under the age of 18; they can ask when the debtor will be home - if appropriate.

Enforcement agents must withdraw without making enquiries if the only persons present are children who appear to be under the age of 12.

Wherever possible, enforcement agents should have arrangements in place for rapidly accessing translation services when these are needed, and provide on request information in large print or in Braille for debtors with impaired sight.

Those who might be potentially vulnerable include:

the elderly;

people with a disability;

the seriously ill;

the recently bereaved;

single parent families;

pregnant women;

unemployed people; and,

those who have obvious difficulty in understanding, speaking or reading English.

PinotGrigio41

Just Echoing some of the great advice you have had on here so far but have just seen your posted re calling the CCCS.

Please please give them a call. I really understand how daunting it is, believe me, but once you have plucked up the courage and made the call it really will be a weight off of your mind. I promise ! It took me ages and ages to find the courage to ring them myself, but after a two hour long very emotional and exhausting phone call to them, I could finally begin to see through the fog and felt that there was light at the end of the tunnel. It really was the best thing I ever did.

Please pick up the phone.

All the Best .