Please help :(

keelstar2001

I'm in a bit of bother-please help me guys!?It's regarding council tax and a recent baliff visit.
I have got existing council tax debt from my previous property, obviously they took it further and passed my debt on to a recovering agency when I missed payments. A company called Rosan Heims in Croydon.
It wasn't until early this year I was in a financial situation to make tiny payments to them. I wrote to them prior to making payments. They had all my new address and contact details, and for three months now they have been cashing my cheques without notifying me that it was unacceptable.
It wasn't until two days ago I received a letter from the baliff requesting an amount of £500 approx, when the original debt was approx £200.00.
I phoned the agent, and he said that what I was paying wouldnt even have been acceptable for someone that was on benefits. Why now have they decided to plant a letter on my doorstep, when they have had 3 months to do this and maybe offer a resolution to this?Have I got any rights here?Especially as he is coming to collect £100.00 from me on Thursday. Which I cannot afford in any way possible. I am also not entilted to benefits.
Maybe a visit to citizens Advice Bureau would help??

smashedbooboo

Did you let the bailiff in. And if so did he do a walking possession on your any of your goods. If he comes back do not let him in if he actually has not already been in. There is a letter you can send to them. They seem to have added on a lot of charges for such a small debt.. I cant post the letter up at this moment for you to use but will do so in the morning. Bailiffs are only allowed to charge you a certain amount for first visit. Could you possibly give me some more details hun. Bailiffchaser should be along shortly and he will give you some advice as well.

chevalier

I would contact the council tomorrow (in person if poss) and complain about the company they are using a) adding so much charges for just letter and b) cashing your cheques and then only later saying the payment was no good.

I also think that you can write to the bailiff and say that you dispute the debt, and from then on they can't enforce it until the dispute is settled. At this point as I understand it, the company usually passes the debt back to the original creditor to sort out.

Also sorry to be nosey, but why can't you get benefits? Surely if you pay council tax and other tax you are entitled?
hope this helps
chev

janiegs

My council tax debt (many years ago, all paid now) was passed to bailiffs. I ignored them as you do (they take a percentage, so you are paying even less off your debt than you think!). They eventually passed my debt back to the council as uncollectable, and I then made an arrangement with the council to pay them at a figure that suited me.