Council Tax Bailiffs - HELP!

MK_1977

Hi,

I have received a hand delivered letter, from Jacobs Bailiffs, on 2nd August demanding I pay £1,530 in Council Tax arrears, and it gave me 48 hours to do so.

The letter was from a Mr T Reading. On Monday 5th August I tried numerous times to contact Mr T Reading, on the mobile number provided, to see if he was open to the idea of a repayment plan as I cannot afford to settle the amount in full. On the 5th I left 2 voicemails, but must have called at least 10/12 times but every time it went to voicemail.

I waited to see if I heard anything, and then on the 9th August I received another with a different contact number. I spoke to the person on this number (a Mr Clarke) and he stated he was unable to agree to a payment plan, I offered £200 a month, and I had to pay it in full. I said I need some time to try and find the money and he gave me until Friday 16th August. Unfortunately I have been unable to come up with the money, and he has left me a voicemail this morning demanding I pay up, I also received a text. My partner has also contacted me this morning to say he has been banging at my door, which is distressing her and my 2 young children. I text him back saying I was still trying to get the money and asked if he could stop hammering on my door. He replied saying he had to if I didn't contact him and he needs to have full payment by 4pm.

I have read a lot of threads on this site which all look extremely useful, but seem to differ slightly from my circumstance. One thing I have done is look on the certificate register. I can see a Mr S Clarke on the website (although I do not know if the Mr Clarke I have been speaking to is an "S") and he does not have Jacobs in the company column. I have spoken to 2 advice lines and they just really say do not let him in (although one guy did start by saying don't let him in until you have seen his documentation) and move your car...but no advice on how to actually deal with the bailiff himself.

I really need some advice on how to stop him hammering at my door and how I can resolve this without having to make the full payment as I simply do not have the money.

Any help would be massively appreciated.

ilovelondontown

Hi MK_1977

I'm really sorry I don't have any suggestions as what to do as it's not something I've dealt with before.

However I want to bump this thread for you, as I can imagine how stressful this must be. Can anyone help?

MK_1977

Many thanks...this is very stressful, so any assistance is appreciated from anyone. My partner is stuck at home so she finds this probably more stressful, but it is down to me to resolve so that stressed is felt by the whole household and is starting to affect focus on other things like work etc...

sharp82

Cant really help either i'm afraid.

Have you tried contacting the council to set up a payment plan?

MK_1977

I have contacted the Council, they said to deal with the Bailiff direct...they weren't much help.

Mike_Kami

Oh mate I feel for you! I have had something similar happen to me recently because of a !!!! up at the council office! (you don't live in Plymouth do you?)

I cant tell you how to sort this out, but my partner in the past owed a substantial amount before I met her, she let them take her to court over it at which point the court ordered her to pay X amount a month after taking in to account her living costs and it was something like £10 p/m and the collectors were asking for like £1000 a month! (she made the mistake of letting her EX-partner use her credit card), it took her a few years but she's paid off finally, maybe this is a route you can look in to?

The council made a mistake earlier in the year with me and was convinced that I owed £700 council tax and that I hadn't paid in months and that I tried to move to avoid paying them...the problem was at that point in time I didn't even know this because we pay tax by DD and it had gone out every month to the account that the council told us to pay and they wouldn't "deal" with me until I had paid the collector as it "wasn't their problem".

Not only was I massively embarrassed by the debt collector turning up un-announced during a family gathering to see the new house I had moved to, he was ruthless, arrogant and dismissive. He let him self in with some people carrying furniture un-noticed where he announced to friends and family that he was there to collect 700 and that I was a notorious council tax dodger?!

After that it was all down hill for me! apparently after they have been on the property once and I had answered to my name you are essentially agreeing that you legally owe the money and he basically will do what ever he wants to you until he gets it!

Here's my advice, never leave your windows open/unlocked! park in other streets! lock your doors, back and front! put anything valuable that's easy to carry in a loft or give to your friends for safe keeping (not everything you own as apparently that obstruction and your fines get bigger) oh and basically LIE about everything! Telling the truth about earnings/work costs wont help you! I was crucified! before I could even find out what I even owed money for. After I pulled my 3 year old from school (couldn't afford child care) and then lost my job (because I couldn't afford child care) only then would the council begin talking to me about the supposed debt! to which point I found out that they had already sold the following months lump sum council tax collection to the bailiff too and the courts had signed off!

We found out that the mistake was on their end in the end, and that due to basically (in my opinion) every body in that place being lazy and morons- 1 guy had sent us a letter with somebody elses account number on which we had to put on DD, a woman had rung my partner and told her we were paying £15 more a month then our council tax was? and to pay the lower rate and she would send us a revised payment plan...that never came! so we carried on paying the higher amount just to be safe (lucky for us), at which point no body said we owed a penny, then after a move-bam! bailiff ruining my life!
...turns out we actually paid to much tax into somebody elses account and didn't even get an apology for anything to this day...and there's no way of claiming money back of bailiffs due to a legal loop hole!

This might sound OTT, but those collectors are disgusting, my family were treated like criminals because some 'clerical error' try explaining to your kids why they cant just go out garden and play because you have to keep your door locked so the nasty man don't come in and see what we have. Its heart breaking.

Now I've dealt with one I will never even acknowledge another person saying I owe them money without 'written proof' posted to me first! and I will never tell anybody who I am on the phone or at the door any more its really scared me mentally. If I'm not expecting a delivery or some post I literally just scream NO ****in' solicitations-Go away! down the hallway lol. This is my personal experience though, and its been a rough one. Its hard feeling so powerless when some pitbull is harassing your family under the banner of working within the law!?

spacey2012

The trick is to bat the bailiffs off and they will send it back to the council who will then usually allow a payment plan.
You need a strong temperament as bailiffs are horrendous liars and bully boys that intimidate people.

John1993_2

You could sell some items yourself, and use this to pay what you owe. It could well work out better for you than having the bailiffs take it and auuction it off.

If you don't let them in, how do you plan to pay back your arrears?

Mike_Kami

MK_1977 wrote: »

I have contacted the Council, they said to deal with the Bailiff direct...they weren't much help.

Yeah like in my above *RANT* Once the council petition the court to legally sell your debt to a collector, they "own" the debt! The council would not even speak to me while the bailiff was still owed money which was stupid as from my point of view I was literally being stolen from in broad day light because how can I owe money when I pay by DD that I had bank records proving!

The council would hang up on me multiple times, or just tell me to hurry up and pay, it was only due to one guy slipping up and telling me they had all ready sold the following months tax payment to him as well that I realised I was screwed! as even if we paid him in full...he would be back a month later! but after literally losing my job to pay him off before he turned up with a truck to take my belongings (oh by the way YOU will have to pay for the rental of the truck ON-TOP of your debt! and the storage costs of storing your stuff while you pay him off).

MK_1977

Thanks all for your messages and advice...I think the general theme so far is that all bailiffs are pains (trying to keep it clean) and I can agree that they use whatever tactics possible.

Most of my research has been to stay stubborn, don't admit to the debt and don't let them into the house. I certainly will not be letting them into the house, and I have had to pass guidance this onto my stressed partner....who has the same situation with the young children.

I am certainly not looking for guidance on how to avoid paying the debt, I have every intention of clearing what I owe...just that I cannot afford one lump sum, so want to pay in installments. Sadly the bailiff has said this is not an option, but other posts I have read have offered some hope that it may be...so I really need guidance on how I can approach this to a mutually beneficial end...i.e. I pay in installments and the bailiff gets his money.

Mike_Kami

John1993 wrote: »

You could sell some items yourself, and use this to pay what you owe. It could well work out better for you than having the bailiffs take it and auuction it off.

If you don't let them in, how do you plan to pay back your arrears?

I think they just want a fair shot at paying a "doable" amount each month not the jumped up amounts the bailiff wants to see a quick return.
Its the knock on effect it has on your life too! Ive had to sell stuff AFTER the fact just to live. And because I was caught out being 'green' to how underhanded a debt collector is, we incurred so many fines form goin overdrawn to by food, missing DD for TV/mobiles/gas/elec ect. Just because the collector wouldn't accept reasonable payments over a longer period and essentially tricked my partner to literally signing a pay check away because he had rang her work to find out her earnings with some mumbo jumbo and her boss had sent him something showing him which he was saying he would get it paid to him by courts as we were uncooperative. At the time you are so caught off guard you do believe them.