Bristow & Sutor Enforcement visit

k332

Hi,
I had a debt with the council from last year, i broke up with my partner around August and just before this we got behind on some bills, i had to find a better paid job so i could keep the house and still manage to pay all the bills etc.
When i called the council to tell them i was now living alone and sort out the previous payments we were behind on (around £400) i was told as it was a joint account i was not responsible for all the debt and when he put his name down wherever he moved to they would chase him for his half, at no point did they say what would happen if they didn't find him. So i paid my £200 and thought that was the end of it.
Anyway long story short i now know that the debt comes back around to me and have had Bristow and Sutor get to the point of today this enforcement visit letter adding on an enforcement fee of £235

Im still on talking terms with my ex and when i told him about this a while ago he sent me £50 to make a payment towards it, he's useless with money so i just left him to give me the rest when he had it. I've never really been in any serious debt so i stupidly assumed this would be like getting behind on any other bill and i'd be able to make an arrangemnet to pay after this letter today.
After calling the vile bailiff who did nothing but shout down the phone at me and tell me he'll be round tommorow so i better have the money i now know this isn't the case.

Im going to be at work all day tommorow and im terrified they are going to come into my house and take things.
Im so angry at myself that i've managed to catch up with all the bills he left me with and i have ignored this, i struggle to get by as it is i have 2 children a mortgage and a full time job, i know its my fault but i cant help but feel like everything i've done is pointless,if they take my car away i wont be able to get to work and everything is just going to spiral out of ocntrol.
What happens if i pay the council the original amount owed them will i still be hounded for the £235 bailiff fee? do they add a fee on everytime they make a visit?

Any help is appreciated

National_Debtline

Hi

Welcome to the forum.

As long as the bailiff hasn’t been allowed into your home previously and taken control of goods they can’t break in. As long as you keep your door locked and keep your car well out of their way you’ll limit the bailiff’s options.

You can offer an affordable payment plan to the bailiff and if they are refusing to accept it save the money up. You can also contact the council to ask whether they’ll be prepared to take the debt back. If you pay the council tax amount directly to the council you’ll still owe the bailiff fees.

The bailiff can only add on their initial £75 compliance fee, and then one £235 enforcement fee. They could only add further fees if they took control of your belongings.

You and your ex-partner have a joint and several liability for these council tax arrears which means either one of you can potentially be pursued for the whole amount, rather than half each. It seems fair enough that you should ask your ex-partner for some more money towards this debt now though.

James
@natdebtline

andyfromotley

Do not let them into your house under any circumstances, even if it means talking to them out of a window. Videoing them on your phone always helps curb their enthusiasm too.

patman99

I'm pretty sure that a baillif is not allowed to act in this way, so it might be worth raising a complaint with whatever body it is that governs bailiffs.

fatbelly

All good advice so far. Bailiffs do not arrive intending to remove goods - I've been doing debt advice for nearly 15 years (time flies) and I still haven't come across a case where anything was removed. Listed, yes, clamped yes. It's all about putting pressure on you to pay.

So keep the car away from them. They don't have a registration number to look for (like with a traffic fine) so park it away from your house and preferably on someone else's private land. Keep doors locked and talk to them (if you must) through the letterbox or an upstairs window.

As for payments, the bailiff costs are legit so if you pay the council now the money will be split between bailiff and council.

http://bailiffadviceonline.co.uk/latest-news/can-i-avoid-bailiff-fees-by-paying-the-council-or-magistrate-court-direct

k332

Thank you for your advice, the council said they would not take payment direct but ignored them and did it online anyway and it was accepted, i called them today and confirmed the payment had gone through and my account was now fully clear on there side.
Logging into the bristow and sutor thing online i can see they have put a note on saying payment on £200 made direct to council but there is obviously the enforcement fee still showing.
What will the happen with this now are they still around to send the bailffs round for there own fees?
I dont think they have been around since the other day but i work 2 jobs so its hard to say as im not in that often, i've been parking the car a few streets away at a friends, but doing this and locking the door behind me constantly is starting to get to me.