Baillif coming

Herbie21

One further point.....always keep a copy of the letters that you send to both the bailiff company and the local authority.

protector

To add to the advice TheAble gave you on page1 of this thread (about which he is dead right) and to repeat what some others have already said...

If the bailiffs are likely to be taking your stuff - sell it.
If you can get (for example) £100 for a TV if you sell it yourself - you can't expect it to fetch much more than £30 if the bailiffs take it.

If it came down to it I would sell my TV, Stereo, heck I'd sell just about everything but my kitchen essentials (fridge, freezer, and the likes) and my bed to get a debt paid before it came down to the bailiffs seizing property.

If you do get bailiffs at your door and they say things like "be reasonable, let us come in and we can chat it through without your neighbours watching" don't fall for it. As TheAble said - once you have let them into the house they are entitled to break in after that.

If you do decide to face them - go outside and deadlock your door behind you before you do it so they can't get in.

RAS

Income per Month
Net Basic Salary: £800
WFT/CTC £800
Child Benefit: £204.00
Total Income Per month: £1,804.00

No of children 4, ages 14, 11, 9 and 3

EXPENDITURE PER MONTH:
Rent £240.00
Council Tax £70
Children’s Endowment Policies £20 - stop this
Water Rates £35
Electricity £80 (Includes Arrears)
Gas £50 (Includes Arrears)
TV Licence £10 - if you have to have a TV OK
Car HP £165
Telephone £60 (Reduced this down to 3 for £30 with NTL)
Mobiles £20 (£10 per month for myself and husband o2 PAYG)
Vehicle tax, mot and insurance £110 - do you have to have a car?
Vehicle maintenance £40 - ditto
Petrol for back and for work £50
Pets £40 (Food and Insurance and general vet bills that aren’t covered with insurance)
Housekeeping £300 - you can cut something off this
Next £100 (Paying in full to mum) Owe 1k - reduce this
Additions £90 (Paying in full to mum) Owe1.4k - reduce this
Capital One £10 (Only owe £185 so trying to pay off ASAP) - pay £1
JD Williams £15 (only owe £300 so trying to pay off ASAP) - pay £1
LPF £10 (Arrangement plan)
School Dinners x3 £72 - take pack ups
Clothes/Hairdressers £100 - stop buying these altogether for a while
Brownies/guides/karate £50

TOTAL EXPENDITURE £1,737

INCOME - EXPENDITURE £67

Which I’m using to pay extra off the smaller debts listed above including my Mothers ASAP so I can work on the ones below and offer them more maybe in a years time.
I am also trying desperately to cut down on the above making more money for the smaller debts.

Once you have paid the priority debts, you need to pay off the others according to how expensive they are, so you need to know the APRs of them all. All the other debts you pay a minimum on.

CREDITORS
National Debt Recovery – Offered a token payment of £1. - :j Money owed £1,204.00
LloydsTSB – Offered a token payment of £5.:j Money owed £8,000
Argos Credit Card – Offered a token payment of £1:j Money owed £1,000


In the very short term (this week), you need to cut your spending to pay the council tax and utility bills, as these are priority bills.

In the medium term (next week), you need to stop spending and get a handle on your finances. if you cannot afford to pay the council tax, you cannot aford to buy stuff in the Next catologue, Argos, Additions or even Primark.

Since you have been buying thousands of pounds of stuff, what can you sell? If it is not nailed down or used daily, consider getting it on e-bay or do a car boot.

Do you absolutely need a car? If not flog it if you are far enough through the hire purchase to do a deal. Can you take it off the road even if you have to pay the HP?

Since there are two of you, can you get a job, or a second part-time job while OH mnds the kids? Can the eldest start doing a little job for pocket money?

Please go to one of the debt charities and talk to them about your options. Is this your debt or shared with OH? Since you do not own a house is BK an option? Or a DMP?

plonker

I have already stated I cant reduce the payments on two of them.
Nothing to sell as it was used to buy the children clothes, there are 6 of us and I have already stated I am not using them now
I am not willing to stop the endowments after 14/12/9 years, that would just be a total waste

I do appreciate your help but if you read my post properly you will see there are certain things I CAN'T cut back on

Yes I could get a part-time job but it wouldn't be worth my while I would just loose the tax credit and be no better off

BK is an option yes, but we are sorted IF I can get the CT to accept a lower payment.

CT is a joint bill

Herbie21

From reading the thread again, the LA has not YET taken the case to the Magistrates Court. If that is the case, it would be worth while trying one more time to reach agreement with the council. Probably refuse but it is worth trying.

You MUST by law be given 14 days notice that the account has gone to bailiffs.

If the case has gone I would be writing a letter as indicated in my earlier post and emphasise the following:

Living in rented accomodation.

Paying nominal sums already to various creditors.

Paying arrears for both electricity and gas accounts.

In receipt of Child Tax Credit

Not refusing to pay......merely CANNOT afford the sum required monthly without falling into serious arrears with ALL other creditors inluding utility accounts.

Offer to pay £100 per month.


Tell them that you are aware of your rights as previously stated here etc.

moneymare

IMPORTANT.

Depends on your circumstances, but if the liability order is granted by the court, it may be worth contacting the council to ask for an Attachment to Earnings Order.
On net pay of £800 per month, the deduction would be 7% or £56 per month.
This would remain in place until the balance is paid in full, or you leave your job.
However, is a far better option than £240 per month or the account going to the bailiffs (and incurring additional charges).

Not an option if you are self-employed, but if you work for an employer may be a more beneficial option?

RAS

plonker wrote: »

Yes I could get a part-time job but it wouldn't be worth my while I would just loose the tax credit and be no better off

I think you need to check this out as your assumptions seem to be wrong.

I have used your SOA as a basis for a simple check on the amount of WTC/CTC that you would get if you worked part-time. This may be way out in practice, but it suggests that you would be better off working part-time than staying at home.

If you did 15 hours a week at the minimum wage, you would get that money (bear in mind no income tax to pay, just NI) and an extra £30 per week WTC/CTC. Bearing in mind that your youngest is entitled to 5 half days free childcare, that is possible, or you could work evenings and weekend when OH is home.

That would give you over £100 per week EXTRA to throw at your debts

I suggest you go to www.entitledto.com and put in the real situation to check this out as it could make a real difference to your future. I did not check the situation if you work 16 hours or over, but I believe this is the entry point for some additional benefits.

plonker

Thankyou I will look into that

I am trying to get through to the CT to accept the £240, I am too scared to let bailiffs come, I'm not a very strong person and know they woud intimidate me, so somehow I have to find the money

plonker

moneymare wrote: »

IMPORTANT.

Depends on your circumstances, but if the liability order is granted by the court, it may be worth contacting the council to ask for an Attachment to Earnings Order.
On net pay of £800 per month, the deduction would be 7% or £56 per month.
This would remain in place until the balance is paid in full, or you leave your job.
However, is a far better option than £240 per month or the account going to the bailiffs (and incurring additional charges).

Not an option if you are self-employed, but if you work for an employer may be a more beneficial option?

will look into this, thanks

tigtag02

RAS wrote: »

If you did 15 hours a week at the minimum wage, you would get that money (bear in mind no income tax to pay, just NI)

NI would not be due on 15 hours a week at min wage