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Do you accept that you are liable for the Council Tax charge due on the previous property ? Is there any reason you think you shouldn't have been liable ?
Craig
Only due to me being on benefits on and off during the year the amount is prob wrong but i prob owe a % of itSealed Pot Challenge 10 - #5710 -
You asked about the SOA link - you can find it in the "sticky" post at the top of the board. People will be very happy to help you see where savings can perhaps be made it you post it in here.
How did you end up with a 4 figure sum owing on water rates for a month living in a property?🎉 MORTGAGE FREE (First time!) 30/09/2016 🎉 And now we go again…New mortgage taken 01/09/23 🏡
Balance as at 01/09/23 = £115,000.00 Balance as at 31/12/23 = £112,000.00
Balance as at 31/08/24 = £105,400.00 Balance as at 31/12/24 = £102,500.00
£100k barrier broken 1/4/25
Balance as at 31/08/25 = £ 95,450.00. Balance as at 31/12/25 = £ 91,100.00
SOA CALCULATOR (for DFW newbies): SOA Calculatorshe/her0 -
EssexHebridean wrote: »You asked about the SOA link - you can find it in the "sticky" post at the top of the board. People will be very happy to help you see where savings can perhaps be made it you post it in here.
How did you end up with a 4 figure sum owing on water rates for a month living in a property?
TBH I have no idea how it even got to that amount the letter only caught up with me last year and i didnt have a tenecy etc but proving all this is hard so im just taking it on the chinSealed Pot Challenge 10 - #5710 -
Hi further to this topic I have ended my tempory work and still no better off infact after using stepchanges free tool they say i have less money than I have to cover the bills etc however they didnt recomend a DRO they just said pay a £1 a month this is really starting to worry me nowSealed Pot Challenge 10 - #5710
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DO the SOA at the top of the board - this will help us greatly.
You need to deal with the Council tax debt - I don't know if you can not retrospectively get the amount corrected if it was incorrect for the months you were unemployed or not.
The water bill - why on EARTH would you "take it on the chin" if you do not owe this money?? No no no no no! Challenge it! More importantly though - how long ago was this EXACTLY? If nearly 6 years ago then let sleeping dogs lie for now but keep an eye on your credit file for any potential CCJ's. If they try for a CCJ you MUST defend this and explain you lived at the property for 1 month between x and y dates only. If you had no tenancy agreement then explain that and state you were living there as a lodger and frankly they can jog on.
Regarding jobs - apply for anything and everything - I don't know where you are but here at least there are usually always jobs going - they aren't posh, but they're all above minimum pay usually. From shops to warehouse to manufacturing and driving - register with as many agencies as you can and pester them
DFW Nerd #025DFW no more! Officially debt free 2017 - now joining the MFW's!
My DFW Diary - blah- mildly funny stuff about my journey0 -
Yes challenge everything! Do not presume it is correct, even if it IS correct you can still haggle for the sake of a phonecall!Savings as of April 2023 Savings account - £26460.50(14474.88)Current account - £2140.24(4576.79)Total - £28600.74(19051.67) £1010 (£65pm CS/BS) £250 CS/BS/JS0
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And if you really *are* committed to sorting this, don't just worry about it, do the SOA and get working on tackling it.
Take a job, any job. Don't worry about finding something that's "in your field" - just take whatever will bring some money in for the time being. Most people feel that it's easier to find a job when you're actually working already - I suspect as it gives an employer less reason to question your commitment to putting the time in if you're already in employment, rather than showing a lot of time unemployed on your record.
Make sure you register with Job centre Plus or whatever they call themselves these days too - it can be a help in finding work, and will ensure that you're getting whatever benefits you are entitled to.🎉 MORTGAGE FREE (First time!) 30/09/2016 🎉 And now we go again…New mortgage taken 01/09/23 🏡
Balance as at 01/09/23 = £115,000.00 Balance as at 31/12/23 = £112,000.00
Balance as at 31/08/24 = £105,400.00 Balance as at 31/12/24 = £102,500.00
£100k barrier broken 1/4/25
Balance as at 31/08/25 = £ 95,450.00. Balance as at 31/12/25 = £ 91,100.00
SOA CALCULATOR (for DFW newbies): SOA Calculatorshe/her0 -
Council tax is the priority and if you have been unemployed make sure you have claimed any council tax relief you are entitled to.
Sort the Atlantis out. There is no way that £1311 is correct for just one month. Make sure they know when you were living there and query it. If it was a rented property it may be that most of that is due from other tenants.
Unsecured lending can wait bar telling them you cannot pay and sending them statement of income and expenditure.I’m a Forum Ambassador and I support the Forum Team on the Debt free Wannabe, Budgeting and Banking and Savings and Investment boards. If you need any help on these boards, do let me know. Please note that Ambassadors are not moderators. Any posts you spot in breach of the Forum Rules should be reported via the report button, or by emailing forumteam@moneysavingexpert.com. All views are my own and not the official line of MoneySavingExpert.
Save £12k in 2026 Challenge £12000/£2000
365 day 1p Challenge 2026 £667.95/£110
Click on this link for a Statement of Accounts that can be posted on the DebtFree Wannabe board: https://lemonfool.co.uk/financecalculators/soa.php0 -
frenchplonka wrote: »Hi further to this topic I have ended my tempory work and still no better off infact after using stepchanges free tool they say i have less money than I have to cover the bills etc however they didnt recomend a DRO they just said pay a £1 a month this is really starting to worry me now
I've interviewed 2 people today who had the same result from stepchange.
They seem to think if the financial statement turns out negative then they can't recommend a DRO, and they then default to token offers.
In one case they had recommended £1 per month to Council Tax arrears (good luck with that) and £1 per month to 'the other priority debt', which turned out to be water arrears (water is not a priority debt).
This is where a brain needs to be engaged. In both situations today we agreed on a DRO in order to get relief from their debts. We can look at budgeting alongside this.
However, in your situation if you are likely to get work, and it takes your surplus over £50 per month (not necessarily a given for a lot of people) then they are probably right to hold back on a DRO for now0
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