Bailiffs chasing me for overpaying my council tax!

steampowered

I think you need to work out what period the council tax bill relates to. This is not clear from your post. Surely you must have received bills / invoices?

If the council has your money in a holding account, you need to give them the proper details so that it can be matched with your council tax account.

I'd suggest going to see a debt charity like debtchange, and also going to see your local ward councillor at their next surgery, to get some help.

getmore4less

Was the original council tax bill in both names?

CIS

I think the best way to deal with situations is to leave any emotive side out of it, including anything regarding 'public servants' and treat it on a matter of fact (and law) basis

As it stands it appears payments have been made but not allocated to account. Most likely because they couldn't link payment to an account - this would occur whether it was your local council or your electricity company.

The real answer to determine is why the payment was not allocated - the answer to that question is what will decide what the answer to the rest of the situation is.

Craig

trevormax

When you left that property, how did you inform the council?
did you get confirmation that they had updated your council tax record?
Did you give them a forwarding address?
Have you received any mail from them at your new address, including demands and summons to court?

You may be able to show that the council were negligent if you told them you had left the address, told them your new address and they did not act on that information.

Next you need to figure out what year the debt comes from.
If it is a date after you left the property and you made the council aware you had left, then you are not liable for the debt.
If it is for a period of time when you did live there, you need to figure out how the debt arose.
What happened to the money you paid in to the account.
Was it enough to cover the full year?
When your ex moved out, did the council close that joint account and set up a new single account?
what did they do with any credit? Did they move it to this holding account, refund it to the ex bank card? apply to the new account?
did they send out a new bill and give the required notice period?

In themeantime, tell the collection company the debt is being disputed to prevent further visits.

tlc678910

Hi,
I think the money might have been put into a "holding account" because at least some of it is owed to your ex (according to the Council's systems).

E.g. Mr & Mrs X pay 1 years council tax April to April. The council become aware that Mr X is no longer living at the property Jan - April. They won't let the bill remain settled as Mr X is due half of the money back for Jan- April.

This example could be in line with their processes. When my friend and I left a house we had shared the council wouldn't refund all the money to me (to split with her) but would only send me my share and keep hers to send to her direct.

This doesn't account for the total lack of communication and clarity that you have experienced though, and if they have also withheld your own half of the refund due (when your ex left). Unless it is their policy that the full refund is due to whoever actually paid the bill? I think your argument might possibly lie more in the lack of communication to enable you to sort it out.

It might be worth contacting the Council and asking if someone could please help you unpick the problem and get it sorted as your ground is a little shaky to be "angry complaint" because no one told the council for several months your ex has moved out and it is reasonable of them to assume when they found out that some of this money is his (shared the bill with you / paid on his card)- according to their systems that's probably what they have to do.

If they find your half of the money is in this holding account as well as his they should be able to take that from what you owe, and with your single person discount, bring the amount owing right down.

Good luck getting it sorted
Tlc