Please help had council tax bailiff at the door

jamesd

It sounds as though the council might have obtained a default judgment against you because you didn't get the papers and couldn't respond to the court with an offer of payment. Or that the claim to have gone to court is completely false and they are just trying it on.

Do not let the bailiff in to take an inventory! It'll really be a walking possession agreement that will let them take the goods at any time in the future, because they belong to the bailiff from the time they are listed on the inventory!

Instead ask for copies of the correspondence that the council says was sent to you and the correspondence that they say the court sent you and that they say the bailiff firm sent to you and tell them that you will be applying to have the default judgment set aside and making an offer to make payments that are affordable based on your income.

Do tell them that you do accept that you'll have to pay the money, just at an affordable rate based on your circumstances, even if that is only a pound a month. Going to court is not a threat for you if you have limited income, more a promise of halfway decent treatment. The court won't set payments higher than the amount it thinks you can afford.

jojopo000

Katie73 wrote: »

I just wanted to add hugs and hopes for a better tomorrow as I'm going through the same thing myself (bailiff and council tax). Got two young children (5 and 2) and suffer from PND too. Some of the things posted in this thread have really struck chords with me, esp. the stuff about feeling useless and ruining xmas.

My daughter's birthday is the end of the month and she will be 6. I told her months ago that she could have a birthday party for the first time this year, but just can't do it now. So I explained to her that we'll have a joint one for her and her brother after Christmas (I get student money then, thank God), expecting her to sulk and kick off. She just looked at me and said 'it's ok mummy, I don't mind waiting til then'. Stunned me and broke my heart at the same time.

Also feel completely useless at the mo, esp. as my partner works away Mon-Fri and I have to just get on with it. It's really difficult, being at Uni, trying to study at home, all the travelling, childcare to sort out. Was in bed tonight and couldn't sleep, thinking 'they'd be better off without me, this is all my fault'.

Was my birthday yesterday - spent most of it panicking and in tears. What a great day!

Katie

Thanks for replying Katie, its my 2 year olds birthday on the 26th and at the moment don't know if I'll have any money to get him a present with
I have the Health Visitor coming at 10 so will see what she says about my PND.
Belated Happy Birthday Katie, mine was on Bonfire night and was cr*p before I had even got out of bed as my eldest DS dad decided to call and create cr*p (but thats another story) and the night before someon decided they would play bumper cars with my car.

I havent got long til I ring the council and am a bag of nerves.

jojopo000

jamesd wrote: »

It sounds as though the council might have obtained a default judgment against you because you didn't get the papers and couldn't respond to the court with an offer of payment. Or that the claim to have gone to court is completely false and they are just trying it on.

Do not let the bailiff in to take an inventory! It'll really be a walking possession agreement that will let them take the goods at any time in the future, because they belong to the bailiff from the time they are listed on the inventory!

Instead ask for copies of the correspondence that the council says was sent to you and the correspondence that they say the court sent you and that they say the bailiff firm sent to you and tell them that you will be applying to have the default judgment set aside and making an offer to make payments that are affordable based on your income.

Do tell them that you do accept that you'll have to pay the money, just at an affordable rate based on your circumstances, even if that is only a pound a month. Going to court is not a threat for you if you have limited income, more a promise of halfway decent treatment. The court won't set payments higher than the amount it thinks you can afford.

Thanks, that was one of my questions as the B said I need to call him back so he could make a list of my stuff (not a lot) and from reading stuff last night I thought that was what he is intending on doing.
In my letter to them in August (I have a copy on my PC) I offered them what we could afford but they turned it down.

jojopo000

Hi
I have just found this on the councils website who we owe the money to

Bailiffs will come to your property because the council holds a Court Order against you for not
paying the Council Tax. They carry the written authorisation of the council, which you can ask to
see. They are entitled to take and sell your goods to pay the debt. You can prevent this by paying
the debt, together with any charges or costs that may have arisen. Or, you can sign a ‘Walking
Possession’ agreement, where you agree with the bailiff to pay the debt over a period of time. If
you fail to keep the agreement you will incur further costs and risk having your goods removed for

sale.

So does this mean I HAVE to let him in or contact him to arrange for him to come back?

jojopo000

hi I am sat here shaking again!!

I have called the council who said we were taken to court in June 06 (first i have heard about it) and as we no longer live under their council we have to call the bailiffs company.
I have called them and they have said that I have to deal with the bailiff as he has all the paperwork and I dont have to let him in but basicaly if I dont let him then a payment arrangement cannot be made as he needs to list all our belongings.
What do I do now?

immoral_angeluk

jojopo000 wrote: »

hi I am sat here shaking again!!

I have called the council who said we were taken to court in June 06 (first i have heard about it) and as we no longer live under their council we have to call the bailiffs company.
I have called them and they have said that I have to deal with the bailiff as he has all the paperwork and I dont have to let him in but basicaly if I dont let him then a payment arrangement cannot be made as he needs to list all our belongings.
What do I do now?

Call the bailiff company and say you want to make a payment arrangement over the phone.

jojopo000

immoral_angeluk wrote: »

Call the bailiff company and say you want to make a payment arrangement over the phone.

will they do that as the call operator didnt want to do anything for me

immoral_angeluk

oh right... miht be worth another shot now you've spoken to the council though... just say something like ''the council have asked me to set up a payment arrangement with you...''.

jojopo000

Right I have called the Bailiffs company again and got a more helpful operator this time. She said they cannot sort a payment arrangement out over the phone and I need to call the Bailiff and ask him to post me a form to request to pay by instalments which I have to fill in all our incomings and outgoings and make a payment offer which the bailiff should accept. She said I do not have to let him in at all.
Does this all sound normal?

immoral_angeluk

jojopo000 wrote: »

Right I have called the Bailiffs company again and got a more helpful operator this time. She said they cannot sort a payment arrangement out over the phone and I need to call the Bailiff and ask him to post me a form to request to pay by instalments which I have to fill in all our incomings and outgoings and make a payment offer which the bailiff should accept. She said I do not have to let him in at all.
Does this all sound normal?

That sounds much more helpful.. are they sending you a form then?