Recieved a letter about council tax arrears.

I little background, I was signed off work in August 2010 and dismissed from my job in late September 2010. I'm now on ESA and being referred to a specialist to hopefully get it sorted.

My partner rang them and offered £10 a week. As all we receive is benefit based. Nasty shock dropping from £600 p/w combined to £200. Now we have just had a letter through.

Dear xxxxxxxx

 

Council Tax Arrears - ADDRESS

 

You have offered £10.00 per week to reduce your arrears.

 

I am unable to accept this offer as an official arrangement on this account at this stage. You will be contacted at a later stage if it becomes possible to discuss a payment arrangement with you.

 

Contact details etc.. Yours snivilingly etc etc

What do we do now? We've offered to pay and they're refused.

You ensure that your rent / morgage is paid above anything else.

Make an income and expenditure sheet showing everything coming in and going out and send that to them so they can see that is all you can afford.

Send a £10 cheque along with it or go online and make the £10 payment now and keep to it while they have a think and decide whether you should eat or pay them.

You will soon be getting another CT bill and that will have to be paid as well as the arrears and they can and do take it from benefits, they won't allow the arrears to multiply.

You ensure that your rent / morgage is paid above anything else.

 

Make an income and expenditure sheet showing everything coming in and going out and send that to them so they can see that is all you can afford.

Send a £10 cheque along with it or go online and make the £10 payment now and keep to it while they have a think and decide whether you should eat or pay them.

 

You will soon be getting another CT bill and that will have to be paid as well as the arrears and they can and do take it from benefits, they won't allow the arrears to multiply.

When i was dismissed in September I came off SSP and had to make a claim for ESA also Council tax and Housing benefit. Owing to the fact we are in Social Housing everything eventually got sorted out, although it did take the dept. of works and pensions 10 weeks (yes, thats right... 10 weeks!) to deal with it. It's all in place now so rent is paid and council tax is paid.

We filled in an attachments of income form and returned it. To reject the amount offered without a demand for more/less is very odd.

It's all in place now so rent is paid and council tax is paid.

 

So why have you sent them an offer of £10 per week ?

So why have you sent them an offer of £10 per week ?

the arrears predate the award of CTB

Ok - what's the total amount owed?

Sounds suspiciously like a Council who have gained a Liability Order and want to pass it on to the Bailiffs.

PT

Ok - what's the total amount owed?

Can't remember, will dig out paperwork although it won't be a huge amount.

Sounds suspiciously like a Council who have gained a Liability Order and want to pass it on to the Bailiffs.

 

PT

Not had anything through to say that. Both myself and my partner have been "silly" with council tax in the past so we tend to chase things up as soon as we get a letter.

Beside, can they palm it onto a Bailiffs if we're dealing with them direct, more to the point, can we ignore the Bailiff and deal direct with the council?

The Council will undoubtedly have a Liability Order against you if the arrears of your CT pre-date your employment problems - I'd be very surprised if they don't especially in the current economic climate. You need to contact the Council ASAP and ask:

1 - do they have a Liability Order against you

2 - if yes, how much it is for - if no, how much do you still owe

3 - if yes - how much i still outstanding

4 - if yes what period of time does it cover

5 - if yes or no, has it been put out for enforcement and if so who with

PT