Please can someone help me with this im really at the end of my tether.

On 20th July 2011 I rang the Council and told them I would be moving to a new address in a different neighbouring borough and gave them my new address and told them I would be moving on 29th July. The woman I spoke to said she didnt think there was anything outstanding but that they would send the final account to my new address.

We moved on 29th July and I am now paying on time by DD my COuncil tax for the new property.

Never heard anything from the old Council Tax until Saturday morning when I got a C Tax Final Notice - cancellation of installments 2011 and amount due amount.... has to be paid within 7 days.... i received this through the post on Saturday 3rd December... the Final Notice is dated 14th November!!!!!!!!!!! so more than 7 days have elapsed already...

I rang the Council today to ask about this and was told that they had sent out bills to the old address.... I explained I had moved on 29th July and had told them about it on 20th July and what had been said by their representative.... then she said that she could offer me 4 payments starting today but would have to add on £75 as even if i agreed to payment plan it would still have to go to Court and get Court costs... she told me it goes to Court on 13th December when they will get a judgement and a Bailiff will be instructed to attend my new address and collect the monies owing...

The woman said they had sent me a ntofication in October to my new address, I have not received anything until this on Saturday and when I told her she said.. well we can both argue over it but you owe it and it needs to be paid...........

I said I wanted to speak to someone higher in authority to complain and she said she would send me a complaint form but it would make no difference because i still have to pay it..... When I asked for her name she just gave me her christian name, when i asked for her surname she said she doesnt give it out and there is only one Clair in her department!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!1

How can they do this? I told them well in advance of moving and I gave them my new addres so i wasnt trying to avoid anything... I was told that it looked like i didnt owe anything and now ive got a bill for £306.14 + £75 costs.......

Does anyone have any suggestions on what I should do? I am fuming - its 3 weeks before Christmas, there is only me working - my husband is now unemployed and we have a 15yr old son - we have no savings to draw on.... Im at the end of my tether.. Please help!!

Were you aware there may have been a bill owing when you moved? Have you asked what period of time the debt covers?

PT

I thought there would be something to pay when we moved - i wasnt in arrears or anything, I just cancelled the DD to stop them taking too much out and notified them on the 20th July that I was moving on 29th and they said if anything was owing they would send me a final bill.. but she said she thought there would be nothing or very little.... then i have heard nothing and now im being told i will have to pay costs etc when I havent even had any correspondence from them... just this final notice on Saturday 3rd Dec which was dated 14th November so dont know why it wasnt sent on time...... surely they should have contacted me...

OK, Councils are renowned for getting dates mixed up and I would not be surprised to find they have charged for a period of time after you moved. It does sound as if a Liability Order has not yet been obtained. You will need to contact them again and ask the following:

1 - ask them to confirm the amount outstanding for Council Tax minus any costs.

2 - the dates they are claiming the debt is owed for.

3 - the address the debt relates to - strange question I know but not the first to get their addresses mixed up.

4 - the dates and the addresses they say they have written to.

Did you back your phone call up with a letter when you informed them you were moving? If not are able to prove that at least you made a phone call to the Council on the date you said?

PT

i cannot prove it with paperwork except that I wrote it in my diary to say on the date that i had rung and what they said.....

i cannot prove it with paperwork except that I wrote it in my diary to say on the date that i had rung and what they said.....

Most council call centres record their calls.

I have now received a phone call from head of Customer Services and she tells me they do not have a facility for recording calls!!!!!!!!! however she apologised for the way I was treated by one of her employees and she is holding an investigation.... in the meantime she has agreed to me paying £50 per month for Dec and Jan and I have to ring her beginning of Feb to let her know if my situation is the same.....

Even £50 a month is a lot but its better than being taken to Court for non payment I suppose...