Hello,

Been a while since been on here.

Advice for my daughter please.

She moved out of a property May 2015 and received a 'further notice of enforcement ' sent to her new address today.

Bill was £495. Rang council - apparently £185 council tax £310 agent fees.

My daughter didn't officially notify the council she was moving out but did start paying council tax immediately from new property.

I guess my question is where does responsibility lie?

Can fees be challenged?

It turns out CT owed is not outstanding amount, is actually less but apparently you pay a full month and then it is refunded!

No letters were passed on to my daughter from old address and council says Agents must have been searching for my daughter.

Couldn't make it up, she is on electoral registered and paying council tax in her name.

Any / all advice is welcome please as to next step.

I have told my daughter not to contact Jacobs,

go to council, pay outstanding CT over counter in cash and hand them a letter of complaint about Jacobs as she hasn't received any letters.

Are there any forms on this site relevant or will it be ad-hoc letter?

Regards, Sherlock

if she can prove she was paying CTAX else where

and this ctax is for a period after she moved out?

then does she actually owe anything?

dx

Until the matter is sorted, jacobs could still call on your daughter. Make sure gthat she knows not to let them in under any circumstances and if she has a car, park it away from the house.

Paying the council direct [even when it is possible] will not cancel the bailiff fees. The only way of doing that is for the Council to accept that they should have picked up you had moved and sent

you notice of outstanding C/T before sending in bailiffs.

It is a pity your daughter didn't let them know she was moving and so she maystill be liable for the £75 bailiff fee. However as she never received the 7 day Enforcement letter, they cannot

charge the £275 fee.

Hi DX,

Paid April instalment 15th - May 15th. Moved out end of May so does owe something (2 weeks I assume) CT was £126.00 month.

Council are saying that the chasing is for the balance.

The further notice of enforcement just states £495.00 owed, no breakdown on fees / c tax / dates etc.

Am I right in thinking a notice of enforcement is entered once an agreement is in place and is broken? So no idea what a further notice of enforcement is. No agreement was entered into and this is the first letter received.

Regards, Sherlock

Posts have crossed lookinforinfo.

I agree it was avoidable however, my daughter is going to apply for mortgage shortly and doesn't want it going any further obviously.

Do you think a letter of complaint, offering the £75 will be the route?

Regards, Sherlock

Won't hurt mortgage

Hi,

It was more threat of ccj re: credit file.

Lady at council says no final notice for council tax was sent and daughter is on the system at new address as at 1/5/15 as landlord registered her at the address.

Regards, Sherlock

Councils don't report their arrears to Credit Reference Agencies.

I would hold off on offering the £75 as the Council may accept that as your daughter didn't receive their letter asking for the outstanding amount and she would have paid straight away had she known, they may put her back to that position and wipe all the bailiff fees.

Looking at your previous post something doesn't appear to add up. Bailiff fees are £75 plus £235 if no contact made within 7 clear days. As that comes to £310 it would seem that the Council

have charged £185 rather than the two weeks your daughter was expecting. It would be best to contact the Council quickly to resolve the outstanding amount before paying.

 

Looking at your previous post something doesn't appear to add up. Bailiff fees are £75 plus £235 if no contact made within 7 clear days. As that comes to £310 it would seem that the Council

have charged £185 rather than the two weeks your daughter was expecting.

 

I think that you may find that the 'council tax debt' of £185 includes the dreaded 'summons fee' as well.

The overall amount (£495) appears to be very disproportionate when the council tax arrears may be as little as £75 (or thereabouts). The local authority should be encouraged to look at this matter again.

The enforcement company (Jacobs) are not at fault here. Their role is to enforce the Liability Order on behalf of the creditor (local authority).

Hi,

Thanks for replies.

I was surmising on fees as the £275 & £75 was all I could find. The council have just said that the amount owed is £180.00, with no breakdown. I think my daughter will need to go in and ascertain actual charges.

Should Jacobs have issued a 'further notice of enforcement ' letter to the new address without previous letters? Assuming they sent them, maybe to previous address.

Regards, Sherlock

Part of this has to be attributed to your daughter if she did not notify the Council when she moved, which is where all notices should have been sent.