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maxsteam

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  1. Yes, as stated previously, I have proof that the debt has been paid (9 months ago). I have made many formal complaints to the council. I wrote to my MP who contacted a councillor and promised to write to me again when he got a reply (I'm still waiting). The bailiffs have not yet added fees but are promising to add an amount (they can't decide how much) if they visit. I am not willing to live for the next few years under the threat of someone taking my car or my property.
  2. Thank you for the helpful advice. I'm certainly more inclined to take note of reputable web sites like legislation.gov.uk than some of the dodgy sites out there. There are some sites that pretend that you can post a note on your gate and never have to pay your bills, there's another site run by debt collectors that pretends that bailiffs are above the law. As stated in my original post, the debt has been paid. I have a considerable amount of proof to support this fact and this has been shared with the bailiffs and the council. The Tribunals, Courts and Enforcement Act 2007, for example, is quite clear: Para 6.3 The property in all goods ceases to be bound when ... the amount outstanding is paid Para 58 This paragraph applies where the debtor pays the amount outstanding in full - No further step may be taken under the enforcement power concerned. In an ideal world, you would be able to present a set of facts to a council and they would act on them. Unfortunately, were our council diligent, the issues with my council tax would never have arisen. As stated, the problem arose because, between 2007 and 2015, the council were falsely pretending that I was not living in my house.
  3. There is a lot of twaddle out there but it's common sense as well as being set out in statute and reputable web sites that debt collection procedures should stop after the debt has been paid and/or if written proof of the debt cannot be produced. The tone of the letters I've received from the bailiffs suggest that they are not too interested in looking at proof of payment or providing a detailed breakdown of the amount or discussing anything other than getting more money from me. I am expecting them not to follow the rules too closely and to keep pestering me until they are "called off by the court" which is why I am anticipating that I will need to obtain an injunction.
  4. No. As suggested in the other post, you should look on eBay for any used sofas in your area. House clearance auctions are also worth investigating. The difference is that you can get something to sit on for a fiver rather than for a fiver per week. If you look for credit to buy things you are always going to be under the thumb of the credit providers and people like SCS. You can consider giving SCS a few weeks to either come up with the goods or you will cancel, but how you act will depend on if you paid a deposit, how you paid it and how much it was. There's a 2-seat sofa here that I got for a couple of pounds from a house clearance auction. There's nothing wrong with it but I'll be rearranging things soon and, if I don't find someone who wants it, I might auction it on eBay with a 1p start. It's likely that I am not in your area but the chances are that there is someone in a similar situation near you. To find the dates and places for house clearance auctions, look in your local newspaper or phone round the people listed under "auctioneer" in the yellow pages. Yes, you can get a decent sofa for £5. For £10 you can get one in a colour that you like. For £20 you can have a leather one. If you don't have a car to strap it to, you might pay the same again for delivery but my view is that it's far better to have something which isn't going to make you want to scream when your son scribbles on it.
  5. Hi Grumpy. I think that you may be in another country. The UK Administration of Justice Act details both what constitutes harassment and, in section 40, details the punishment for harassing debtors. The punishments will be more severe if the harassment occurs after an injunction. Some injunctions have the power of arrest attached. I have already removed the implied right of access. Any special privileges given to bailiffs ended when the debt was paid.
  6. It's important that you get a record of having informed the college of the problems so that you can possibly dispute the debt. There are two sides to every agreement and, if they have failed to stick to their side after you have given them the opportunity to do so, then you are entitled to withhold payment. You should record the situation in letters, keep copies and obtain posting receipts. You should be prepared to show copies of the correspondence to anyone chasing payment.
  7. Some Councils are not very good with numbers. You can write to them to make a formal complaint (the address and procedure will be on their web site) but be sure to put the heading "Formal Complaint - Council Tax Benefit Account ****" and make the first sentence "This is a formal complaint" otherwise they might treat your letter as an informal enquiry. You should keep a copy of your letter and obtain a (free) posting receipt. The result of a formal complaint will be that the issues get recorded and someone else will look at things but it's quite possible that, even if you escalate the complaint, it may achieve nothing more.
  8. Thank you for the response. The Local Government Ombudsman did look at a number of issues but they were not very helpful. On one issue they concluded that they did not need to investigate because the council had already investigated - yet they claim to look at issues independently. I do have the option to go back to them about the council tax though. A Judicial Review is certainly something that I am researching. In the short term I have told the bailiffs that they should not be performing debt collection activities after a debt has been paid and when they cannot produce written proof of the debt and, as a consequence, I have withdrawn their implied right of access to my property and I am threatening an injunction if they continue to harass me. Currently matters have been put on hold for 14 days to allow me the opportunity to make a payment offer. I have offered to promptly rectify any errors that can be found in my first payment of the council tax. Realistically, I doubt that the offer will even be acknowledged.
  9. Yes, if there is no error in the calculations, you either pay what they suggest or pay the full amount and switch to quarterly billing and/or another supplier. The only other option would be to plead with the supplier and ask for some sympathy. The danger of going down this route is that the supplier might reduce the monthly payment but then record what you are doing as a debt repayment arrangement rather than a simple change in the direct debit.
  10. It's possible that the meter is still recording usage but just not displaying the numbers. Whatever the problem, as long as you've done your part in making all parties aware (keep a record of what you've done), the worst that can happen is that you are asked to pay a best estimate of the usage for a period (but you should not accept the supplier's first estimate if it seems too much). Don't throw any old bills away as these can help you to make a sensible estimate if this becomes necessary.
  11. I hope that you are still making progress Leakie. Just thought that I should suggest that you ask the medical people if allergies and migraines have been considered. Sometimes headaches can be caused by eating certain foods and bright lights. Thicker bedroom curtains and a change of diet may have no effect whatsoever but are worth thinking about. Questions must obviously keep being asked if there is something in the school or home environment that is causing emotional distress. Well done to them for eventually noticing that there is a problem.
  12. In March 2015 I was taken to the local magistrates court for certain council tax bills (briefly, I told the local council where I was living and they refused to update their records [the house was subject to a compulsory purchase order and the council wanted to pretend that the house was unoccupied] until I took them to a tribunal. They then updated their records and billed me for 5 years of council tax). The magistrate refused to grant a liability order for this old disputed council tax. I have paid recent council tax bills and I have a considerable amount of proof that I have done this (I even wrote on cheques what I was paying - where appropriate the cheques state it was full and final payment for the relevant year). The council has reallocated recent payments against the old disputed council tax and, after several adjournments, obtained liability orders for £5k of more recent, undisputed council tax bills in January 2016. I have stated that I have now paid these bills once and I have sent evidence of this to the council and their bailiffs. When I get a response it is that their records show a balance outstanding which they would like paid. The bailiffs are now "preparing papers" for an enforcement visit. I wont let them in but I am worried that they might take my car which I park on the street. This is a saga that, together with the compulsory purchase order, has dragged on for a decade. I would love to put it all behind me and get on with my life. I've done a Local Government Ombudsman Complaint and written to my MP & local Councillor without making progress. Any thoughts would be welcome.
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