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baldasacoot

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  1. Latin, according to Google translate it's Hold thy peace and go thy way I can think of a few more modern versions.
  2. Yes, they could get into a lot of trouble if I had a secret spy cam over the door to video and audio record it. But so would anyone who knowingly breaks the law and gets caught, and so would anyone who inadvertently breaks the law not realising that what they are doing is illegal, unlawful or criminal. That does not mean that cowboy outfits won't try it on, thinking that an elderly or mentally ill person would be too confused and panic-stricken to know what's going on. Many Thanks PS What are the few, well-chosen words?
  3. Yes, I understand that, but has anyone heard of this sort of thing being done by private companies sub-contracted by local authorities, rather than just criminals, burglars, fraudsters etc? Many Thanks
  4. My understanding is that you are not allowed to bug someone or record others, but you can record your own conversations. So I will read the links and info posted here in case I am wrong. Anyway, the DWP policy is irrelevant, it's what the law allows that matters. They cannot have a policy which is at odds with the law.
  5. I have browsed around for quite a while and cannot find where this should be posted, but as I have several disabilities, maybe a moderator could move it to the correct sub-forum if this is the wrong place? The internet is full of stories of burglars, con men and thieves posing as police in order to gain unlawful access to a property. But do any of the experts here have any information on private companies subcontracted by local Council authorities doing the same? IE, sound like they are banging down the door of a vulnerable (or fully fit) person's home and saying they are Metropolitan Police (in plain clothes, of course) responding to a 999 report of a burglary, two men were seen entering "the property". What? You mean my home? Burglars? Entering through the undamaged and locked door you were just trying to kick down? What are they, ghosts? So, now it's can they come in and look around and check I am not being held hostage! And do I have any ID to prove who I am? And do I live alone? But no warrant cards or ID from them, of course. No! You bloody well can't! Now, I'd have thought uniformed police would attend a burglary report. And I don't think this behaviour would be written down in the Policies and Procedures or SOPs of any Local Authority. But a private firm sub-contracted by the Council, say to conduct random tenancy fraud investigations, or to determine if I live alone for my 25% Council Tax discount, very well might use such underhand tactics. I had returned the council tax discount form the previous week. I have had no letters from the Council's housing management team about my tenancy and proposed relocation for almost a year and no one wrote or 'phoned to make an appointment. I have no debts and I pay monthly in advance by standing order. Has anyone ever heard of this sort of thing recently? Many Thanks
  6. OK, I realise that contacting them sooner may have helped but I have difficulty with phone calls. Thanks
  7. Thanks very much. I have been on full pay but recently half-pay/SSP. I hope to be back at work before that falls to zero and I lose my job completely. Thanks again.
  8. OK, thanks very much, I'll copy that advice and I'll try e-mailing the department the liability order came from. I don't think I'll qualify under "seriously ill", but I haven't worked since March and I'm seeing doctors regularly. I wasn't hospitalised, but my health has been failing for a long time. When you say "Ask the council to take this back", you mean set aside the Liability Order and call off the bailiffs? Thank you so much for the help.
  9. I pay my Council Tax by Standing Order. As it is for 10 months, it stops in February and March and I re-activate it in April. I have been quite ill for several months and forgot to re-activate the Standing Order in April. I never got a reminder about it but the Council wrote and said they were taking me to court. So I paid the missing two payments for April and May and carried on paying monthly in June and July on the 1st of the month. I got a Magistrate's Summons when it was too late to attend and I was too ill anyway. Then I got a letter from the Council telling me a Liability Order had been granted at the Magistrate's Court on 15/06/2012, at least two weeks after I had paid for April, May and June. Now that July's payment has gone through, I got a Bailiff's letter today from a commercial collection service saying they will come back and charge further costs and may remove my goods to pay the arrears. As far as I can see there is no debt or arrears as my payments are up to date, but apparently I have lost the right to pay in installments. I have no idea what to do or where to go. I live alone and this stress is making me ill again. Any advice? Thank You very much. ~.~
  10. This is an appaling story, you have my deepest sympathies. It's the mindless stupidity of these companies which is so frustrating, isn't it? I would also suggest: 1. get an excercise book or note pad and keep a diary of all your phone calls with a note of what was said and agreed and the name of the person you spoke to; 2. don't rely on 'phone calls alone - also summarise things in a letter and put everything they agree to do on the 'phone in writing and keep a copy in a file. This will create a dosier you can pass a copy of to the Ombudsman (I'm assuming you have a PC and printer); 3. keep a note of your weekly electricity usage as well, the date, the meter reading and how many units you used - I do this in Excel on the computer but the back of the note book will do; 3. don't pay for last year's units at this year's prices - this is why accurate bills per quarter are so important - this is also, apart from the fact they are pig-poo stupid, probably why they insist on adding everything from their previous incorrect bills to the new bill, rather than re-issuing a correct bill from the beginning at the old price. They can charge you 25p per unit for 2000 units that cost 15p per unit, or whatever, when you used them. I know they haven't got this far with you yet as they haven't even sorted out your account and sent you a bill yet, but they will; 4. whatever happens, make sure that you regularly put the money aside, perhaps in a separate account, so that you can pay the bill when they finally send you one. Don't get caught out by pre-payment meters and all that nonsense; 5. and don't panic and don't worry yourself to death. You've done absolutely nothing wrong and you seem to be doing everything right. As long as their bill is correct when it does come and as long as you've got the cash, things will be fine. Even if you haven't got all the cash, you can work something out with them at that point. But get the accurate, correct, per quarter bills first. If you've kept a note of the readings, you can write and tell them what the bills should have been. It won't make the slightest bit of difference in my experience, but it shows you're doing the right thing. All the best. ~
  11. Sorry to resurrect this thread, but I have just found out that they are an ALMO which is wholly owned by the local Borough Authority and have taken over managing the publically-owned housing stock on the borough's behalf. They are managed by some sort of "board" of five residents, five member's of the organisation and five "independent people". In order to get details of their policies, standard operating procedures, audit procedure etc, I assume I use the Freedom of Information Act, rather than the Data Protection Act? The next question is how do I go about this? I am not claiming back bank charges or anything like that, I just want information on the information they want from me, plus some other information. I know from doing audits at work that many questions on an audit form are addressed to the person doing the audit, not the person being audited. So they won't ask me those questions at all. The auditor will make a value judgement and answer those questions for himself. I just want to know what those questions are, in advance. They have so far not sent me anything. They are threatening to evict me for breach of contract, although I have pointed out in writing that I am not preventing them doing their audit, nor am I denying them access to the property. They simply have failed to call round when I am at home and I am not in a position to take a day's holiday to meet an appointment of their choosing. Cheers, grateful for any help. ~
  12. Is there a formal process one has to go through to use the Freedom of Information Act? E.G. are there forms to use, fees to pay etc. Do I need to quote the relevant part of the act and so on? Cheers! ~
  13. I'm not sure if they are a straight-forward Housing Association or an Arm's length body. They are managing the estate on behalf of the local borough authority. I agree with most people's comments, at least it seems common sense to me in a free democracy, but my tenancy agreement says that I must allow them access "...at all reasonable times.... "for other management purposes". They are saying that the audit is part of estate management and if I don't let them in I am in breach of contract, which gives them grounds for eviction. So far, my main concern is that they were setting appointments and expecting me to take a day's annual leave from work and sit around waiting for them to turn up, which I am not prepared to do. I've been so busy I haven''t had time, anyway. I already asked them to send me a check list of questions they wanted answering, offered to ask my GP to verify I've been registered at the local health centre on the estate and at my address for 17 years, send them copies of rent statements, electric and phone bills etc, but they won't have it. They want photo ID as well. I already suggested that I could probably find time to call in at the local office one day, but I can't make definite appointments due to work committments, and they insist the interview has to take place in my home. Sucks, doesn't it? ~
  14. Well, they say my address was randomly selected for a tenancy audit and that they are allowed access at all reasonable times "for other management purposes", as well as in emergencies and to inspect for damage. I'm inclined to tell them to off it and prove in court that I am not the tenant, but if they can evict me for not letting them in, they won't have to prove that I'm not the tenant. I just don't think this is reasonable, although it seems it happens on other estates. I have to prove who I am, my date of birth and provide recent bills, statements etc to show I am living there and that I am not someone else who is subletting from... er... me. And some git with a clipboard will be asking me questions and trying to ascertain if the place is occupied by me. Yes, it's a type of housing association that is managing the estate for the council and paying for some re-building, refurbishing and new builds. In order to make a profit, of course. I've been there over 17 years, my rent is always paid monthly in advance and I've never heard of this before. Cheers ~
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