hi

We have been having problems paying our council tax for awhile now.

We have received a letter stating we must bring account up-to date within 7 days or we will lose the right to pay by installments. We cannot afford to pay £352, my partner plans on calling them at the end of the comin week and offering them one month of £88 and arranging a direct debit set up for a further month in about 3 weeks time and then hopefully get up-to date at the end of Jan.

My partner did speak with them some weeks ago and wanted to arrange a payment proposal and a direct debit date, however was told to wait until we received the reminder notice, which is what we have had now.

I am a little scared and worried as council tax is so important and have had thoughts of court hearings etc. Can anyone tell me how long the process takes until it gets to court/balliff process? We do not want it to come to this

Also what happens if you are billed until April but may be moving out before that date? Will they still ask for the full years amount. I know they say well we will transfer it to your new bill, but what if you are moving abroad and will not have to pay council tax?

Also if i'm on a debt management plan is there anyway that helps with council tax debt?

All advice and thoughts would be greatly appreciated.

Bump..... Can everyone read this thread? I had a message from the CAgbot saying there was a problem with the message, but it still seems to be listed.

Hi,

sorry nobody replied yesterday. sometimes people looka nd because they don't have the answer they move away. I don't know the answer either but just wanted to say that you won't be ignored and someone will look and give you good advice.

fox

thanks, i was concerned i had put the thread in the wrong area.

Really worried about the above.

One of the site team will probably move it to the right forum if needed so don't worry about that.

As I understand the court process, if it gets that far you will get an order to pay but if you tell them you are in financial difficulties they may give you time to pay. If you default on the payment terms then the council can bring in the bailiffs, which you don't want as they are the devil incarnate.

that's all I can say at the moment but some one will advise better.

fox

Hello Geministar2007!

I regret that I am no expert on Council Tax, but do know that the collection of Monthly Payments are backed by the following:

The Council Tax (Administration and Enforcement) Regulations 1992

The main points to note are that they won't allow regular missed Payments within a given Council Tax Year. Thus, miss one Payment and a you get a Warning saying you will lose the Right to Pay via Instalments.

Even if you Pay that, if you then miss a 2nd Payment, then they will send you a 2nd and Final Warning. Even if you Pay that, if you miss a 3rd Payment, then they can demand the Whole Balance that is remaining for that Council Tax Year. They do not have to issue a 3rd Warning.

So, what that boils down to, is you have only two chances to make a mistake, after the 3rd they can Demand the Whole Balance and can deny you the option to Pay via Instalments.

All I can suggest is you get in Contact with your Council ASAP, and keep talking to them. Stay polite and stay reasonable, and see if you can agree to a Payment Plan they will accept.

Just because the above Law allows them to Demand the lot, I would think most Councils will be reasonable if you are open and honest and seek to find a way to Pay to catch up. They have the Power, but I'd think if you can negotiate with them, then they do not have to use that Power.

I'm sorry this is not better news, it seems the Councils are well protected by the Legislation, and will use it at the drop of a hat if you don't seek to make Contact with them to discuss.

If your Income is low, then you can get Council Tax Relief of some sort, but I don't think they'll back-date that. Thus, it is vital to get in Contact with them to see what can be done.

For example, you may be able to Claim Council Tax Relief and get that underway, then agree a Repayment Plan to catch up with the Arrears whilst the above Relief Application is going through. All being well, you'll be granted the Relief as your Arrears Repayments fizzle out once the Arrears have been covered.

Hopefully, someone with more experience with Councils and Council Tax may jump in to help.

Cheers,

BRW

I have been having a think.

Do you get council tax benefit? if you don't, perhaps it may be worth applying as the worst they can say is no. If you qualify then this will reduce your bill.

The response from BRW is good advice. always be polite with the council as they tend to be more helpful when you treat them well. Try to deal with the same person whenever possible. A lot of councils had money in icelandic banks and are seriously out of pocket so they are trying to get as much money into their coffers before they run out of cash.

fox

hi thanks for advice. I just called the council and paid one month, arranged a silly sum to be debited from my account in jan. However i told them i would be making another monthly payment in Dec (hopefully 2), therefore the amount to be debited in Jan will be less.

But at least they are off my case over xmas, i will worry about Jan when it gets here!

Can you claim council tax benefit even if you are not claiming housing benefit? I have a feeling we are not entitled to it now my partner is back at work, didn't think or even realise while he was out of work, just struggled on paying the rent and everyting out of my small wage and though sod the council tax for a few months.

Thanks again.

Hello Geministar2007!

I regret I have no experience with Council Tax Benefits, so hopefully someone else will jump in to help.

One thing I can say is that there are certain Key Bills that need to be Paid before anything else, and in no particular order (as they say), these are the ones that matter:

Mortgage (to keep a roof over your head).

Council Tax (to keep a roof over your head).

Electricity (so you can see to cook, stay warm and function).

Water Rates (so you can Drink and Wash).

Fuel to stay warm (see electricity if that is your main fuel).

Food (so that you can live).

Everything else comes after the above. So, unsecured Credit Cards or Loans are the very last people to Pay after the above are covered first.

Too many people worry about Paying Credit Cards and Loans, and neglect the Bills that really matter.

A roof over your head, light, heat, power and fuel are all that matters, the rest you can then deal with after these vital issues are safe.

Cheers,

BRW

Well you're doing the right thing by keeping the council off your back. I have seen a website that does calculations for you to see if you qualify for benefit but as usual my senior moments arrive and I forget to bookmark it:-? If you have a search around and perhaps one of the more experienced bods will pop in to help.

fox:-D

thank u all for your comments.