Thanks again people for all the replies it restores my faith in humanity to know people like the forum members here care enough to use their time to help. Good news is that I emailed the head of department at the council stating I was considering legal action against them due to the illegal activities of the bailiffs acting on their behalf and the profound effect it was having on my health. Inspite of being told on the phone by the people on the phone who insisted AGAIN 'you HAVE to deal with the bailiffs its out of our hands' once the email was sent to the person in charge with a threat of legal action I received an immediate reply telling me they had told the bailiffs that the matter was now back in the hands of the council. RESULT BUT I am still furious about this. How the hell can councils get away with contracting these lying evil often illegal BULLYS why isnt there a national outcry??? WHY? Its disgusting that people such as myself are made ill by the illegal behaviour of people acting for councils, its ABSURD yet it seems very commonplace. I want to bring this behaviour into the public eye somehow?

Thanks for the reply wonky. I will try contacting the council but my experience has been they are very very very very very unhelpful/ignorant bordering on the rude/aggressive so offer no information/help etc or any hope of getting help there. Stupid as it sounds the bailiff sounded OK on first contact and i was surprised when after a phone call with me explaining i wanted to set up a repayment plan I received a sheet of paper offering this etc YET also had the notice of distress document alongside. VERY VERY worried. I know how dishonest devious and EVIL these people are. I know they will try and break in and take my posessions claiming they have levied distress! OH well back to the hospital for me

Yes i am still taking medication for my health issues. Couldnt sleep again last night and cant find the paperwork relating to the payments i made in 2009 to the previous bailiffs. The last letter I had from rossendales was I think a liabilty order. It contained a notice of second attendance, some bank giro payment slips, a sheet giving all the legal info about liabilty orders. Also included was an a4 sheet of paper that on one side details the debt and is dated and signed by the bailiff and on its reverse the heading is notice of distress and sections headed inventory (blank), walking possesion agreement (blank) and some other sections relating to distress amount. All of this section of the document is blank. The letter was posted through the communal front door of the block of flats I live in and not my own flat. I have NEVER seen a bailiff from rossendales. Also included is a sheet headed request to pay by installments. What should i do? The bailiff assured me i could fill in the repayment form and id be ok but why is a sheet called notice of distress??? I am now VERY WORRIED the are going to come back claiming to have levied against goods or something? HELP PLEASE

Its was approx 3 weeks as an inpatient. Are they liable to turn up again in the next few days? The last time in 2009 they claimed to have met me and levyed against a vehicle and applied huge charges attached to this yet i never met them and dont drive. I did set up a repayment scheme with the bailiffs in 2009 yet the few hundred pounds i paid was swallowed up by their illegal charges. The coucil claimed to be investigating what happened in 2009 but it never got resolved and as the debt i currently owe includes that period what happened to my money? The council claims the bailiffs never responded in 2009? This is all making me ill again :sad:

Hi there thanks again for the reply. The last document i received from the council was a letter late decemeber telling me I owed 2 outstanding amounts one of 1587 and one of 577. Different account numbers. I accept I didnt pay I have had a very very tough time personally and financially over the period the debt built up including a long stay in a psychiatric hospital. My mental health was SEVERELY affected by my last dealings with bailiffs and their fraudulent activities and I cant cope again. The debts date back to 2006?? RE points 3 4 5 I dont know. Sorry

Thanks for the replies people. I am still worried sick about this. What should I do? Should i fill in the repayment plan offer form and send it back or will this in some way mean they are able to apply yet more charges?? The forged signature thing happened a few years ago when i different firm of bailiffs attempted to charge me a few hundred pounds in costs. They claimed to have met me levyed against my goods and also claimed I had signed documents allowing this to happen. This is the reason i am so scared I DONT TRUST THEM yet cant live in fear of that next letter or knock at the door any advice please. The council dont want to know.

So yet again my fault due to long term unemployment, yet apparently ineligible for any council tax benefits (now employed for 5 months) I am dealing with bailiffs seeking immediate repayment of council tax. I have received 2 visits in person and accept the cost applied £24.50 visit 1 and £18.00 visit 2. My issues begins with the tactics involved. I made a call to Rossendales, the firm involved upon receipt of my first letter, and was told I would need to meet the bailiff in person to receive a letter detailing how to set up a repayment plan, a tactic to levy against goods me thinks? I have now received a letter which on one side details the amount of debt owed and signatures of the bailiff etc but disturbingly on the reverse is a blank notice of distress?? Why is this? I legitimately just wanted to set up a repayment plan YET past experience tells me something underhand is going on here. I really dont want to sign anything but need to sleep and cant its getting way too much to cope with and I cant take anymore. The last time this happened dealing with the council didnt work and the stress just got worse. I previously had my signature forged by a bailiff company and had to get my MP (Hazel Blears) involved to solve the hideous situation as the council just ignored me and kept me on the phone for hours. All of this resulted/contributed to my spending 2 weeks in a psychiatric hospital suffering extreme depression and stress. HELP PLEASE I NEED TO SLEEP!

Thanks for the help everybody my situation has now been resolved! Its funny how I couldnt get anywhere with my coucil and nobody was responding to my emails yet the moment my MP becomes involved and her office ring the council about my situation I suddenly receive an apologetic email from the head of recoveries at the council telling me the bailiffs have been told to cease their actions and the whole matter will be investigated! RESULT thanks everybody =]

Sorry I will start my own thread shortly. Just wanted to mention I emailed my MP for Salford Hazel Blears today and received a phone call from her office and they seemed very very keen to help me. Hazel Blears MP is going to personally write to the bailiffs, the council and me to get the situation resolved. She is also going to ring the council and the bailiffs personally. She has promised to do all this today! Do you think this will speed things up? I am sure the bailiff firm wont want her involved? Thanks

Well I have just spoken to the council and was told AGAIN to phone the bailiffs and resolve it with them which I am not prepared to do. Phoned the county court and was told I could not speak to a court officer as I needed to ring the magistrates court to deal with my issue. The magistrates cort said it was nothing to do with them so gave me the county court number I had just rang and I was again told that they did not deal with such matters and told me to phone the council who again told me t5o ring the bailiffs!! ARGH what can I do??????? Its salford city council I am dealing with. 1hr+ of calls and no joy HELP PLEASE!!!

My problem is I am no longer certain exactly how much I owe the council and just how much the bailiffs can legally take for their fees? I have sent a number of emails to the council but no reply. Are there any template letters which may help me? Also how do I obtain the contact details of my court officer? I am dealing with salford city council so if anybody has the number that would be a great help. Thanks again

How would I know if there has been a levy? They have not entered my property which is a first floor flat and I have no goods outside my property. Do they have to tell me in writing if there has been a levy? How long to councils tend to take when it comes to transferring the debt back to themselves? I just want an end to this matter ASAP and dont want to be fearing a knock at the door all weekend etc thanks

Thanks so much for all the advice! So now that I am going to deal with the council what happens to the £200 I have paid the bailiffs? Will they keep this and say it was to cover charges or will it be subtracted from the bill I owe the council? The council did advise me to set up a payment plan with the bailiff whilst they process my complaint but I am worried my payments will just be used to cover fraudulent charges? If I can agree a payment plan direct with the council do I have to have any communication with the bailiff or will the council contact the bailiff firm? To add to this I have contacted my MP and local councillor informing them that I believe the bailiffs acting for them are behaving in an illegal manner which is having a profound impact upon my health and well being. Will this speed things up?? Thanks again guys =]

Thanks so much for all the advice! So now that I am going to deal with the council what happens to the £200 I have paid the bailiffs? Will they keep this and say it was to cover charges or will it be subtracted from the bill I owe the council? The council did advise me to set up a payment plan with the bailiff whilst they process my complaint but I am worried my payments will just be used to cover fraudulent charges? If I can agree a payment plan direct with the council do I have to have any communication with the bailiff or will the council contact the bailiff firm? Thanks again guys =]

It is a building with seperately council-taxable apartments. These people are ****. Thuggish stupid bullies. I have just spoken to the council and they seem willing to set up a direct payment plan but these bailiffs are still harassing me. What should I do?