I was assured that the payment of £78.50 would be payment towards the council tax debt. i don't own a car, and i don't have any possessions in my back yard. Surely if they levy on a neighbours car that's illegal?

thanks for your replies. I certainly will take heed of all advice given. i sent an email to Equita, however i couldn't find an email address apart from infoATequitaDOTcoDOTuk (sorry i can't post email addresses) here's what i put: "Dear Sirs, I refer to your letter dated 7th March 2011 informing me that your company has been instructed by Liverpool City Council to enforce a liability order against me, in respect of Council Tax owing on (my property address) I have spoken with the bailiff dealing with my case - Mr ######## - this morning by telephone at 08:47am, and he has agreed, having taken an initial payment of £78.50 which I paid on 14th March 2011 at 13:27pm, to me paying monthly payments of £100 to be paid on the 15th day of the month. The first payment of £100 is to be made on April 15th 2011. The purpose of this letter is to request email confirmation of the arranged payment terms on my account. I would be grateful to have the agreement in writing detailing the payment dates, the amount to be paid by this date, and an itemised statement of the account that clearly shows what charges have been added and what for, as you are required in statute to supply this information. I am aware that under the Council Tax Administration & Enforcement Act 1993 (as amended), you can charge a first visit fee of £24.50 and a second visit fee, if necessary, of £18.00. No further visit fees can be imposed. I should also point out that I am fully aware of my rights as made clear by the Citizens Advice Bureau, and that I will not allow a bailiff to enter my home peacefully to levy on my goods. I would be grateful if you could confirm receipt of this email and confirmation also that payment terms have been agreed. I am copying this letter to Liverpool City Council and requesting that it be filled with my account Yours Faithfully" I await their response

Update part 2. The bailiff didn't show up last night afterall. I phoned him and he told me he was having his dinner and could I call back this morning. I then phoned Equita and explained that I wasn't very happy with this situation and told them that I knew my rights and would not be letting the bailiff into my house under any circumstances, mentioning that I had sought advice from CAB. I spoke to the bailiff dealing with my case this morning and he confirmed the initial payment of £78.50 has been accepted, and the payment plan would be £100 per month commencing on the 15th April.I have not had to sign anything. I phoned Equita back and explained that any agreement had been made and asked what would happen now. The person I spoke to confirmed the agreement and said that I would still receive computer generated letters that I should just ignore as an agreement had been granted. I then phoned Liverpool City Council and told them what had been arranged and they said that if the agreement has been granted then I should just make the payments untill the debt is resolved. Still not sure what to make of this? Thanks for the advice, it helped so much.

Update: I have now spoken with the Bailiff directly, I was hesitant but when I phoned Equita they said I had to speak to somebody called Dave. I phoned Dave and told him I could not pay the full sum and asked if he would be willing to accept monthly payments. The good news is he agreed but only if I pay a fee of £78 which will freeze the account untill the end of the month. He is paying me a visit tomorrow so I can sign the payment agreement. Have I done the right thing here? And what should I expect to happe tomorrow. Thanks in advance.

Thanks for your reply The sum I owe the council is £376.29. Which means there is an additional charge of £24.50

Thanks again Brassnecked. I do hope the stalwarts you mention offer some help also, I havn't slept a wink since receiving the letter.

Many thanks for your reply. The liability order is for £400.79, and the letter states - "A Liability Order has been granted by the Magistrates. We therefore require the sum of £400.79 by return of post. Failure to discharge this debt will result in our bailiff calling without further notice to enforce the order by seizing your goods... It then says please contact our office with my proposal for discharging the debt. I can't affor to pay this in full until the end of this month.

This is my first post an I am in need of help please. I have stupidly fallen behind in my council tax payments and have received a letter from Equita bailiffs stating that a liability order has been granted by the magistrates and they require the sum by return of post. What does this mean? I contacted my local council - Liverpool City Council and they told me the case had been passed on to the bailiffs. I called Equita and they told me I had to phone the bailff himself to which I did on Friday night but he told me he wasn't working and shoulf call back on Monday. I would be extremely grateful for some advise please as I can't afford to pay the outstanding debt of £400 and am very worried about what might happen. thanks