Help with Rossendales please

[voltaire]

Hello! I'm wondering if anyone can give me instant advice about what to do. I've had Rossendales bailliffs at my door for unpaid council tax, because I missed one payment of 50 pounds to my local council. They want me to pay 200 of a total bill of around 600. I've told them I can't do that, but can give them 50, followed by more instalments of the same amount. They're saying that's only acceptable if I fill in a statement of means form.

 

So first:

Do they have a legal right to make me fill in the statement of means form?

I think it's an invasion of privacy, and I don't see why they can't just accept my offer, given that the debt's not that huge.

And second:

Can't i just pay the council, as I was doing before?

 

I'd be pleased if someone would get back to me: the same bailiff is coming round to my house later on today!

[rory32]

I have moved your post to a thread of it's own as you are more likely to receive the appropriate advice this way than posting on someone elses old thread.

[dx100uk]

option 3

 

go to the council direct and pay them.

they have only got the bailiffs involved because you have miised one payment & thus broken an agreement so the rest of the year becomes payable too.

 

you dont have to deal with the bailiffs & you certainly dont have to sign anything.

 

you MIGHT have to pay bailiffs charges though because they were involved.

 

speak to the council direct and pay them direct, they will in most cases call off the bailiffs.

 

dx

[tomtubby]

Do NOT let them in to your home and do NOT sign a walking possession.

 

The bailiff co will be looking to use this visit as a way of charging fees in particular "attending to remove" fees.

 

If you want to make an offer make sure that you do so in WRITING...not on the phone. Remember to state that you can pay MONTHLY at the END of each month.

[voltaire]

First of all, SO much thanks to people on here for your help. Without this forum the visit from the bailiff on Thursday would have been much more scary. Just to check a few things, tho: Thursday he posted a loada paperwork saying that they will ‘reattend with a view to seizure’, but as long as I don’t let them in, all will be cool, yes? And now they’ve done 2 visits that’s the max they can charge me for, right, once again as long as I don’t let them in?

 

I wonder also about outbuildings: I know they can seize things from my garden (I don’t have anything in my garden to seize, btw, unless they count large bits of soggy wood), but they're not allowed to force entry into a locked brick shed, are they?

 

Oh, and on the payment business, I’ve so far paid the council direct, and plan to go on doing that. So I won’t be making an offer to Rossendales, as such, but I need to put it in writing, to them and to the council, so that everyone knows what’s going on? I've done all that, so hopefully everything will be alright. And I've put a big notice on my door telling them that I won't be permitting entry, and enclosing all the paperwork,to them and to the council.

Oh, and I also spoke to Nationaldebtline on the phone, who were v helpful indeed...

Thanks again, y'all

[FairPlay77]

First of all, SO much thanks to people on here for your help. Without this forum the visit from the bailiff on Thursday would have been much more scary. Just to check a few things, tho: Thursday he posted a loada paperwork saying that they will ‘reattend with a view to seizure’, but as long as I don’t let them in, all will be cool, yes? And now they’ve done 2 visits that’s the max they can charge me for, right, once again as long as I don’t let them in?

 

I wonder also about outbuildings: I know they can seize things from my garden (I don’t have anything in my garden to seize, btw, unless they count large bits of soggy wood), but they're not allowed to force entry into a locked brick shed, are they?

 

Oh, and on the payment business, I’ve so far paid the council direct, and plan to go on doing that. So I won’t be making an offer to Rossendales, as such, but I need to put it in writing, to them and to the council, so that everyone knows what’s going on? I've done all that, so hopefully everything will be alright. And I've put a big notice on my door telling them that I won't be permitting entry, and enclosing all the paperwork,to them and to the council.

Oh, and I also spoke to Nationaldebtline on the phone, who were v helpful indeed...

Thanks again, y'all

 

Carry on paying the council direct, whether they like it or not. As far as the bailiffs are concerned, my inclination would be not to pay them a penny. It's usual practice for bailiffs to break the law by attempting to extort more in charges than they are allowed and I would be surprised if that was not the case with this firm of jokers. I believed that the current charges allowed are £24.50 for a first visit and £18 for a second. If they've attempted to charge you more than that, I definitely think you should respond by giving them nothing. They're not likely to take you to court if that means their unlawful charges will be exposed in front of a judge. As a matter of interest how much are they attempting to charge for their two visits?

[voltaire]

They're charging 42.50, but there were 2 liability orders - the council also issued a liability order on the same bill because of a benefit overpayment. Apparently I don't have a leg to stand on on that, because I should have informed the council that my circumstances had changed (I didn't do that because I lost the plot last summer when my Dad died). SO overall they're charging me 85 squid, and my understanding is that they can't charge me any more that unless they enter the property or levy on goods outside the property. There aren't any goods outside the property that are leviable, I don't think. I don't own a car, and my garden has things in it which could by a stretch of the imagination be understood as garden furniture (two halves of an oak tree!), but I've already arranged to put them in my neighbour's garden for as long as I need to....

[FairPlay77]

They're charging 42.50, but there were 2 liability orders - the council also issued a liability order on the same bill because of a benefit overpayment. Apparently I don't have a leg to stand on on that, because I should have informed the council that my circumstances had changed (I didn't do that because I lost the plot last summer when my Dad died). SO overall they're charging me 85 squid, and my understanding is that they can't charge me any more that unless they enter the property or levy on goods outside the property. There aren't any goods outside the property that are leviable, I don't think. I don't own a car, and my garden has things in it which could by a stretch of the imagination be understood as garden furniture (two halves of an oak tree!), but I've already arranged to put them in my neighbour's garden for as long as I need to....

 

It's up to you whether you pay their charges, but once you have paid the council what you owe the only way the bailiffs can get 'their' money (i.e. your money!) is to take you to court and, frankly, I don't think they would bother!

[voltaire]

Hey thanks for that; I've already offered to pay them, though, just to get them off my case, although I guess that's not legally binding. One more quick question, though,for you or anyone else who's reading: the next visit (the 3rd) will be the 'attending to remove' one, but I can't be charged for that unless they actually remove stuff, right? I can't be charged just for a van turning up?

[spite]

i had the baliff turn up attempting to remove goods, the added £120 on the bill for the cost of the van attending