council tax debt and Rossendales

[queeezy]

i need some advice. I have a council tax debt of £851.00 for 2008/09. whilst it was my own fault that this has not been paid and has been handed to a bailiff i am willing to pay the debt back on a monthly payment plan until it is cleared.

 

I returned home from work on friday to find a letter from rossendales bailiff requesting I pay the full amount in 24 hours or he would be seizing my goods. The last paragraph of the letter stated:

 

"I will re-attend at your address at my convenience and may remove goods even in your absence."

 

I promptly called the bailiff and left him a message stating i could pay him £100 today and then a further £100 in 2 weeks when i get paid and would like then to pay £100 monthly until the debt was cleared.

 

He called back later that day and told me it was not good enough and that unless i paid him in full by monday he would take goods from my flat. He stated that he would enter my flat without me being present and when i challenged him on this and told him he would be breaking the law he got nasty and rude on the telphone and said he would enter and there was nothing i could do about this. He told me i had to borrow the money from someone and pay up. Then he told me the amount had risen from £851.00 to over a £1000 pound as he had added his cost.

 

At the moment my partner is very ill and has just come out of hospital so he does not need this stress and i work mon to fri 8-6 so am never around to speak to the bailiff.

 

Am i right in thinking that if i am offering to pay by installments he has to accept the offer. Am i also right in thinking that if i pay online on the council website and can then turn round the bailiff and sya that i have an arrangment set up with the council and they have accepted the 1s installment of a payment plan. Any advice would be great as he is coming back to my property tomorrow.

 

Also the flat that i live in is in a converted house. If he gains access through the main front door but not my flat front door does this mean he has gained peaceful entry????

 

Thanks

[ambershadow]

You don't need to pay the bailiff do yourself a repayment plan with a payment if you can and write to the council with this and Just pay them direct, the council that is.

They may say they can't except But if you pay online they won't refuse your payments.

 

Also write to the bailiffs and tell them you are paying direct to the council and WON'T BE PAYING THEM

 

It's not against the law NOT to pay bailiffs And you can tell them that too.

But they will try anything to get your money, if you read most of the threads on here they are for the same thing and people have paid well over the top which is not acceptable.

 

If you have a car park away from your house DON'T OPEN the door to them and DON'T CALL them either.

 

They all hope that you won't find this site and get to know your rights' as to paying them

[queeezy]

I have emailed the council tax dept explaining that i am wiling to pay and will pay £100 in person tomorrow ( i have already paid £10 on the councils website) for the next 8 months until the debt is cleared.

 

I have also emailed rossendales with a copy of the letter from another thread stating i will not be paying them that i will paying everything to the council direct and have asked them for a breakdown of their charges.

 

My partner is very ill and the stress is making him worse and is stressing me out to the max. I am all for debts being collected if you owe the money but the threaten manner in which bailiffs carry it out is not on. I was threatened with getting arrested and that my possessions willl be taken without me being there to let him in.

[jed52]

As ambershadow says, keep paying the council direct and ignore rossenduds. I have been doing exactly the same thing myself for the past few months. As long as you keep paying a reasonable amount on a regular basis, neither the council nor rossenduds will take any further action. (in my experience anyway) Good luck. jed

[ambershadow]

I think if you write to the bailiffs telling them your paying direct to the council it in the end goes back to the council.

 

I did upload letter's which you can use just add your details But you will have to click my name and search the posts.

 

Good Luck

[FairPlay77]

I have emailed the council tax dept explaining that i am wiling to pay and will pay £100 in person tomorrow ( i have already paid £10 on the councils website) for the next 8 months until the debt is cleared.

 

I have also emailed rossendales with a copy of the letter from another thread stating i will not be paying them that i will paying everything to the council direct and have asked them for a breakdown of their charges.

 

My partner is very ill and the stress is making him worse and is stressing me out to the max. I am all for debts being collected if you owe the money but the threaten manner in which bailiffs carry it out is not on. I was threatened with getting arrested and that my possessions willl be taken without me being there to let him in.

 

THE law says the most you should pay the bailiffs is £24.50 if they have made one visit to your property and £18.50 if they have made a second visit. As long as you have not let them in and have not, therefore, allowed them to levy on your property, and as long as you have not signed a Walking Possession Order, they cannot charge you any more.

 

BUT, as they appear to have tried to charge you an ILLEGAL amount, far in excess of any lawful fees, YOU SHOULD RETALIATE BY NOT PAYING THEM ANYTHING! Instead, as others have suggested, make all payments direct to the council, by cheque, standing order or cash (but not by direct debit, as it can unilaterally increase the amount taken).

 

STAY STRONG and don't even give the bailiffs the satisfaction of writing to or talking to them. If you do everthing that has been suggested, you have won and the grasping bailiffs will eventaully go away with their tail between their legs and their knuckles scraping the floor, ready to try and con some other poor blighter who doesn't know his rights.

[queeezy]

thanks guys for all your advice it is really appreciated. I don't know what i would have done without all your help.

[macca1968]

Hi

we to had a visit from rossendales on friday, with yes exactly the same letter , he had called and wanted full payment of £636.00 with 24 hours. Everyone is correct on this forum, do not let them in, dont leave windows or doors open and unlocked. They cannot push past or put their foot in the door. if in doubt go the the goverment website it tells you on there what they can do and what they carnt do. i personally have not phoned them, they will not be coming in to my flat and they will not be levying any goods. They will get nasty and make threats, they cannot send you to prison only refer the case back to the council. Offer to pay the council direct at a level that you can afford to pay, the council cannot refuse your money. I have found all this out over this weekend. They can only charge you for 2 visits. Iv had Rossendales on my back before and belive me they WILL try every trick in the book. If you have a chain on the door put it on, we will be waiting for their call tomorrow as THEY WILL BE BACK. but guess what they aint coming in !!!! Best to write a letter to the council to advise them that you will be paying the council directly. Pay them a small amount that you can afford and stick to it.

 

thanks for everyones advise on this forum you a all brill.

 

michaela and john

[queeezy]

update on this. Have written to Rossendales head office requesting a breakdown of charges and that i will be paying the council direct. Have written to the council stating the same and copied in out local paper. Have also written to my local mp and councillor who are taking this up with the council tax dept. Have recieved a leeter from the council stating they are looking into my complaint against the baliff and will write to me within the next 10 days.

 

Also 1 week has gone without a word from the bailiff or Rossendales.

[chris600uk]

Well just fancy that

[adstmh]

Morning guys, I just wanted to offer my thanks for you being here and informing the cluless ones like myself that it's not necessary to be walked all over.

 

I had, or have, a similar problem with council tax and Rossendales, I had just filled out a form agreeing to pay them and wrote the envelope etc then decided to check online to see if anyone else had similar problems and what their outcomes were.

 

I was delighted to come across this forum and cannot thank you enough for the information you have given out, I'm sure I'm not the only one who you've helped and I will certainly be recommending this site to friends.

 

Thanks again.

 

Adam