How Can You Be Sued For A Service In Advance???

[SUMMERSMILE]

I missed the first payment on my council tax last year and was taken to court by the local authority but I was sued for the full years bill!? Bailiffs were then instructed.I accept the payment I missed, but my point here is;

1; How can I be sued for a service I have not yet received?

(As it happened I moved out of the property before end of financial year, and therefore did not owe a full year but the liability order stood.Now recieved bailiffs letter pay up or else).

My concerns have stemed from this. At the start of the financial year we are sent a full years bill for a service in advance. If we were to miss payment, we then have to pay the whole amount or end up with bailiffs!!!??

What if senario 1; If bailiff had called prior to this I would have had to pay it all? How is this fair?

What if Senario 2; Bailffs comes to take my stuff and week later I lose my job? I am then entitled to full council tax benefit and therefore would be owed money. BUT, the rebate I would receive from the council would no way cover the re-purchase of my goods taken??? How is this fair?

 

Why are we paying in advance? If I was on benefit, it would be paid in arrears?

 

Why should I have not been sued for the month I missed???

What can I do now to stop bailiffs? I've rung council and they have reduced the amount by the months I did not live there. Ok fine. But they will not stop bailiffs. Bailiff won't talk to me on phone, they want to come to the house.? HELP???

[DDWales]

Hi SS!

 

I you get no joy on this forum ask admin to move to the Bailiff forum. Tomtubby and co are pretty clued up on these matters with regards to bailiffs....

[Conniff]

Council tax, under the regulations, is payable in advance. There is a a concession that allows you to pay it over 10 months, again in advance, but councils have the discreation to allow payments over 12 months, but again it must be in advance.

 

If you miss a payment, then you should have been sent a reminder and then a warning that they were going to apply for a liability order from the courts which gives them certain powers to enforce collection, bailiffs being one of them.

 

So how much have you paid to date and how much do you owe, not including the bailiffs fee?

[Minkiesmum]

Exactly what I am wondering....I'm still left owing some from last year as it all got mixed up as I was made redundant last July and out of a job till January. While struggling to clear the remainder of that of course this year's bill arrives.

I have just been paying £20 here, £40 there but something every month since starting work.

Then last week the letter arrives saying I'm summoned for this year's bill !! I've written to tell them I'm basically doing my best and they can see I've paid something every month and to add court charges on top really fails to help the situation. I told them to go ahead and send bailiffs as them threatening them doesn't make me suddenly able to find the outstanding amount......which I make is only around £150 at time of writing.

Like you I'm left wondering how they can do this for a bill that's for services in advance ! Who knows ? I could drop dead tomorrow.....

 

Cheers,

Lynda~

[Conniff]

Bailiffs are only part of the collection methods they have available to them. They also have 'attachement of earnings' where they can take money directly from you wages. If you are asked for your employment details, then you have to give them and your employer must make the deduction from you wages, he has no choice.