Council Tax and Bailiff bit of Advice needed please

[gem77]

Hi I wonder if someone can give me a bit of advice.

 

We have struggled to pay the council tax this year and ended up in arrears and a liability order. I havent heard anything from the council since the liability order until today a bailiff came knocking at the door. he said i had to pay 10% then the rest can be paid on a payment plan. I told him there is nothing I can do at this moment as i dont have a penny. Thankfully he accepted that and told me to ring them handing me a letter which presumably he would have just pushed through the letter box had i not been in. (think it helpped that my baby was screaming his head off coz his lunch had just been interupted)

 

thankfully after some panicked phone calls to family I have managed to get the money together and aim to pay them tomorrow but a couple of questions for one the bailiff gave me a figure owed that is over £100 more than what the letter he handed me says so i am presuming i pay what the letter says rather than what he says. maybe he wanted to pocket the extra for himself?

 

Also I have read numerous times that i should pay the council not the bailiff so am i guessing i can pay the amount on the letter over the internet through the councils website which is how I always used to pay it (when I could) and once i have paid it should i contact the bailiff to say i have paid or just leave it and if they contact me show them the recipt that i have paid?

 

Any advice would be much appreciated and thank you in advance.

[padja]

right pay the council direct, but use online system (they will turn you away if you go to pay in cash) there was no need to panic over this. Is there a list of charges and if so what charges did he put? Are you paying the 10% or the full amount?

[gem77]

Thankfully the full amount. there is a bit that says todays visit fee which is £24.50 then total outstanding further down there is a list with second visit fee:£18, levy fee£28 + £59, walking possession £12 x2, administration fee in accordance with section H:£24.50 if applicable x2

 

Im guessing these are what they will charge me for future things.

[gem77]

So should I pay the amount thats on the letter and after payment should i contact the bailiff and tell them i've paid?

 

Thank you so much for the advice Padja.

[dx100uk]

cant charge 2 wp on same visit

section H - cant charge that

 

dx

[gem77]

I take it they can only charge the 24.50 which it states todays visit fee which is the first contact I have had from them and all he really did was hand me the letter after telling me what i owed then promptly left.

 

Do you think this would have been added on the outstanding amount or is this on top as the total outstanding has been hand written in.

 

thanks dx

[brassnecked]

You only owe the first visit fee, ask the council what is on the LO, and pay that in plus £24.50 for the first visit fee, he hasn't levied any goods yet, so cannot charge a head h fee to redeem the goods on a non existent levy, neither are any of the other fees applicable. Others will bealong, but there is no law that says you have to deal with the bailiff so pay off the outstanding plus the £24.50 to the council, and ignore the bailiff he is a lying duplicitous cheat.

Edited March 1, 2012 by brassnecked

[gem77]

Will the council tell me though or just say i have to ask the bailiff? Mind you trying to get hold of our council is virtually impossible.

I cant understand the extra £100 difference between what he said and what the letter said just doesnt add up.

 

Thanks brassnecked.

[ploddertom]

right pay the council direct, but use online system (they will turn you away if you go to pay in cash) - if you do pay in cash at the Council they are obliged to take it, any refusal and you politely ask for the name & position of the person refusing as it will form the basis of a complaint against the Council - there was no need to panic over this. Is there a list of charges and if so what charges did he put? Are you paying the 10% or the full amount?

 

PT

[brassnecked]

Will the council tell me though or just say i have to ask the bailiff? Mind you trying to get hold of our council is virtually impossible.

I cant understand the extra £100 difference between what he said and what the letter said just doesnt add up.

 

Thanks brassnecked.

 

Of the the extra £100, the bailiff has added, £75.50 of it is invalid imho, you only owe the first visit fee on top. you can pay it direct into the council using the online system. If you tender the payment and the council refuse it ask the person refusing the payment, to sign a note to that effect and the reason why they refuse it, and send a Formal complaint to head of revenues, and the CEO, elected leader and MP, stating that a lawful payment was refused you think to garner extra fees for a bailiff.

 

Others should be along soon to help you also.

[ploddertom]

Will the council tell me though or just say i have to ask the bailiff? Mind you trying to get hold of our council is virtually impossible.

I cant understand the extra £100 difference between what he said and what the letter said just doesnt add up.

 

Thanks brassnecked.

 

It sounds as if you may have found one of the genuine Bailiffs and he has put this on to make you aware of the extra charges you could be charged. Secondly there may be a clue in your original post when you said "(think it helpped that my baby was screaming his head off coz his lunch had just been interupted)" which should have set an alarm off for him telling him that you are probably classed as "vulnerable" according to the National Standards for Enforcement Agents.

 

PT

[brassnecked]

It sounds as if you may have found one of the genuine Bailiffs and he has put this on to make you aware of the extra charges you could be charged. Secondly there may be a clue in your original post when you said "(think it helpped that my baby was screaming his head off coz his lunch had just been interupted)" which should have set an alarm off for him telling him that you are probably classed as "vulnerable" according to the National Standards for Enforcement Agents.

 

PT

Let's hope you are right PT, as not all bailiffs are rotters

[gem77]

Thanks brassnecked and PT think I will forget about the figure he told me and just go by what the letter says cant remember the exact amount anyhow.

I thought the baby may have helpped as he seemed to back away a bit as soon as he heard him and seemed a little eager to get it over with and leave. Will have to remember that one

 

Will sort this out first thing in the morning and pay it over the internet so it is out the way and one less thing to worry about. But do I need to contact the bailiff to say I have paid?

 

You have all be so helpful Thank you. x

[ploddertom]

Will sort this out first thing in the morning and pay it over the internet so it is out the way and one less thing to worry about. But do I need to contact the bailiff to say I have paid? Only you can decide this but if you do pay the Council will inform the Bailiff anyway, make sure you print a receipt off. If it were me I would just ignore him as a minor irritation after all there is no law that says you have to speak to or deal with a Bailiff.

You have all be so helpful Thank you. x

 

PT

[gem77]

Ok thanks PT think I shall just ignore him afterall if i have paid its no longer my problem.