Council Tax Debt/ Dukes bailiffs help

[paulina_c]

Hello everyone !

 

My story is very long, but I hope somebody is going to help me fix my issue

 

In 2012 I lived with my 2 friends in small flat, but unfortunately I have lost my job recently and I was in very difficult circumstances in my life. I owed money to some people from Poland couple of years ago, but I was sending regularly money every month to them, but one day 2 big guys came in, kicked into my house threatening me if I won't pay the rest of owed money in 48 hours they will hurt my family. So I had no choice what so ever, I've borrowed couple of thousands of pounds from banks to secure my family. I gave the debt back in full and that was it, since then I could release. But because I was broke I didn't have a money to pay for all my bills and expenses such as food, bus fares etc. I still owed 2000 pounds from LLoyds Bank, 400 pounds from Wanga.com and 260 from MoneyShop but the last one I've just paid.

 

But what's most important I didn't pay 140 pounds for my council tax for 3-4 months. Of course there was letters from council reminding to pay the council tax, but because I've never been in that kind of position I didn't know what to do and unfortunately I skipped it over all. This case was registered on me and on one of my friends who lived with me, but soon after I've been warned from council about the payments he unregistered from the local council and now I'm left with the case on my own.

 

Then I moved to shared house for 1 bedroom on my own. After a month or 2 of letter from council with final warning of paying the council tax, I started receiving letters from Debt collector from company called "Dukes Bailiffs Limited" saying my case of owed money is now in their hands. Of course there were phone calls, but I've never spoke to them and I've never sent any letters regarding my case at all. The amount I have to pay to Debt Collector is above 2000 pounds (can't remember exact amount). I ignored all the correspondences from the debt collector, but then I was shocked. Debt collector came to my shared house, he was threatening me saying if I won't pay full amount now he will send the case to the court and my goods will be taken from me. He wrote a form with my goods details, how much it may cost etc. He also gave me this last letter I've seen from this company, as I was kicked out from the house soon after my landlord found out about this issue.

 

 

Since I've stopped living in that share house I've not seen more letters from debt collectors because all the letters were sent to the previous address, and I wasn't very welcomed person there, so I didn't collect any correspondence at all. As far as I know all the letters are send back to the debt collectors.

 

So I'm in position where I don't know where am at. I don't know what is going on with this case. I've changed my phone number, but the landlord knows my number (but debt collectors don't) so if debt collector would come to my previous house I would definitely know about it. I didn't even change my home address in the bank to avoid their visits !

I don't know if the case was send to the court or something.

 

Now I have a permanent job, stable income and I live in shared house. I want to contact the debt collectors, and see where I'm at. Is my case was sent to the court or not, and what can I do at the moment. I'm positive to pay this 2000 pounds every month in installment. But I'm afraid if I going to show them my current address they could visit my house again and take my goods for good. I'm in very serious situation and don't even know how can I fix it.

 

The last bad thing is that my English isn't my mother language so writing official letter to debt collectors is very difficult for me. If somebody could help me with this I would be more then happy.

 

Any advise is more then welcomed !

 

Sorry for any wrong spelling

Thank you.

[unclebulgaria67]

Your written English is pretty good. Better than some of the English people who post to this site.

 

What I would suggest that you do, is phone the council that you owed the council tax to, from a phone where they cannot see the number you are phoning from. ( a phone box or phone you can withold your number from) Advise the council of the problems you have faced with threats of violence and that the bailiffs visit caused problems with your landlord, leading to you being kicked out of your last home. You do not have to advise the council of your current address or phone number. Ask the council whether you can set up a standing order with your bank to pay the outstanding council tax on a monthly basis. The council cannot refuse your offer of payment. Advise the council that you will not deal with any bailiff because their last visit caused you to be homeless for a period.

 

See what the council say and post back to let us know how you got on.

 

Nb. For a standing order, the council will need to advise you of their bank account number, sort code and reference to quote. You then go to your bank and set up the standing order to pay the council £x amount per month.

[paulina_c]

I went to council numerous of times asking about the same thing as you said. They told me that after when the case was sent to the debt collectors council has nothing to do with it now any more, so now I can only contact these awful people :/

[unclebulgaria67]

I went to council numerous of times asking about the same thing as you said. They told me that after when the case was sent to the debt collectors council has nothing to do with it now any more, so now I can only contact these awful people :/

 

No, you don't have to do what they tell you, do you !!

 

Phone the council, tell them what has happened previously and offer to make payments to them directly. If they refuse your offer of payments, ask for the persons name at the council and insist that they make a record on the councils system that they have refused payment. Councils are not allowed to refuse payment.

 

You do not have to deal with bailiffs acting for the council. I suspect that because the bailiffs could not obtain payments from you, that they have passed it back to the council anyway.

[tomtubby]

You might want to remind the local authority of the following Guidance and in particular, to item 4.5 !!!!

 

https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/210478/Guidance_on_enforcement_of_CT_arrears.pdf

[paulina_c]

I think I will pop up to the local council and discuss this case. As you already said, if they refuse to take a monthly payments from me (as I can't afford one payment of 2000pounds) I will take the person's name and ask to signed my case as a refused by the council. Then I think I'll write a claim to the head office saying I've been refused of paying my owed money to the council !.

[josephbloggs]

You realise the letter is 12 months old, right?

[paulina_c]

Yeh, I do know its a year old, but I didn't get any more letter from debt collectors, so I don't even know what is going on with them

[unclebulgaria67]

It is more than likely that the bailiffs have passed this back to the council. I would suggest that you discuss this with the council and make them aware of your circumstances.

[paulina_c]

Hi guys. So I went to my council on Friday and they have told me the same thing as previously, which means that I have to speak to the ddebt collector because my case isn't in council but in debt collector. So I asked the woman to make a note on the system that I've been in a council and spoke to staff about my case and they refused monthly pay because they don't deal with my case anymore. But I also wanted some paper proof, so I can fiscally show Duke's collectors that I've spoke to the council.

But what annoyed me is that the woman said "You should asked for the financial support", but I didn't know about it because nobody told me about that support, so how on earth should I know it... Now I have to write a email to Duke's and asked them to spread the whole amount into monthly payment as I can't afford pay whole amount at one go obviously, but the problem is I've never wrote anything like this before in my life, so if there is somebody who can help me write that letter I will be more then thankful.