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Business Rates - being chased 8 years later!


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Hi - am in more than a slight panic!!

 

(I have posted this problem elsewhere then remembered how helpful this forum was in the past.)

 

A week ago I received 5 years worth of Business Rates demands

- 2002/3, 2003/4, 2004/5, 2005/6 & 2006/7.

 

 

There was no letter just the outstanding amounts.

 

 

I had had during that time, a running battle with the Council about these rates due to my feeling the amount was unfair due to part of the property being unused,

 

 

I didn't pay the landlord rent for it and I didn't receive any income for it

(it was also pretty derelict and not fit for use).

 

 

As a result the Valuation Office sent a nice woman out who agreed it should be split and the empty part be the responsibility of the landlord.

 

 

His wife then hit the roof when the Council sent them a bill and it was rejoined (due to her bullying tactics no doubt!).

 

The debate then went back and forth to the Council and was never settled properly (each time I got sent a new bill, I contacted them, challenged it and it stalled - I did make payments however).

 

I left the property in late 2007.

Eventually I packed up my business to care for my elderly disabled parent (which I am still doing).

 

 

In 2009 (I think!) I was sent similar

- just the bills, no letter.

 

 

I had met a guy who said not a problem he would sort it out as it was his line of work.

He duly got involved and I heard no more.

 

 

Until a week ago when the same 5 bills appeared And then this morning I received a threatening letter stating a Liability Order had been issued on 19th May 2003 for £2927. And if I do not pay by this Wednesday, they will send in the bailiffs!

 

I would NEVER ignore any court summons etc. and I was still at the property at the time.

 

 

When I looked closer at the bills, the 2002/3 bill to which this LO presumably was for, the amount owed was £1131.40.

 

 

The date of this bill was 1/4/2003.

 

 

There was a small charge of £50 costs but it does not say what for and anyway it predates the LO anyway

. No further costs on any of the subsequent bills.

 

There are no names of contactable people on any of the correspondence.

 

So what do I do????

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Liability orders do not become SB'd but the council has to apply for it within the 6 year period or the debt would be. This means the original LO would be payable but the other debts would be SB. You need to contact the bailiffs and tell them that you wish to explore the recent Valuation Tribunal ruling. Contact the council and tell them the other demands are Statute Barred

You can also challenge the LO by demanding from the council a breakdown of the amount etc and challenge that, esp anything that has been due as part of the disputed property partition. The VA may have to get involved with this and their word will be final.

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Thanks for your reply

- I eventually had to contact the council.

 

 

The Magistrates Court who issued the LOs (there was a 2nd) had closed down and although I rang the one which had taken over records etc., they said they didn't have any going back that far.

 

 

On ringing the council,

I was short and to the point,

making them note I had called and asking them to put it on hold (which she did for precisely 48 hours!) .

 

 

I have spoken to a solicitor friend and also National Debtline (hugely helpful, sympathetic and hopefully useful!) and emailed the council with a Subject Data Access Request of ALL correspondence in regard to this account including payments made, warnings, summons, LOs etc., any correspondence to Law Enforcement etc (LOs were in 2003/2007

 

 

so I would have expected action to be taken).

The council woman did admit that she could see the account had been in dispute.

We'll see - I will update on an progress!

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