Bristow and Souter - Walsall CT

[Chris56000]

Hi!

 

 

I was living in a two-bedroomed property in the Willenhall area of Walsall that was totally unfit for human habitation - there was no electricity or gas as the previous installations had been thieved and trashed and eventually I had to move out in May last year as I had had enough, and as well as that I was constantly being called into my manager's office with complaints about personal cleanliness, etc., because I could no longer care for myself properly.

 

 

(I no longer work for the firm concerned in that.)

 

 

I sent a letter to Walsall Council advising them I had moved out of this property at the end of May 2015 but received no acknowledgement from them regarding this.

 

 

I have now received a letter demanding £1178.90 by Bristow and Souter who are demanding a repayment arrangement of £107.90 A WEEK on it from 23 March 2016.

 

 

Whilst I am in employment at the moment there is no guarantee of me being kept on when my probation period ends in two months time.

 

 

I thought they were asking £107.90 a month but it's not it's a WEEK.

 

 

Also included on the letter are the usual threats about seizure of goods. committal to prison etc.

 

 

Can the good people on here advise me of the next steps to take please?

 

 

I do have a car but I could park it at a local station a few miles away if needed - it's only worth £450 and I have no other possessions unless B & S want a load of old radio mags and cookery books!

 

 

Many thanks!

 

 

PS!

 

 

It IS possible to get to work on public-transport but I don't want B & S to get their thieving hands on my car as I've been having a great deal of trouble with aggressive beggars in Wolverhampton lately!

Edited March 18, 2016 by martin2006

[AndyOrch]

Chris i have moved your thread to the Bailiff Forum in view of Bristow and Souter involvement.

 

Regards

 

Andy

[unclebulgaria67]

If this is council tax, you need to provide the council with evidence that you moved out of the peoperty in May 2015. See what you can find and deal with it urgently.

 

It is the council you need to deal with in regard to the council tax liabilit. B&S are only acting on their instructions.

 

Keep the car away from your house until this is sorted. Keep doors locked and if thet attend, do not open the door to speak to them.

 

If you fail to deal with this, you could face being put in front of Magistrates to asvise why you were not paying. If you moved out and told the council, they should look at what you are liable for.

[Chris56000]

Hi! Would a copy of the Tenancy Agreement for my current place in Telford serve for this? I no longer possess means of entering the derelict property in Willenhall as the locks have been changed.

[Chris56000]

PS! I've had another look at B & S's letter and it DOES NOT state what financial year they are trying to enforce on - does this matter? They state "Debt to Walsall Council £868.00, 1st Stage compliance Fee £75.00, total Debt £1178.90, leaving £235.10 not specifically mentioned.

[unclebulgaria67]

Hi! Would a copy of the Tenancy Agreement for my current place in Telford serve for this? I no longer possess means of entering the derelict property in Willenhall as the locks have been changed.

 

Best to contact the council to discuss it with them. If they are not helpful, start a formal complaint in writing.

 

If you moved advising the council then you should not be liable. The council should contact the landlord to find out tbe position with the property, if the council don't have information.

 

Do you have any Bank records or anything showing that you stopped paying rent at this property ? If you have Bank statements showing you stopped paying and a tenancy agreement elsewhere, it might be enough. BUT the council may try to say you are liable, until you have your liability cancelled when they confirm your advice you moved out.

 

If you used a letting agent, they will also have records.

 

It is just a case of doing a bit of legwork with the council and to keep going, complaining if you have to.

[Bailiff Advice]

Hi!

 

I do have a car but I could park it at a local station a few miles away if needed - it's only worth £450 and I have no other possessions unless B & S want a load of old radio mags and cookery books!

Many thanks!

 

If the vehicle is not parked at your current property, then it should be safe from seizure. I would not worry unduly anyway given that the low value would prohibit it being taken. You need to take the good advice from Uncluebulgaria and contact the council as soon as possible.

 

PS: The letter that you have is the Notice of Enforcement. As long as a payment arrangement is agreed by the cut off date given on the notice, the bailiff fees will remain at £75 and an enforcement visit will not occur. It is therefore vital that you speak with the council as soon as possible.

[Chris56000]

Hi!

 

 

I've re-checked the N.O.E., the Liability Order it refers to is dated 16 July 2015 so presumably it refers to the 2014/2015 Council Tax Year!

 

 

However I only received B & S letter dated 16 March 2016 last Friday the 18th - am I still in time to stay off bailiff visit if I email B & S this morning with a more affordable payment offer of £100/month and are they likely to refuse it?

 

 

I have sent, once again, details of the date I moved out of the un-inhabitable Willenhall property to Walsall Council via their contact form provided on their website - I was unable to access any correspondence at my old address as the locks had been changed - I only found out what the CT A/C No was on the N.O.E.

[Chris56000]

I sent B & S an offer of £100.00 a month via the automated system which not surprisingly turned it down, replacing it with a revised offer of £196 over six months and the first payment of £196 on the 27th which I can't afford as my rent and DDs go out on the 1st April and I would be left with not enough to get to work which is 30 miles away!

 

 

It is very likely I'll have to carry on going to work on public transport - attempted repairs to my car have so far proved unsuccessful and I've 13 days of fares to find totalling £175 before my next pay-day on the 15th April.

 

 

Is there any chance of getting B & S to defer the first payment to the 15th April?

 

 

It's not a case of me not wanting to cough this up. much as I hate paying C.T. because I use virtually no Council services as I live alone without children & am in reasonable health, it's that B & S have given far too short a deadline to meet their demands!

[unclebulgaria67]

The liability order could be for the 2015/16 period. With CT, they issue the council tax demand in March and if you don't enter into a payment arrangement by about the end of May, they will start the process of looking to enforce the whole years tax.

 

You need to deal with the council to find out what the liability order is in respect of and if it is for a period you were not in the property, you need to ask them what information they need.

 

The reason we give advice about contacting the council, is that enforcement companies act on the instructions of the council. If there is a problem with the CT liability being chased, you have to deal with the council. B&S will just collect what they have been instructed. They might not have full details.

[Chris56000]

AH - That might explain why it's taken 8 months before I heard anything about it!

 

 

Walsall Council have been aware for a long time that this property was in a ruinous condition - I only discovered yesterday that there's a "Class G Exemption" for unfit properties - I didn't know about this or I could have applied for it and possibly had my CT liability totally cancelled - the LL lad constantly refused to carry out the repairs or reinstate the stolen service installations!

 

 

I'll sort out my Tenancy Agreement for where I am now and take it to 'em at Darnall St. in the morning!

[Chris56000]

PS!

 

 

Advice is always given here on moving vehicles out of sight of bailiffs, etc., I am in a multi-occupied property with public-parking round the back and the roadside but NO locked garages - can anyone suggest a minimum safe distance away bailiffs not bother looking into from known experience or knowledge of them please?

[unclebulgaria67]

PS!

 

 

Advice is always given here on moving vehicles out of sight of bailiffs, etc., I am in a multi-occupied property with public-parking round the back and the roadside but NO locked garages - can anyone suggest a minimum safe distance away bailiffs not bother looking into from known experience or knowledge of them please?

 

I don't think they have access to DVLA, so if your car is not parked in a spot related to your address, they won't know which one, unless they see you driving. Because of the value of tbe car, they are unlikely to be interested, as it needs to enough to cover debt and costs or go substantially towards the debt. But they might clamp, to hold it hostage and embarrass you.

 

When you speak to the council, get them to put enforcement on hold. Once they realise the situation that you describe, they should put a hold on it, so they can look into it.