Received a Red Letter for Council Tax but no Previous Letters Requesting Payment?

[Guest]

Received a demand notice for council tax today, demanding some payment by Monday!!! or I will lose my right to pay in installments etc...

 

I am dealing with arrears and was awaiting a bill from the council regarding this years council tax so I could renogotiate with the debt collectors.

 

But I didn't receive anything!

 

So I managed to speak to someone today by phone and email and they are both say they wont accept my offer of a 12 month payment structure UNLESS I SET UP A Direct Debit.

 

I'm (probably) going to set that up next week and (probably) going to pay them an installment this weekend, however I would like to know what rights I have with regards to this; if there are any possible laws I could pull out of somewhere that I could potentially use to write off my debt to the council for this year on grounds of something?

 

I have told them by email they are in no position to demand anything from me at this point, because I never received any letter asking for payment in the first instance (which I would assume legally negates any power they can exercise through the current final demand letter they just sent me). I told them either accept my offer (pending any further arrangment for payment) or I will assume that I owe them nothing for this year.

 

I can't prove I didn'r receive the letter though, but I honestly didn't. They can't prove I did receive it either.

 

So my question is (pending any further payments and negotiations) is there a nice little legal loophole I can use to get out of paying council tax for this year on the above grounds?

 

I guess not (probably) but worth a punt anyway.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[unclebulgaria67]

Council Tax starts up again from 1st April every year and Council send out a Council Tax bill about 2 weeks before this.  

 

If you don't arrange monthly payment in April, Councils can ask for the full years amount. 

 

Just because you say you did not receive the bill does not mean that you do not owe it. If they took this to Court they would just state that it was posted on x date. They don't have to prove sending it out or it being delivered.  No point fighting this, as Councils tend to hold all of the cards. 

 

I pay my Council Tax online on my Councils website each month, as I don't like having too many Direct Debits. 

 

Suggest that you make a payment for the first month if you can and deal with any issues with the Council afterwards.

[Guest]

I was waiting for the letter but wasn't sure when it would arrive because in previous years I've just ignored the letters and left them unopened.

 

I am going to deal with this, but let's just say I'm get tired of being sent threatening letters for payment of something before I even get a flipping chance to pay it, and wish to stand up to the establishment in whatever small way I can.

[fkofilee]

I think there is some law somewhere that means that a company / authority are unable to restrict payment methods and a lot of companies make (DCAs especially)  many payment methods available. 

Why not raise a formal complaint in writing to the council and get everything clarified? 

 

 

[ss002d6252]

 

Quote

So I managed to speak to someone today by phone and email and they are both say they wont accept my offer of a 12 month payment structure UNLESS I SET UP A Direct Debit. 

Assuming you're in England then they cannot refuse the change to 12 instalments (pro rata) unless you've already lost the right to pay by instalments. Legislation does not provide for a restriction to any particular payment method -  if it was to be restricted it would have been provided for in the relevant schedule to the Admin & Enforcement Regulations.

Edited April 28, 2019 by ss002d6252