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Council Tax Arrears & enforcement - multiple debts + charges

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  • Council Tax Arrears & enforcement - multiple debts + charges

    Hi all

    Im a newbie, although I have been 'lurking' on the site for info for several weeks now - long enough to know that Rossendales who I am trying to deal with are thought of as the 'organisation from hell'

    I have acculmalated debts over two council tax years , for two separate properties and very foolishly adopted an 'ostrich head in sand approach' until July this year when I began making payments in full each time to Rossendales. No sooner had I made a payment , another demand appeared and it seems like Rossendales ( with or without council compliance??)we're deliberately keeping them separate so as to attach more charges.

    Last week, I paid off the full amount for one address , asked if I was now clear(yes) and then contacted the Council directly to pay the outstanding amount on the other address. The Council refused to accept payment even though I offered it in full via Bankcard & said I would have to contact Rossendales. I explained that Rossendales did not have this debt showing , asked to speak to a manager (refused) and insisted I must go through Rossendales. Low and behold just a few hours later up pops this outstanding debt on Rossendales. I resigned myself to yet another additional charge and paid via their Internet account facility - account shown cleared in full.

    I then receive another bunch of automated phone calls from Rossendales, get passed from pillar post on an expensive 0845 no - to be told I have yet another debt. Having paid the CURRENT council tax year for that address so I'm now up to date, I now have another charge covering the subsequent two months Feb/March 2013 of £533.26 - most of this is enforecement fees.

    My main point is that despite my belatedly offering to pay, neither the Council or Rossendales looked at the debts as a whole or gave me the opportunity to pay or plan to pay as a whole. It really does seem like a deliberate attempt to maximise compliance/enforcement fees.

    Neither the Council or Rossendales are prepared to discuss any of the above points with me. I intend to write a complaint to both parties , with copy to my local councillor. Any advice on best approach or points to make gratefully received ( phew..... That felt like writing 'War & Peace' sorry for the overlong saga)
    Tags: None

  • #2
    Re: Council Tax Arrears & enforcement - multiple debts + charges

    Hi [MENTION=49459]Alice in Wonderland[/MENTION] .... I'm sure you will get lots of advice from other Beagles on the forum, but my opinion would be to put in a complaint - you say you were told that you had cleared your accounts (??) with Rossendales, then they found more.

    Personally, I think you should ask the council
    1. How many Liability Orders they have against you?
    2. The dates they were obtained?
    3. The addresses they were for?
    4. The period of time each covers?
    5. How much each one was for?
    6. How much is still outstanding?
    7. The dates they were passed on for enforcement?

    Ask Rossendales for a breakdown of their fees in relation to this newest 'debt' and ask that the matter be put on hold while you are waiting for your complaint to go through the correct channels at the council.

    Copying in your local MP is a great idea (it may even make both the council and Rossendales take more notice of your complaint)

    Good luck

    Kati xx
    Debt is like any other trap, easy enough to get into, but hard enough to get out of.

    It doesn't matter where your journey begins, so long as you begin it...

    recte agens confido

    ~~~~~

    Any advice I provide is given without liability, if you are unsure please seek professional legal guidance.

    I can be emailed if you need my help loading pictures/documents to your thread. My email address is Kati@legalbeagles.info
    But please include a link to your thread so I know who you are.

    Specialist advice can be sought via our sister site JustBeagle

    Comment


    • #3
      Re: Council Tax Arrears & enforcement - multiple debts + charges

      I agree with Kati on this but would add the following:

      You need to be sure of the dates of these LO's, as per the request Kati has listed. I cannot see how they can go for 2 LO's for the same tax year, as you appear to be suggesting.

      The formal complaint to the council needs to be finished by asking for enforcement to be suspended whilst the complaint is being investigated. Within the complaint, it should be made clear that the council refused full payment of the debt after you offered to clear it. You were not obliged to deal specifically with Rossendales as they were acting purely in the capacity of agent to the council in the same way that a builder repairing council houses is.

      The council need to be copied in on the request for a breakdown of fees. Rossendales do not like parting with this information freely.

      When you get all the relevant information, check that the figures add up-Any confusion, post them on here for us to have a look at.

      Comment


      • #4
        Re: Council Tax Arrears & enforcement - multiple debts + charges

        The 'separate debts' will be because the council applies for separate Liability Orders for each tax year. An unpaid LO is then passed to the bailiffs. I believe this is the procedure followed by most (?all?) councils. This procedure is not set up by Rossendales to maximise their fees, although it has that effect

        You need to get a full list of all your council tax arrears for each of your properties, not just those where the council has obtained a Liability Order.

        If you want to try to get the debts called back from the bailiffs, sometimes a local councillor can help.

        Comment

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