Council tax, jacobs.

[seduraed]

I am behiind with my council tax. The account for 2009- 2010 has been passed to Jacobs in Liverpool. After the bailiff visited and levied on my wife's car we continued paying a monthly fee. Because ofthe the olympics our business this summer has gone down to zero and we were late paying . We got a letter of cancellation of arrangement form Jacobs. I rang them and they wanted £1500 which I dont have. Now there has been no further contact from the bailiff and will be able due to make our normal payment in afew days . The bailiffF has never had access to the house and the only item levied on is the car . This car failed it's MOT a few months ago and was sold for scrap . What rights do they haav AND WHAT SHOULD I DO aboutthe next payment . The council wont take the debt back aswe are behind with this years council tax too .
What c harges can they make and canthey levy on the following; car on finance , (although i have had the agreement teminated) and the caravan which our son lives in ?

[pepsie]

Re: Council tax, jacobs.

CT for 2009/10 is classed as a non priority debt and repayments can be set at a figure that is affordable and sustainable without the bailiff...you mention a business and that prompts me to ask you to confirm we are talking CT and not NNDR?


Firstly the bailiff is asking for £1500 but this will undoubtedly be made up with his fees to the actual amount owed, therefore step 1 is for you to contact the Council and get answers to the following so with pen at the ready ring them and ask:


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

Then you will need to establish exactly what fees have been added to the account and which of those the bailiff is legally entitled to charge


To:
Acme Bailiff Co
Bailiff House

Ref: Account No: 123456

Dear Sir

With reference to the above account, Can you please provide me with a breakdown of the charges.

This includes:
a - the time & date of any Bailiff action that incurred a Fee.
b - the reason for the fee.
c - the name(s) of the Bailiff(s) that attended on each occasion a Fee was charged.
d - the name(s) of the Court(s) the Bailiff(s) was/were Certificated at.
e - the date of the Certification.

This is not a Subject Access Request under the Data Protection Act S7 1998 so does not incur a fee of £10. You are obliged to provide this information.

I require this information within 14 days.

Yours faithfully

Ripped off customer"

Once you have the info post back and help will be on hand to get things into perspective.

Meanwhile, using the ref no to the year in question...work out what you can reasonably afford to pay each month to this old debt and make payment online direct to the Council....make sure you pay the same amount on the same day/date very week/month, when calculating your finances you must give priority to the current years CT and the old debt must take second place.

Paying the Council direct will not stop the bailiff being an a**hole but as long as he is denied access to your home and you have nothing outside he can get further levy on then he will eventually get the message he is wasting his time and move on to more fertile soil.However he will not move on until he has tried every threat in their book....arrest you...commit you to prison...attend with a locksmith ..break in...put grannie in a home....the kids in care...and sell the pet rabbit to the butcher.

You say the car upon which the bailiff has a levy has been sold for scrap...I can tell you now the bailiff will insist any money from the 'sale' is payable to him and technically he is right...but that can be argued at a later date, I assume you have a receipt to scrapping the car?

Pepsie

[seduraed]

Re: Council tax, jacobs.

The problem is thaty the council wont accept payments . The baiiff company refusesto takes payments of less than £1500 . I have the sale receuipt and the letter from dvla confirming that I am no longer the owner . ShouldI pay the normal monthly installment which I have been paying and to whom?

[pepsie]

Re: Council tax, jacobs.

The Council cannot refuse to take payment to CT, they are committing an offence and are answerable in very high places if they do so ...they operate to telling people they 'cannot take the debt back once it has been passed to a bailiff' that is also untrue but they won't tell you that. there is no law on the statute books that say's you must deal with a bailiff but they don't tell you that either.

If you were to go to the Council office to make a payment to the arrears of your CT and the 'desk' refused your payment all you would need to do is ask the name of the person refusing and their authority to refuse....then stand back and watch the panic set in!!! Using the Councils own online payment system reduces the need to confront them but, the effect is the same....it shows you are not refusing to pay and that in turn prohibits them to taking the matter to the next step...committal proceedings( very rare these days) you do not need their 'permission' to make any future payments directly to them.So make any future payments direct to the Council, you then give them notice of your intention to make payment by telling them this is way all future payments will be made, outline you have been given every reason to have no further contact with their agent as it is evidenced he is refusing your payments.

Pepsie

[pepsie]

Re: Council tax, jacobs.

Just to add...follow my suggestions in post#2 and then you are ready to move forward and if needs be ..do battle.

Pepsie

[ploddertom]

Re: Council tax, jacobs.

Normal references for Council Tax are mostly:
1 - Property Ref No - never changes
2 - Account No - never changes
3 - Reference No - this is the one that changes year to year as otherwise how do they know how to allocate any payments

You may pay by online banking, Council website or automated phone. You may also pay in cash at any Council office - if you are met with refusal then ask politely for the name & position of the person refusing as that will then form the basis of a complaint against the Council.

You should also contact your local Councillor(s) and ask them to interevne on your behalf.

[seduraed]

Re: Council tax, jacobs.

were to fromhere spoken to the bailiff the case has been assigned to and hew has not yet got case notes but refuses to make an arrangement as he is an enforcement bailiff. What powers doeshe have ? The only possession order was for the car whic i no longer hAVE . Can he levy on the caravan my son lives in or on the car which is on finance and is the only item we have to
get her around can he sieze the wheelchair ? I'm getting nervous so where do i go from here.

[pepsie]

Re: Council tax, jacobs.

Please try to stop worrying....all the advice you have been given thus far has been tried and tested for many years and proven successful, to move forward you need to follow all advice as given in post #2.

The 'enforcement' bailiff has as much power as flat battery...If the caravan is not parked outside your home, he has to find it before he can levy upon it..if it is outside then draw up an agreement between you and your son 'giving ' it to him( signed by you both and witnessed by a neighbour?) if needs be he can then make a stat dec to ownership.

If the car is on finance show them the agreement..if it is on motability they can't touch it and they know that..they cannot levy a wheelchair.

STOP dealing with the Bailiff..he has put himself out of the picture by refusing your offer to payment..the Council own the debt and it is the Council you will make payment to in future...the bailiff fees can wait until you get the breakdown and are seen to be in dispute.

Pepsie

[ploddertom]

Re: Council tax, jacobs.

Can he levy on the caravan my son lives in or on the car which is on finance and is the only item we have to get her around can he sieze the wheelchair ? I'm getting nervous so where do i go from here.

Can you please explain how, where & why the wheelchair comes into the equation? Very important!

[seduraed]

Re: Council tax, jacobs.

My wife has limited mobility and is in receiptof DLA I keep the wheelchair in the car as she can walk from the front room where we sleep to the car but no further . so the chair is visible in the boot of the car . It was rather expensive as my wife is on the rubenesque side . I was just worried IF HE sees it the bailiff might try to levy against it .

[ploddertom]

Re: Council tax, jacobs.

I'd like to see them do that as it would be an immediate Form 4 Complaint. Bringing this up means you can be seen to be vulnerable according to the National Standards for Enforcement Agents, you should therefore write to the Council asking that in the circumstances they take your account back. You will also need to advise the Bailiffs similarly. However to claim vulnerability you do need to provide some proof of this either a letter fromyour GP or other medical source or if on DLA a copy of the award notice.

[CleverClogs]

Re: Council tax, jacobs.

My wife has limited mobility and is in receiptof DLA I keep the wheelchair in the car as she can walk from the front room where we sleep to the car

So, according to the Atos disability deniers, she is not really afflicted with a disability? :tinysmile_cry_t:

[seduraed]

Re: Council tax, jacobs.

still no sign of the jacobs bailiff i am starting to panic as i dont want to leave all the dooors and windows all the time /. is ther a time limit for him to act ?

[pepsie]

Re: Council tax, jacobs.

No they can pick and choose when they come.........have you followed up on the advice given so far?

Pepsie

[bluebottle]

Re: Council tax, jacobs.

They also take a disability aid at their peril. If your wife's wheelchair is provided by the NHS, expect your local Primary Care Trust to book the bailiff into the nearest general hospital for a frontal labotomy. And if the surgeon is in a good mood, they might just nail the bailiff's epiglottis to the ceiling of the operating theatre for an encore.