Rossendales - help please

[inamess]

Hi, I too have received a notice of enforcement from Rossendales for council tax relating to 2012-2013.

Originally I received this in November, called the bailiff who was in fact very helpful. I was confused and didn't believe I owed the money, he agreed that he thought the council had made a mistake.

I have now been passed onto someone else who is far from helpful and he's given me 24 hours to contact the council to establish whether I owe this or not. If I do he requires payment immediately. I do not have £860 available. He then informed me he would seize my goods then.

I am going to contact the council tomorrow and in the event of this being owed, originally it was £550, they have added £320 fees what action should I take. I', concerned that my daughter lets herself in from school before I get home, she's 14.

Any advice would be gratefully received.

[Guest]

Re: Rossendales - help please

Hi

Did you take any steps back in November to establish whether you owed this money? If so, do you have copies of the correspondence you sent and any replies?

A bailiff should leave the premises if the only person at home appears to be a minor, just to be on the safe side, tell your daughter this and tell her to point it out, if a bailiff arrives on your doorstep.

Under the circumstances, I would write a complaint out to the CEO of your council immediately. Head the letter "Formal Complaint" Advise that you do not believe that you owe this money and even if you did, the bailiff is demanding payment of £860 in full, which you do not have. This demand is in contrast to Government guidelines. If it is established that the money is owed, you wish to negotiate a reasonable and affordable repayment plan, which at present, Rossendales are refusing to do. You ask for enforcement to be suspended whilst this complaint is being investigated.

The bailiff cannot take any of your goods UNLESS YOU let him in. You are quite within your rights to refuse entry and close the door on him. If you have a car, he could get at that so, certainly in the short term, I would park this away from your property.

Wait and see what the council come back with. Try to save a few pennies in the meantime, as you will eventually have to start payments for this debt. Dependant on what action you took in November and what evidence you have of this, will decide whether you can appeal part of the bailiff fees (£235) Any action you did take in November, add on to your complaint.

Don't worry-Your daughter will be safe and they can't enter your home to take goods unless YOU let them. The only real worry is a car, if you have one.

[bizzybob]

Re: Rossendales - help please

Tell your daughter to lock the door when she gets in, as there are prowlers around or say bogus officials, Tell her not to answer the door, as Rossers and other bailiffs might claim she looked 18 and will attempt to claim peaceful entry if she lets him in.

[inamess]

Re: Rossendales - help please

Thank you for advice. I called the council today, they have confirmed I owe the amount. They refused to take the case back from Rossendales, said they couldn't do that.

I called the bailiff, he said he will split it in 2, one payment on Monday and one payment in a month!

I have also called a company who act on my behalf to contact the council and bailiff to get the council to take back the case and offer a reasonable payment plan, has anyone used these before?

[wales01man]

Re: Rossendales - help please

How much money is this company asking for?????

[josephbloggs]

Re: Rossendales - help please

they will charge you for doing something which you could do yourself. stay clear of them

[Kati]

Re: Rossendales - help please

I do have to agree with Wales and Jo Bloggs here ... why would you want to pay money to a 'company' to contact the council and bailiffs on your behalf? All they can do is what you can do yourself for free :tinysmile_hmm_t2:

[inamess]

Re: Rossendales - help please

Am I being extremely Naive here because they told me they were doing this for free.

I contacted the council and they told me they would not take the case back.

The amount is now £856.37. This includes £310 charges.

[josephbloggs]

Re: Rossendales - help please

beware of any internet based company offering to act on your behalf, especially relating to enforcement matters. you can get correct advice for free - in fact a full list of reputable advice services are printed on to the statuatory forms left by the enforcement agencies.

anyway from my view on this it seems your choices are as follows...

1. pay the amount in full
2. pay half and half as the EA said
3. pay what you can when you can (just bare in mind that if you pay the council direct the money for rossendales fees is given to them automatically)
4. ignore rossendales completely, hope they don't gain entry to your property or remove your vehicle, wait until the 12 months is up on their time limit and the liability order is referred back to the council and pay after that.

[wales01man]

Re: Rossendales - help please

Get it in writing they are doing it for free would be good to see

[Guest]

Re: Rossendales - help please

beware of any internet based company offering to act on your behalf, especially relating to enforcement matters. you can get correct advice for free - in fact a full list of reputable advice services are printed on to the statuatory forms left by the enforcement agencies.

anyway from my view on this it seems your choices are as follows...

1. pay the amount in full
2. pay half and half as the EA said
3. pay what you can when you can (just bare in mind that if you pay the council direct the money for rossendales fees is given to them automatically)
4. ignore rossendales completely, hope they don't gain entry to your property or remove your vehicle, wait until the 12 months is up on their time limit and the liability order is referred back to the council and pay after that.

Just to clarify this, assuming that options 1 & 2 are not realistic (ie, you don't have the money at hand to make large payments), the further options available are:

1. Not to pay what you can, when you can as this will not benefit you whatsoever. It will benefit the council because they are getting what they can from you and they will also still employ the bailiffs, in the hope that they can get the full amount from you. A win, win situation for the council. Why would you want to pay someone what you can if they are still prepared to set bailiffs on you? If you did pay directly to the council, very few pass money on to bailiffs and if they do, then that is another reason not to pay them at this stage.

2. By not paying anything, and not allowing Rossendales into your home, they can not do anything other than send you threatening letters. (PROVIDED you don't have a car outside that they can get hold of). In reality, the debt will be returned much sooner than the 12 months lifespan of the enforcement power. 6 months max. Rossendales will probably give up in even less time. If the debt is returned, the fees are written off. You could save the balance of the debt between now & then & just pay it off when Rossendales return the debt, minus the £310 fees.

3. If you don't want to sit it out, then the best option is the formal complaint as I outlined previously. Government guidelines state that debtors must not be forced into punitive repayment plans. Advise the council that you wish to pay in weekly/monthly instalments.

[Guest]

Re: Rossendales - help please

Am I being extremely Naive here because they told me they were doing this for free.

I contacted the council and they told me they would not take the case back.

The amount is now £856.37. This includes £310 charges.

You will not get the debt returned to the council and no company will be able to do this for you, regardless of how much you pay them. You have a straight choice of either dealing with the bailiffs and paying their £310 fee, or refusing to deal with the bailiffs and wait for the debt to be returned (and paying the debt, minus the £310 fee) As stated, there is a risk element involved in not dealing with bailiffs, if you have anything of value outside your home, such as a car, caravan etc.