Baliffs trying to charge me £300 Help

[Falconer1]

Hello there, Right i had a Equita Baliff leave a Baliff Removal Letter left in my outside postbox today , Basically my buisness has ended due to the recession & money is tight with just my wife working & 3 kids to support. I rang the Baliffs to find out what we owe on the council tax & was amazed that i owe £365 Council tax but they state i owe £665 with there additional charges???? Howcan this be right i explained to him i could pay £200 tmrw & he wont help us out so we can pay £200 per month until debt is cleared. Anyway after reading on this site my wife rang the Lincolnshire Council & they are willing to accept the £365 & found it strange the Baliffs was trying to charge us another £300 . What should i do about the Baliff we have had no other Letters & we feel they are just charging what they like . PLEASE HELP. I understand to keep doors locked etc plus they be mad to enter my house as we have 2 German Shepard dogs due to our remote location. PS we are paying the council tmrw but not the Baliffs

[miliitant]

Re: Baliffs trying to charge me £300 Help

welcome

the baliff experts will be on later but on the form, did he give any breakdown of charges which it seems are unlawful

[Falconer1]

Re: Baliffs trying to charge me £300 Help

thanks no i havnt had a breakdown of charges yet

[miliitant]

Re: Baliffs trying to charge me £300 Help

pay the council direct and ask them to recall the liability order from the baliffs

[bluebottle]

Re: Baliffs trying to charge me £300 Help

Equita is currently under investigation by Northamptonshire Trading Standards over fees irregularities. I would recommend a formal complaint is sent to OFT Credit Fitness Team about their ridiculous fees. This sounds to me like blatant overcharging, the very thing they are being investigated over.

I am attaching a document which takes you through the process of lodging a complaint against a bailiff company with OFT Credit Fitness Team. Make sure you include the following in your complaint -

Company Name: Equita Ltd
Credit Licence No.: 483020

Also, I am attaching a copy of the OFT Debt Collection Guidelines, which you should study and list all and any breaches in your complaint to OFT. One last thing, forward a copy of your complaint to OFT to your local Trading Standards.

[Falconer1]

Re: Baliffs trying to charge me £300 Help

Thanks for the great advise I intend to follow your advise & use your details to follow up a complaint will keep u posted. Thankyou. PS I will say even the person at the local council offices was surprised at what they was trying to charge. I'm thinking of getting in touch with local media & explaining my story with them , some people may be suffering the same problem & don't know the Baliffs are trying to rob us

[bluebottle]

Re: Baliffs trying to charge me £300 Help

The more media coverage this sort of behaviour is given, the sooner it will be nipped in the bud. I would be fair on the local authority, though, as they appear to have been very reasonable with you.

[Falconer1]

Re: Baliffs trying to charge me £300 Help

Yeah sure I havnt got any issues with my local council , I carnt believe anyone like a local authority would be wanting anything to do with Baliffs company's like Equita.

[bluebottle]

Re: Baliffs trying to charge me £300 Help

I am aware, from having read a number of internet forums, that a growing number of local authorities are beginning to realise the folly and danger of employing what are, in essence unlicensed and unregulated bounty hunters. Remember, it is not these bailiff companies that pay any compensation due to aggrieved debtors and third parties whose property these numpties wrongfully and unlawfully seize in their desperation for money. It is us, the taxpayers, who indemnify them. That has got to stop. The "no cost to the taxpayer" fantasy is now beginning to be shown for what it really is, a fantasy. Someone has to pay for it. And it should be the bailiff companies and not the taxpayer.

[labman]

Re: Baliffs trying to charge me £300 Help

Have you actedon this advice yet? If not, I would pay the council the £200 tomorrow either online or using the automated telephone system. Thereafter, pay a regular amount each week using the same method, regular as clockwork, on the same day, without fail.

You do not have to have anything at all to do with the bailiffs re Council Tax as long as you stop them obtaining a levy or getting peaceful entry. You clearly know about keeping the door locked etc... Just make sure if you own a car that you keep it parked a few streets away for the time being.

It may be that neither the council nor the bailiffs like this, but tough - you are repaying your debt, and you are within your rights.

Try to get it in writing from the council that you owe only the £365.00

[Falconer1]

Re: Baliffs trying to charge me £300 Help

Update spoke to the council today & they was only prepared to inform the baliffs we had paid the £365 owed in council tax but could not call of Equita baliffs as they have been to courts & the other £300 is there charges this seem high? I understand i may have court fees but £300, I have only had the one letter through the door even if they say they have sent others, Im worried out my mind what should i do next HELP

[ploddertom]

Re: Baliffs trying to charge me £300 Help

Be very wary of what you are paying. With Council Tax the Bailiff Fees are deducted first with any balance going to the Council. The £365 you quote as owing does this include the Councils costs for obtaining the Liability Order? You say you have only had 1 hand posted letter from the Bailiffs in which case you have already incurred a lawful fee of £24-50 which you should add to the monies you are going to pay the Council.

[Falconer1]

Re: Baliffs trying to charge me £300 Help

What I understand is the Liability summons is £55 Liability order cost £10 & a Baliffs visit £££ but does this still come to £300

[ploddertom]

Re: Baliffs trying to charge me £300 Help

Until such time you ask for a breakdown of their fees it is impossible to hazard a guess of what they are charging, I only used the £24-50 above as it appears to be all they are due at present. Use letter 1 from http://www.legalbeagles.info/forums/...Useful-Letters and send initially by email followed by a copy in the post.

[labman]

Re: Baliffs trying to charge me £300 Help

I have to reiterate what Ploddertom has said above. If you've paid the arrears, this seems a mighty high price, so there's something wrong somewhere.

Send the letter above, and wait for a reply before paying money to the bailiffs. Even if they present a breakdown which amounts to £300ish, post the breakdown on here, as I suspect it would contain a lot of unlawful charges.