Jacobs, advice needed

[zigzag]

Hello all thought id make a post as my attempt to deal with jacobs seems to be going nowhere.

i have 3 seperate letters from them after moving quickly to 3 seperate propertys following the breakdown of my marriage 2 years ago, i have never disputed these debts but at the time i wasnt in the right frame of mind to deal with Redcar and Cleveland council and when i did try they wouldnt listen.

anyway enough of that side of things, i have been trying to deal with jacobs since with no success, they refused to come to any arrangement via letter or email saying that they must be allowed into the property or they wouldnt deal with me. i informed the council of this who were just as rude. the council and jacobs have recently started sending letters to my new partners parents threatening them, i informed the council of this who more or less said give us your real address or we will keep sending them ( they had my new address as i was recieving letters here aswell ) Jacobs even sent 2 Bailiffs to my Mothers where i havnt lived for nearly 20 years

My last attempt to sort this out with the council was also a waste of time they refused to speak to me saying they shouldnt, and stated that i dont owe them money now i owe jacobs

jacobs have started turning up at my new home but not knocking just posting letters saying they have called and wandering back off i collared him today posting a letter in jeans and T-shirt when he noticed me watching he walked to the window and asked me to let him in or he would force entry, i told him he couldnt so he said he would take the car outside on the street, again told him i dont own a car ( i was my new partners) then he said he would come back with a locksmith i again told him he couldnt to which he said we will see he started peering through the window till i told him to leave the property now.

the letter he posted through does say that they can remove goods in my absence with the services of a locksmith. and he did say before he left that they were now seeking my committal to prison which he hihlighted on the letter he posted.

i have set a standing order up with the council from my account for the amount i offered to pay as neither of them seem to want to deal with me

where do i go from here?

[Amy]

Re: Jacobs, advice needed

What kind of debt is this?

[zigzag]

Re: Jacobs, advice needed

sorry its council tax owed to Redcar and Cleveland council the total debt for the CT is £1300 plus costs i think of 169.5 per vist per bill so im assuming its 508.5 per vist in charges x 3, although im unsure of this because only 2 of the letters recieved have this amount on the others just say costs

[Amy]

Re: Jacobs, advice needed

For the collection of council tax the bailiffs are only permitted to charge you a maximum of £24.50 for the first visit and £18 for the second visit per liability order, per council tax year.

I would suggest you send the bailiff a Subject Access Request here Bailiff Guide - Legal Beagles

Be careful with your car because although you say it does not belong to you, it will be up to you to prove this to the bailiff and not the other way around.

[Judge mental]

Re: Jacobs, advice needed

zigzag:

I add to Amy comments with the following- from reading your post, both Jacobs and council are ignoring your rights and their obligations.

Do not let them into your home, they cannot force entry (unless they have previously been given access and levied goods) and in implying that they can they themselves are acting unlawfully.

By approaching other people - your ex partner (unless they are named on the liability order) and your mother, they are acting unlawfully.

They cannot commit you to prison, only a court can do that upon an application from the local authority. by implying they can is unlawful.

If the Bailiffs have not been given access to your property and they do not accept your offer of payment, they can do no more than pass the debt back to the council, they will then consider alternatives to recover their money.

You can write a letter of complaint to any or all of the following -
The council
The Bailiffs
The Magistrates court where the liability order was issued.
Your local councillor, who will deal with the council on your behalf

You can ask the council to take back your debt, if you claim benefits you can request they take an agreed sum directly from you benefits as an alternative to Bailiffs especially if you are considered to be a vulnerable person as defined by the National standards for enforcement agents
- Disabled
- The debtor or their partner is suffering from long term illness
- Single parent
- Expectant mother
- Elderly or infirm
- mental issues
- blind or deaf
- recent bereavement in family
- person who English is not their first language
-In receipt of benefits

If the council wont help, ask your local councilor to take it up with them.

If the Bailiff call again, they are obliged to prove they are a certified bailiff and provide written authorisation from the council for them to call, a copy of the "Enforcement Regulations" which states what they can and cannot do and the charges Bailiffs are allowed to make ..... but I stress again, do not allow them over the threshold.

You may want to further empower yourself with knowledge by taking a look at the Protection from harrasment Act 1970 and 1977 in addition to the debt collection guidance issued by the Office of fair trading.

Others may be along soon to help further, but if you need more assistance quickly or with preparing letters, do post back.

[Amy]

Re: Jacobs, advice needed

zigzag:

If the Bailiff call again, they are obliged to prove they are a certified bailiff....

Bailiffs are certificated (although it could be argued that they are certifiable). You can check this by telephoning the Ministry of Justice.