Help Please Bailiffs coming in the morning.

[DEV1L79]

I have been looking at all the bailiff advice on the site and it has been very informative and I want to thank all that have contributed as it has really put my mind at ease, but I do have a few questions.

I will tell you a bit about my situation.

I was living at a house about 5 years ago and at the time I was receiving benefit. I had housing benefit paid and council tax benefit paid, so when my council tax letters where coming I thought they were just for my reference, like tax end year letters etc.. I didn't think I was liable to pay council tax.

It has been almost 4 years since I lived at that address and I started getting council tax bills saying I owed over £1000 in council tax for the period I lived at this address, I spoke to the council about it and explained, and they continued to send me bills, I thought they will just forget about it it was so long ago but I realised the bills would not stop and I needed to sort it, so I sent them an offer of a monthly payment.

They sent me a letter back almost a month after my offer of repayments and said it was to late and that they have sent my details to Jacobs, the councils firm of appointed bailiff for collection.

I rang Jacobs to see if we could come to an arrangement to pay the money back in monthly instalments and they said the matter is being dealt with by a bailiff and to contact them directly so I rang the bailiff and he said he was coming to my house on Thursday and if I wanted to sort out monthly instalments with him I had to pay him £50 there and then and that he would need to come into the house to take a levvy of goods to base the instalments on.

My questions are:
I know I am not to let him in the house but, how do I actually pay back the money, if I ring Jacobs they tell me I must speak to the bailiff and the bailiff will not deal with me unless I let him in the property.

I do not know how to pay this money off and I am very worried and just want to start a payment plan.

Any advice would be very much appreciated.

Thank you.

[Amy]

Re: Help Please Bailiffs coming in the morning.

If you were receiving these benefits, why do you owe this council tax?

Are you saying you were not entitled to receive the council tax benefit or are you saying the council are wrong because you were entitled to this benefit and therefore you should not have to pay the council tax?

[DEV1L79]

Re: Help Please Bailiffs coming in the morning.

I believe that when you are receipt of council tax benefit, you get the council tax at a reduced rate, so if I had to pay £50 council tax for example, if I got council tax benefit, I would only pay £15 but I am not sure about this, I may not have to have paid anything.

But I assume it is that I was responsible for paying some of the council tax, which I did not know, I used to get CT letters just saying how much to pay, I was at the address for about 3 years and was never given any warnings to pay or bailiff action or anything like that.

The first I knew about owing money for council tax from this address was a few months ago, and while I was trying to work this out with the council it became to late to set up a payment plan with them and my account has now been sent to Jacobs for the £1444.

I have contacted the council yesterday asking to take the debt back and that I genuinely want to pay it, and I asked them to check their records as I was receiving JSA and housing / Council tax benefit at that address, they have not got back to me yet.

The bailiff is coming in the morning and I was wondering what the best course of action would be dealing with the bailiff.

If I ask the council to make payments to, they revert me to Jacobs to set a payment plan, Jacobs will not deal with me and revert me to the Bailiff, then the bailiff won't deal with me unless I let him in the house which I have been advised not to do.

I am at a total loss and don't know what my next step should be.

[Amy]

Re: Help Please Bailiffs coming in the morning.

You really need to sort this out with the council. Just ignore the bailiffs for now, there is nothing they can do as long as you keep them out of your property.

This needs to be thrashed out with the council and you should do this in writing to them.

Ask them to confirm exactly how much you owe and why they believe that you owe it.

[DEV1L79]

Re: Help Please Bailiffs coming in the morning.

OK thank you.

So do you think it best I just ignore the door when they knock?

I am going to the CAB tomorrow, I am not a very loud person or someone who reacts well to confrontation so I am worried about the Bailiff just hanging around outside the house when I need to leave to go to work.

Can they call the police if I don't answer or refuse to let them in and can I be arrested for this?

[Amy]

Re: Help Please Bailiffs coming in the morning.

So do you think it best I just ignore the door when they knock?

Yes, I do.

Can they call the police if I don't answer or refuse to let them in and can I be arrested for this?

You've read the bailiff guide so you must know the answer to this. Don't doubt yourself.

If he does turn up, which is doubtful, you can deal with this situation because he has no powers at all - unless you let him in, which you know not to do.

xx

[DEV1L79]

Re: Help Please Bailiffs coming in the morning.

Thank you.

You and all the people who help on this site are a god send to silly people like me who get ourselves into scrapes, Thanks again.

[stevokenevo]

Re: Help Please Bailiffs coming in the morning.

Have i been watching too much True Blood, or have bailiffs and vampires become one and the same!? They are only dangerous if you invite them over the threshold??

sorry i cant add anything constructive, dont need to with Amy around lol

[cappo]

Re: Help Please Bailiffs coming in the morning.

OK thank you.

So do you think it best I just ignore the door when they knock?

I am going to the CAB tomorrow, I am not a very loud person or someone who reacts well to confrontation so I am worried about the Bailiff just hanging around outside the house when I need to leave to go to work.

Can they call the police if I don't answer or refuse to let them in and can I be arrested for this?

i agree with amy and steve don,t let him in, you have to invite him into your house in (law) for him to be able to do anything.:beagle:

[DEV1L79]

Re: Help Please Bailiffs coming in the morning.

Just a quick update on the situation.

The bailiff did come on Thursday at about 1:30 in the afternoon and only did a quick knock then left 4 different notices with the "24 hours to pay or good will be lifted" which I know is a crock of sh!t after reading the letter on this forum.

I went to the citizens advice and they have made me an appointment for Wednesday to talk to some guy who is an expert on benefits, as the council are ignoring my letters I have sent, telling them that I was on benefits at the time they are charging me full council tax for, and I have asked them to investigate this to make sure they have their facts straight.

I was told by the National debt helpline to try and get a DRO (debt relief order) this is like a mini bankruptcy, as I qualify for it, and this would abstain me from any debts I owe for a period of 12 months then the debts will be written off.

I know my rights with the bailiff and I am not bothered by them any more, I have a few different options now and I am in a much better place than I was a week ago.

Thank you guys for your help on this.

[cappo]

Re: Help Please Bailiffs coming in the morning.

Just a quick update on the situation.

The bailiff did come on Thursday at about 1:30 in the afternoon and only did a quick knock then left 4 different notices with the "24 hours to pay or good will be lifted" which I know is a crock of sh!t after reading the letter on this forum.

I went to the citizens advice and they have made me an appointment for Wednesday to talk to some guy who is an expert on benefits, as the council are ignoring my letters I have sent, telling them that I was on benefits at the time they are charging me full council tax for, and I have asked them to investigate this to make sure they have their facts straight.

I was told by the National debt helpline to try and get a DRO (debt relief order) this is like a mini bankruptcy, as I qualify for it, and this would abstain me from any debts I owe for a period of 12 months then the debts will be written off.

I know my rights with the bailiff and I am not bothered by them any more, I have a few different options now and I am in a much better place than I was a week ago.

Thank you guys for your help on this.

good luck