Rossendales and Council tax

[pegleg]

Re: Rossendales and Council tax

Guys I need help in replying to this or should I not bother as I have wrote to the council as well.

Thank you for your email.



The address we originally attended was provided by the Local Authority, it is your responsibility to ensure you provide an up to date address to the Local Authority.



Please note we are under no legal obligation to accept payment by instalments. Once you have defaulted upon your statutory council tax instalments and been taken to the Magistrates Court any right to instalments is lost.



All our Bailiff’s wear identification, an identity badge is worn on a lanyard round the neck. They also carry a letter of authority to act on behalf of the Local Authority along with a copy of the Liability Order.



Following the visit by the Bailiff at your grandparents address on 22nd February 2011 we received an email from you, therefore you were fully aware of the matter and have had sufficient time to dispute the matter with the Local Authority or contact us to arrange a repayment plan.



We will review the documentation once we have received it providing this is prior to the hold period expiring, however, this does not guarantee that a repayment plan will be offered.



We will not be returning the case to our Client unless instructed by them to do so.



Yours sincerely

Or should I just tell them I am now dealing with the council and they should leaise with them?

[pegleg]

Re: Rossendales and Council tax

Send the SAR as Swingletree has suggested.

Sorry but what is an SAR?

[Amy]

Re: Rossendales and Council tax

Bailiffs do not call the shots, the council do. You are quite within your rights to deal only with the council and if the bailiffs cannot gain entry to your property or get you to pay them rather than the council, then the bailiffs will have no choice but to return the debt to the council.

You should be aware though, that if you tell the bailiff you will not be dealing with them again, as I think you should, they will more than likely step up their attempts to intimidate you into paying. If you keep your resolve you'll be fine.

[Amy]

Re: Rossendales and Council tax

Sorry but whats an SAR?

pegleg, you have some reading to do Bailiff Guide - Legal Beagles Consumer Forum

Sorry but what is an SAR?

This is explained in the fifth to last paragraph of the bailiff guide that you said you have read. There is also a link to a template SAR provided, click it and read it.

[pegleg]

Re: Rossendales and Council tax

I have told them in an email back that I will not be contacting them till I have sought further advice. I am going the CAB 30th July. I am sick and tired of them trying to bully me. I will not be paying them any more money if that is the advice you are all giving me. I will send another letter to BDC with £10 to start clearing this as I don't think the council are going to listen that we don't owe the debt. But I think we may just have to pay it to clear it.

[pegleg]

Re: Rossendales and Council tax

This is explained in the fifth to last paragraph of the bailiff guide that you said you have read. There is also a link to a template SAR provided, click it and read it.

Thanks I had read it but I didn't think at the time it applied to me. But I may now do that. Thanks for all your help again.

I have wrote the following back to Rossendales.

After careful consideration I will not be contacting yourselves again until I sought further advice. I have an appointment with the CAB on 30th June and will forward any paperwork on that date should they agree that is the right action.

I would like to address a couple of points. Why would I give the LA my address when I no longer live in that area? I have also never had any court papers. I have delt with the LA as you keep telling me to do so yet they tell me to deal with you!

As regards to disputing the matter after you visited and after my first email I did dispute it with Breckland District Council. I have also written to them regards the matter again.

[WendyB]

Re: Rossendales and Council tax

Pegleg, if you wait for the appointment with CAB before you do anything, that will give the bailiffs another week in which to hassle you. Be in no doubt that they will. Also, is this appt on 30th June or 30th July, as you have mentioned both. If it's not till 30th July then that's 6 weeks away.
Send the SAR as a matter of urgency, now. They have to reply to it, and it will show you exactly how much the Council Tax owing, is, and exactly how many fees the bailiffs had added on to your account. Write to the Council and get exact details of how much you owe them (or how much they think you owe them) and how much the Liability Order is for. Don't deal with the Council's call centre, if you have to deal with them by phone then make sure you get put through to the Council tax recovery department.

You have to realise that Bailiffs are not rational, except when it comes to fleecing you out of money in erroneous fees. As such, there is no point sending emails like the one above. You have to be firm with them, not ask rhetorical questions which they will either ignore completely or answer with lies.

Also, I wouldn't necessarily agree that whatever the CAB advise will be the right course of action.

[pegleg]

Re: Rossendales and Council tax

Sorry yes I meant 30th June. They have put the case on hold till after I have had this apointment. I will send the SAR and also write to the council.

Thanks for the advice.

[Swingletree]

Re: Rossendales and Council tax

They have put the case on hold till after I have had this apointment.

The Bailiffs don't have to put the case on hold. They can and will hassle you. They are out to gain money from you. Deal with the COUNCIL. Don't make contact with the BAILIFFS.

[CleverClogs]

Re: Rossendales and Council tax

Don't make contact with the BAILIFFS.

Not even using a baseball bat.

You'd ruin the bat and they'd only send someone else. :rofl:

[pegleg]

Re: Rossendales and Council tax

Also, I wouldn't necessarily agree that whatever the CAB advise will be the right course of action.

I was nearly pulling what little hair I have out with the CAB today they seem to me basically to be on the side of Council and Bailiffs.

They also said that the bailiff could keep adding costs on which as I have read here and other places is not right.

In the end I told him to stop he wasn't helping and giving me any info and I would carry on dealing with it myself.

[CleverClogs]

Re: Rossendales and Council tax

I was nearly pulling what little hair I have out with the CAB today they seem to me basically to be on the side of Council and Bailiffs.

They also said that the bailiff could keep adding costs on which as I have read here and other places is not right.

In the end I told him to stop he wasn't helping and giving me any info and I would carry on dealing with it myself.

If you get bad or inaccurate advice at the CAB, you should complain in writing to their national office.

[Swingletree]

Re: Rossendales and Council tax

............................. In the end I told him to stop he wasn't helping and giving me any info and I would carry on dealing with it myself.

What are you intending to do now? Have you spoken to the Council yet? Have you collected all the facts together so that they can be presented clearly to the Council?

You need to 'take control' of the situation and try to stay 'on top of it'. If someones says they are going to 'look into the case' for you, ask how long will that take, you suggest that you will contact them within a reasonable time.

If you are still waiting for the SAR from the Bailiffs remember that Council can usually interrogate the Bailiffs Computer Systems directly and will be able to easily ascertain any errors made by the Bailiffs.

Please let us know what the current situation is and please do not hesitate to continue to ask questions, that way future readers on this site will benefit

[pegleg]

Re: Rossendales and Council tax

I have, I have wrote to the council all letters recoded delivery. I am waiting for their response. Thank you all for your help and will ask if I need help.