Bailiff are trying to over charge me for council tax

[chrislaurent]

Hi Everyone

Beforehand thanks for your help in advance ( Internet is powerful )

Long story short , i fail to pay the council on time so they pass my file to Bailiff (Equita). I receive a first letter mentioning that i have to pay my debt (256£) over the weekend . I called the council then I pay my debt in full directly to the council 2 day after i receive the first letter.
I called Equita to ask for a charge breakdown they sent me the following:

Attendance fee 167£
Levy fee : 34£
Visit fee : 42.5 ( he cames only once)

I think but not really sure that they over charging me Attendance fee and Levy fee

Am I right

Cheers

[CleverClogs]

Re: Bailiff are trying to over charge me for council tax

Right. We know the coprocephalic snollygosters on your local council have chosen to outsource admin to Crapita - Equita are their equally inept enforcement division.

Had the thug ever entered your dwelling?

What did he claim he would remove if you did not pay up?

[CleverClogs]

Re: Bailiff are trying to over charge me for council tax

And, yes, they are most likely to have charged too much.

[ploddertom]

Re: Bailiff are trying to over charge me for council tax

Was the letter delivered by hand or Royal Mail?

[CleverClogs]

Re: Bailiff are trying to over charge me for council tax

Attendance fee 167£
Levy fee : 34£
Visit fee : 42.5 ( he cames only once)

I think but not really sure that they over charging me Attendance fee and Levy fee

Am I right ?

Yes.

I've attached the current charges that may lawfully be added; even with a valid levy in place, the fee should not have exceeded £31. However, if no valid levy had occurred, there should be no "levy fee" and no fee for "attendance to remove".

[bizzybob]

Re: Bailiff are trying to over charge me for council tax

Did a bailiff actually attend, or just sent a letter, if he attended did you let him in? this is important regarding what the scoundrels at Crapquita can demand. personally i feel they they need a good tolchock in the yarbles.

[CleverClogs]

Re: Bailiff are trying to over charge me for council tax

Did a bailiff actually attend, or just sent a letter, if he attended did you let him in? this is important regarding what the scoundrels at Crapquita can demand. personally i feel they they need a good tolchock in the yarbles.

Before or after yomping on their cordwangles?

[bizzybob]

Re: Bailiff are trying to over charge me for council tax

Before or after yomping on their cordwangles?

After the guard rat, or hamster has chewed their cordwangle preferably

[chrislaurent]

Re: Bailiff are trying to over charge me for council tax

it has been mentioned on the letter that is has been delivered by hand (in the mailbox)
I haven't seen them at all and surely no one came inside my house.
I rang them again and ask them to explain the fees but they told me this is the normal fee
how can i contest the fee and to whom should address my complain

Thanks

[bizzybob]

Re: Bailiff are trying to over charge me for council tax

Equita are noted for preloading fees for work they haven't done, so you should write a Formal Complaint marked clearly as such to the head Of revenues, copied to the council CEO, the elected leader and your local councillor, and your MP. state that you are unhappy with the fees charged by their agents Equita, as there is no valid levy in place, no notice of seizure listing any goods has been provided, so, you can only assume that Equita are unlawfully frontloading fees for work not done contrary to the Regulations, and fee scale, (provided by CleverClogs)

[ploddertom]

Re: Bailiff are trying to over charge me for council tax

A word of caution.

For Council Tax, Bailiff Fees are paid first with any balance going to the Council. I note you say you paid the Council in full, was this what they said you owed or was it +£24-50 for the visit the Bailiff has made. You need to check with the Council that your Liability is discharged in full and there is nothing outstanding. If they paid the Bailiff some of the fees then you still have CT outstanding for which they can enforce against.

With regard to the fees they are alleging to have charged you need to put them to strict proof they have been lawfully incurred. On each visit a Bailiff makes he is supposed to leave a letter telling you he has been. As they are claiming a Levy Fee it is a legal requirement they leave a Notice of Seizure detailing the goods seized and the charges applied. If they are then also claiming an Attendance Fee then in total they are saying they have made 4 visits to you. Have they given you a list of dates that they visited - I suspect not. Have you also checked to make sure the Bailiff is suitably Certificated?

[chrislaurent]

Re: Bailiff are trying to over charge me for council tax

@ploddertom I pay only what i owe the council directly through the council website, Also I double check my balance by calling the council they told me that i don t owe them anything anymore but that I have to pay the bailiff fee.

@bizzybob would you have a template I can use to contest the fees

Cheers

[bizzybob]

Re: Bailiff are trying to over charge me for council tax

@ploddertom I pay only what i owe the council directly through the council website, Also I double check my balance by calling the council they told me that i don t owe them anything anymore but that I have to pay the bailiff fee.

@bizzybob would you have a template I can use to contest the fees

Cheers

Use template letter one
http://legalbeagles.info/useful-letters/ :-)

[CleverClogs]

Re: Bailiff are trying to over charge me for council tax

it has been mentioned on the letter that is has been delivered by hand (in the mailbox)
I haven't seen them at all and surely no one came inside my house.
I rang them again and ask them to explain the fees but they told me this is the normal fee

Oh, balls - it is nothing of the sort.

They have claimed to have levied distress upon your goods and chattels, for which they have charged fees. Incidentally, they appear to have charged marginally too much but, then..

Bailiffs tell lies.

how can i contest the fee and to whom should address my complaint

If there was a levy carried out, the varmint should have left a record of the goods he said he would take.

Get a copy.

[bizzybob]

Re: Bailiff are trying to over charge me for council tax

No levy, no notice left, bailiff can go practice onanism. BTW as CleverClogs has indicated

Bailiffs Lie, it is hardwired into their DNA