Jacobs Durham Council Tax Debt

[pipparoouk]

Hi all

I'm looking for a bit of advise really

After a messy divorce and a house repossession i've been left in a lot of debt, i didn't realise until recently that i was still liable for council tax until the house was actually sold at auction rather than just when i was evicted

In the past few weeks I've been receiving letters from Jacobs saying i owe £800 (its now up to £1100) to cover the Durham County Council debt.

This morning a baliff turned up at the door and my partner answered and he has said he will be removing goods tomorrow unless full payment is made. She did not let him in, nor did he give her a list of assets.

I phoned Jacobs but they will not accept part payment (i offered £200 which is all i can afford at the moment), they said i need to deal with the baliff direct (who is not answering his phone nor responding to my text message to give me a call back) but they said he will not accept anything but full payment tomorrow because its now on enforcement stage.

Am i best locking all the doors and just not answering tomorrow? And writing to them to propose a payment plan?

My concern is I've got a family car (which i'll park up the road tomorrow just in case) and 3x car shells (no interior or engine or suspension or wheels etc..) parked out the front along with a large car transporter trailer. Are these likely to get seized tomorrow? They would have to get a specialist hiab type truck to try and lift them over the garden wall (unless they can jack them up and put them on rollers, but i believe this would take some time). Are they likely to do this?

I was proposing £200 and 3x £300 monthly payments to them to cover the debt.

I've since phoned Durham Council and they have confirmed the amount, said my account is closed, and although they thought £200 was very reasonable, they have told me to deal with Jacobs only.

Thanks for all your help (hopefully!)

Roo

[Kati]

Re: Jacobs Durham Council Tax Debt

[MENTION=9189]bizzybob[/MENTION] [MENTION=30402]Milo[/MENTION] ??

[bizzybob]

Re: Jacobs Durham Council Tax Debt

I think the same poster has had advice from Bailiff Advice on CAG, the post is identical to one on there.

[Snoopy1948]

Re: Jacobs Durham Council Tax Debt

Hi ...

First thing you need to check with the council is were you given a council tax exemption from the date that your property was repossessed as that stands as class 'L' , mortgagee in possession? If not, and there is a defined period between property possession and the date the property was sold, you should be able to claim a period of exemption. But you need to be sure about the dates and have supporting documentation.

If you don't let the enforcement agents into your property, you are not granting them legal access and there's not a lot they can do thereafter and can only pass the debt back to the instructing authority.

I have always found the council's restrictions on engaging in agreement frustrating and I can only assume that they want debtors to endure the pressure and inconvenience of dealing with their allocated enforcement agent ( bailiff ). To be honest, if you paid and maintained your £200 followed by three monthly payments of £300, I would regard that as perfectly acceptable. There is physically nothing to stop you paying the council direct although they do have the power to reject payment if they consider it collectable only via outside enforcement. The frustrations principally lie between council and enforcement agents as the agents raise their own income in fees and a non confirming debtor irritates that system, sad to say. The other frustrating thing is that councils are crying out for income streams due to decreasing central government grants and yet complicate offers of payment.

Have you tried sending in a cheque for the first payment and either three post-dated cheques or signed agreement for the council to collect by Direct Debit?

[Snoopy1948]

Re: Jacobs Durham Council Tax Debt

Additional info from a current local authority site :


Mortgagee is in Possession The Mortgagee in relation to a mortgage is the organisation who provided a loan (e.g. a bank or Building Society) who has granted a mortgage on the property as security.
The mortgagor is the person who has mortgaged their property in return for receiving the loan.
If there is default on repaying the loan, the mortgage deed usually enables the Mortgagee to take possession of the property and the property may be sold to repay the outstanding loan.
If a property is empty and the Mortgagee takes possession under the mortgage, it is exempt from Council Tax.
If the property is still occupied when the Mortgagee takes possession, the exemption does not commence until the occupants vacate the dwelling.
The exemption continues until either possession is relinquished or the property is sold.

Only proviso here is that there has to be a date of possession and not just the date you may have left the property and simply handed back the keys.

[Crazy council]

Re: Jacobs Durham Council Tax Debt

Hi

re the council tax debt, whats the dates involved.

Possession order for mortgagee co
Eviction date from property
Last date you occupied the property ( if different from above )

Did you get another property straight away or move in with friends/relatives
council tax charging period they are chasing.