Thanks for this advice. I have now contacted the council and have paid the full amount back, they have agreed to taking it back from the bailiff on the phone and have sent me a receipt via email. I have also emailed the bailiff as, according to the council I will have to pay them a fee, around 28 pounds. They have replied to the email and have agreed that I can pay the fee tomorrow by credit card. The bailiff has also said they will issue a receipt and email it to me once I have paid them. My question is, do I need to get any formal letters or any documents stating that this debt has been cleared, and if so do I get this from the council, the bailiffs, or both. They do not seem to volunteer any info so I don't know what is next. I have not given them an address nor a phone number. I have also contacted Barclays with regards to the other debt I have with them and it's quite hefty, GBP 1800. From what I can remember I have had a 700 pounds overdraft, although it may have been 1200. If it was 1200, and I have no way of checking it for another two weeks, could 1800 pounds be reasonable if I have ceased activity on the card in April and they have closed the account in August? I also have the name of the company the debt is with now. Either way, the advice I have been given on here is that I should offer to pay 25% of the outstanding amount and only contact them via email. I am a bit scared as I think they might try and threaten me or whatever, as they will probably want more if they think they can get it. I have never done this before. Having said that I trust the advice I am getting on here. With regards to the offer I am making, shall I contact the bailiff, get them to state the amount I owe and then turn around and say I am paying 25%, using the text advised above? "I would write to them and tell them that as you are no longer a UK resident & they cannot take any enforcement action but you would be willing to finalize the matter by offering 25% as a full & final settlement on the proviso that any future collection activities will cease & your credit file is marked as satisfied. Tell them that is all you are willing to pay & it's non negotiable."

Just another thing. Do you think my position to negotiate will be affected badly but the fact I have sent my current address to Experian, or I am not a UK resident all the same? Thanks Mariann

OK, thanks for this. I will start with Barclay's this coming week. Many thanks again.

Thanks for this I will leave it up to them to contact me. In the mean time I will see whether I have a contract as I usually keep things like that so will read it and see whether it says UK or UAE. Thanks again Mariann

Thanks for this. So say, I call the bank/s, and the debt is with them I agree on payment and pay. If the debt is sold on to a debt collector which is more likely, they give me the name, I call them, ask them how much I owe, explain that I am not in the UK and have no assets here and an extremely low salary, and say, come to an agreement to pay a reduced amount. Shall I then get them to confirm that in writing as in on emails or do I have to supply an address? Can it be done on fax? Is that legally binding? Or does it have to be an actual letter? I am planning to deal with this in the next two weeks once I get the council tax out of the way. Definitely planning to donate to the site once I am able to. Many thanks again, Mariann

OK it's just that, in my case, I have some debt with a UK company, HSBC in the UAE. So they may not actually have to sell the debt to a UK company because it is a UK company. Albeit in a different jurisdiction. Also, I have used my UAE card in the UK as well, until it maxed out because I had to find a job and somewhere to live when back in the UK, and it took some time while without an income. I treat this different from my UK debt which I am planning to pay back, but both debts came as a result of loss of employment and illness.

The problem is I have read up on these things and really wanted to get a credit report so have called the 3 credit agencies and one, Experian has agreed that they will send me a credit report if I supply them a current address (even if non UK), and a copy of my passport with two recent bills, which I have done so. With a hindsight I feel this was a mistake as they may not supply me with my credit rating but may store/ pass on my current address which is in an EU county. Whether this would be enough to chase me or it's a lot more complicated, I don't know. With regards to negotiating, I am in Eastern Europe and my salary is extremely low, so would like to negotiate a low sum which I will pay up. How would I actually conduct this negotiation? Does it have to be in writing? Do they have to send me a letter with the agreed sum? If so shall I give them my current address? What is the likelyhood of them then wanting to re-sell the debt to another agent in my home country and chase me through them? MANY THANKS again for your help it means a great deal. Mariann

So can they not sell the debt from the UAE to another company in the UK and chase the debt there? I have read some people having this problem. Or is is just a case of them sending threatening/bullying letters in the knowledge that some people will pay up? thanks for this

Oh OK this would have been my next question. So how do I find out where the debt is? Shall I call the banks? Also, do I then make them take the debt back and pay them or do I pay the debt collector? I may also have some smaller debts up to a 100 pounds with utility companies, but not sure who with. Do I need to know who I have the debt with or is there a register or some central body that would list these things? Another question I have is as I have nothing on my name in terms of property, etc. would it be better to go bankrupt? Many thanks again. Mariann

Well, it's just that from what I know bank charges will be added to the overdraft debt so the longer I wait the worse it will become? I understand there is a 6 years period after which the debt becomes statute barred, and not enforcible, it's just that the debt is from 2008 and I do not want to wait another 3 years to move back to the UK because of personal reasons (boyfriend there). so think it might be best if I contact the banks as well, once I have dealt with the council tax debt which will be this month. I have quite a few questions with regards to that debt as well but will probably open another thread for it. Many thanks again you help means a lot as I am trying to get out of this hole now... Mariann

I have now checked this, had to pay 8 pounds. It says there is nothing registered under my name and that address. Thanks for your help again!! Mariann

Hi again thanks for your reply. I have been on the trustonline website before but do not know which boxes to select from the 4 after excluding Scotland, Eire, Ireland etc: England and Wales Orders & Judgments England and Wales Tribunal Awards England and Wales High Court Judgments England and Wales Fine Defaults I have called them and made them explain but they could not explain it. Could you help me select which one I need if I lived in London and have some credit card, bills and council tax debt from 2008. Thanks a million! Mariann

No I am not a UK resident for 3 years now and was a foreigner living there even before, but planning to move back and as my situation has improves since, I would like to sort this. To be perfectly honest I have no idea whether there is a CCJ against me for this council tax debt. How could I find out? Even if they have obtained while I was a non UK resident, which they would have had to, although I might have technically still been in the country while that happened I have not reveived any correspondence about that at the time, the thing is I will want to move back to the UK and so if I do not sort it it will come back to me at some point anyway. There was a liability order on the smaller part of the debt which the council has confirmed, but I have paid that debt in March. The council said the rest of the debt is with the bailiff. My questions are: How can I find out whether there is a CCJ against me? Also, if I pay the relevant debt, will the CCJ go away automatically? Or do I have to do something to have it lifted? Many thanks again for all your advice Mariann

Many thanks for your reply and see my comments bellow: OK I did not want to go down that route as I wanted to pay them in full as I now have enough money for this particular debt and it's around 450 GBP I will call the council then and ask them to take the debt back. I will make it clear that I will pay them so that there is no need to issue a committal summons to the magistrates court and add costs to the bill. Is this OK to do in your opinion? Many thanks again and please keep helping me as I am still getting tangled into this...do appreciate your help a lot..

Many thanks for this post. I have moved out in April and the council had the exact date of my move, I am assuming the landlord has told them as I have not. So that should not be a problem but either way, thanks for your comment.

please see bellow in bold

Many thanks for your reply and advice. I would like to manage this while abroad exactly so that I do not get pestered and have more control over it in a way. I have read through quite a few threads but still do not understand what unfair charges are. I have had a debit card with a 700 pounds overdraft when i have left the country and so don't understand whether they can apply any unfair charges to it? I have contacted the council and have paid some of the money off, they have given me the bailiffs contact details and i have sent them an email. They do not actually have my home address nor my phone number, as far as I understand these things. Many thanks for your advice and please help me more if you can as I am getting tangled into this. Mariann

I would like to clear some debt, which is about 600 pounds in council tax and about 2x700 pounds with two banks, Halifax and Barclays, from April 2008. I might also have some smaller debts as I have moved out of the UK i had a mobile phone and internet connection contract which I have stopped paying (and using) when i have left the UK due to illness and loss of job, and some utility bills but with only about a month in arreas so nothing major. I am looking to move back to the UK and would like to know where I stand exactly, and have already contacted the council and have paid some of the money back. The rest of the outstanding debt is with a bailiff who I have also contacted as I understand that Council tax is a priority debt. How do I find out the amount of debt I have? Do I call the banks etc. and ask them on the phone? Also, I have hear that there is a way to reclaim bank charges. Is that true? I have looked up the CAB site although have not called them yet, I seem to have to live in the UK and have an address there in order to obtain advice from them. I would also like to obtain a credit report from the 3 credit reference agencies but they all need a UK address as well, which I do not have at the moment. I would only be prepared to move back to the UK once I have a new job there, and once I know how much I owe so that I might be able to pay it back before moving back. Please help me any advice would be greatly appreciated. Mariann