ross & roberts - collection of outstanding council tax

[craigyg]

Hi people!

 

My situaton is this.

 

Today I recieved a letter from Ross & Roberts civil enforcement agents notifying me that my outstanding council tax bill of £294.98 has been passed onto them by South Somerset County Council & giving me 14 days from the 9th Jan 2012 to make payment arrangements.

 

On top of this, i have also recieved a letter from the Council for consideration of prosecution & request of driver details within 7 days for a fixed penalty notice of £60.00 which i couldent afford to pay last month.

 

My circumstances:

 

I'm on minimum wage with no savings, recieving no benefits other than working tax credits. I have no credit cards, store cards or major loans outstanding. But i'm unable to make any payments until the 28th of this month at the earliest!

 

It's also worth mentioning the flat i live in is a joint tenancy between me & my mother. I live by myself, pay the rent & pay the council tax. But everything inside belongs to her.

 

I've taken time to read some of the situations people have found themselves in & feel slightly more relaxed regarding bailiffs. But what should my first move be? Especially as i find myself fighting on two fronts!

 

I want to resolve this asap, but fear with no money till the end of the month & nothing to offer now I'm going to struggle.

 

Regards

 

Craig

Edited January 12, 2012 by craigyg

[dx100uk]

talk to the council is your best bet

 

put all you non priority bills like

 

mobile phones

credit cards

catalogues etc etc

down to £1PCM and look at reclaiming penalty fees and PPI.

 

that should release money to ensure you dont get furtyher into debt with those bills YOU MUST PAY

like CTAX and util bills.

 

as for the parking fine

i'd post on the parking forum.

 

but you will get help here on that too.

 

dx

[tomtubby]

The most important priority is the council tax and this will be NO PROBLEM AT ALL as long as you ensure that you do not have a car outside of your property and THAT YOU REFUSE TO ALLOW THE BAILIFF TO COME INT YOUR HOME.

 

Make SURE that you DO NOT ring the company but instead, WRITE A LETTER. Something along the following lines should suffice:

 

Dear Sirs

 

Reference number:

 

I am writing in connection with the above account relating to a Liability Order issued against me by xxxx for £xxxx.

 

I received an initial letter from your company yesterday to demand £298 and to advise me that this payment needs to be made by xxx. Could you please note that I will not be in a position to make payment of this amount by the time stated. Although, I am working I receive a low wage and I do not receive a salary until the end of each month. I do not have any savings or credit cards and I am unable to borrow money from family or friends.

 

Could you please be aware that I will not under any circumstances allow a bailiff from your company peaceful entry into my property. The reason for this is that at this present time, I am unable to pay the Liability Order to South Somerset Council and I am aware that if I do allow a bailiff into my home this action will incur me in additional fees and charges that I would have difficulty repaying.

 

I am not refusing to pay the Liability Order but given my low income the maximum that I can pay is £100 per month which can be paid by the end of each month and as the debt is £298, this will ensure that the debt is cleared before the start of the new council tax bill is due.

 

Finally, as a visit has not been made to my property, please confirm that NO FEES have been applied to my account.

 

Yours faithfully.

[tomtubby]

Given that you are in South Somerset, you have been issued with a Fixed Penalty instead of a Penalty Charge Notice. The reason for this is that this particular council have not elected to have parking decriminalised.

 

Personally, you could consider responding to the council to confirm that you are the person responsible for payment and you may well also want to APPEAL the ticket as well. Check to see if there are any grounds on which to appeal. An appeal would take approx 4-6 weeks to be addressed.

[craigyg]

Thanks for the template! I will get this done tonight.

 

What if they refuse any offer I make & the 14 days expires? Im presuming this is a tactic they may use to add further costs onto my account? Is it then a case of complaining to the council. & explaining I'm trying to pay but they refuse to accept an offer?

[tomtubby]

You could change the final paragrpah in the letter to say something like:

 

Finally, to ensure safe delivery, I am sending this letter to you by email and registered post and if I do not receive a response from you within 10 days of the date of this letter, I will instead make payments direct to xxx council.

[craigyg]

I've had a reply today from Ross & Roberts. As I predicted they have ignored all the issues I raised, including my offer, with what looks like an automated response. Below is the letter I sent them, followed by their email.

 

Dear Sir/Madam

 

 

I am writing regarding the above account relating to a Liability Order issued against me by South Somerset Council for the outstanding council amount of £294.98.

 

I received an initial letter from your company (10/01/2012) for the above amount, advising me that this payment needs to be made within 14 days. I wish to make you aware that I will not be in a financial position to make ANY payment of this amount by the time stated. This is because although I am working, I receive minimum wage at the end of each month, and rely entirely on my monthly salary to live as I do not have any savings or credit cards.

 

Based on my low income, the MAXIMUM payment i can make is £30 on the 28/01/2012, then £50 PER MONTH thereafter, which will be paid on the 28th of each month.

 

Please be aware that should you refuse this offer, I will not under any circumstances speak to, or allow a bailiff from your company entry into the property. The reason for this Is firstly, I am aware that if I do allow a bailiff into my home, this will incur me additional levy fees and charges that I simply cannot afford. Secondly, the contents of the property are owned by my mother, I just rent it from her. & finally, at this present time I am unable to pay the Liability Order to South Somerset Council in full.

 

For peace of mind a copy of this letter has also been sent to you by post. If I do not receive a response from you within the 14 day period, or you refuse my offer. I will then instead make payments direct to South Somerset County Council to clear the debt.

 

 

Yours Faithfully,

 

Craig Gornall

 

 

ROSS & ROBERTS REPLY:

 

 

Dear Mr C Gornall,

Thank you for your recent e-mail, your comments have been noted on our system.

Please note that while we are able to set arrangements on files, we are unable to set any arrangements within our offices, as paperwork must be signed by both yourself and the enforcement officer who is working within your area.

Should you wish to set an arrangement, if you could please contact Ms S Stiff on 07824 460 040, and she will be able to assist you further.

Please note that as we are only working on behalf of our clients at South Somerset District Council, we are unable to stop or to hold any action, unless we have been informed direct by the council.

Please note, that by sending us an e-mail, we do advise on our website that these will be replied to within 10 working days. If your query in future is urgent, please contact us on 0870 167 0707, and an advisor will be able to assist you.

Yours sincerely

Ms N Knott

Ross and Roberts Ltd

It's obvious to me the reason they claim to have no facility to make arrangements in their office is so the bailiff can visit me & add further costs.

 

Am I right in thinking ignoring them, & write to the council asking to take the debt back as they have failed to respond to my offer? I really don't want to speak to a bailiff & arrange a payment plan that I know they won't accept anyway!

 

Any guidance would be greatly appreciated!