Yorkshire Water - MCOL for year

[stormski]

Hi,

Been an avid viewer of the forums for some time as it gives fantastic advice...

 

Here's the story anyway...

My girlfriend has had a MCOL from yorkshire water for the whole year ( we're not on a meter ).

..because we both started on JSA and couldn't pay it for 2 months as we were waiting for the claim to go through...

 

As we were a couple of months late..

..( due to just trying to keep the lights on )

they went straight down the court route...

 

Claim is for £265

Solicitors £50

Court Fee £15

 

Now....i've acknowledged service for her ( it's in her name only as it's her house )....

 

Now my next step is...i have to fill in the form before the 28 days is up offering how much to pay...

 

Council tax arrears are only taking £3.50 a week ( as we didn't claim until we were really desperate as my work went pete tong ) out of the benefits...

 

So my real questions are...

 

1) How much do i offer on the form to send to yorkshire water?

 

2) No way on earth can we pay the whole lot...so looks like she'll get a CCJ...( she's not bothered as she doesn't want credit ).

 

3) She owns her house outright.......implications....

 

4) Generally any other advice you can give...

 

I realise we're going to have to admit the claim....more of a what to do next.

 

( We're not into the last 14 days yet...first 14 days passing soon )

 

So advice appreciated...seems very harsh...to kill someones credit...for 6 years..for 2 months...when money has been none existant.

 

Regards,

Stormski

 

PS: We haven't got a phone ( and use a friends internet )

[citizenB]

Have you completed a budget sheet so you know what disposable income you have ?

 

I have attached one below for you.

 

Ideally you should be giving a percentage of your disposable income to each of your creditors after all priority debts are accounted for.

 

You might want to have a word with National Debtline who will be able to help you work out your figures more accurately.

 

 

Ellens Budget Sheet.xls

[stormski]

Hi CitizenB,

 

No...haven't filled that one in...will do it tomorrow....

 

I'm more worried about the house....as although she owns it ( i am not on deeds )...i did put a substantial amount of money on doing up the gardens etc... ( all my money not hers ).

 

Regards,

Stormski

 

EDIT: We do have a solicitors agreement that anything i spend on house is still mine...for my own interests...

Edited August 23, 2012 by stormski

[dx100uk]

IMHO

 

and only MINE

 

i think you need to contest the claim.

 

water is NOT a priority bill like other util bills.

 

although 'their' T&C's [which are not the law]

 

indicate you must pay your water bill in one or two lump sums.

 

there is NOTHING to stop you writing to them and stating you will be paying in

10 or 12 monthly payments.

 

IMHO you should offer to pay the arrears now and then£ XX PCM for the rest until march [or when ever the year ends with them] next year.

 

that wil make them look like pratts in court.

 

and they'll prob drop the case

 

dx

[kjun]

Firstly and again this is only my opinion believing water not to be a priority debt is not a defence that the court is likely to accept.

 

Water charges are payable under statute and the WIA allows Water Companies to raise a charges scheme.

 

If you have not agreed instalments upon recipt of the bill or made payment for the first 6 months the whole bill is payable in full.

 

Should you file an admission to the claim a judgment will be entered and as for an amount offer what you can reasonably afford to pay and the water company will accept this I am sure.

 

As for your property I would think it's highly unlikey they would apply for a charging order against it for such a small debt.

 

Finally as for water(and more importantly waste water) not being a priority debt visiting places in India would change persons minds I am sure where most rivers are super size cesspools due to not having a proper sewer system nice thought

[dx100uk]

i wasnt saying it was a defence.

 

dx

[stormski]

Hi,

 

Thanks for the replies...

 

Going to fill out the ellens budget sheet this weekend and work out what is left.

 

Pretty sure there won't be a lot but i do want to pay this off...so will probably offer £20 every 2 weeks ( after JSA comes in this will pay normal bill plus £10 arrears ).

 

As i said before my girlfriend isn't bothered about a CCJ as Halifax has already assassinated her CRA wise.

 

We're going to admit the claim but i'm a bit hacked off the way they went down the court route so quickly so they can add another £50 to the bill thus wiping out the payments ( we were on monthly already ) that we've already made.

 

On a side note...we owe £68 to BT so i'm just going to set up a standing order for £1 a month until we get back on our feet ( they cut us off ).

 

I presume this is ok....won't ever deal with moorcrap who are trying to add £12 per letter ( fleecers ).

 

My girlfriend is pretty happy that i deal with everything...she's shy and if she had to deal with this on her own..it would break her.

 

Regards,

Stormski

[duckwaddler]

DX is correct that water is not a priority bill, I know people who just don't pay it at all, there's not really a lot they can do unless you have a water meter - which is why even most MP's are against them - now I'm not saying for one moment to deliberately shirk any bill, but don't lose sleep over it.

 

My experience, and it was with Yorkshire water also, was I have been on a monthly payment scheme for as long as I can remember, each year I receive a letter with my new monthly payments for the year ahead usually, and almost always have a couple of weeks were I don't have to pay any, from around April to May, it all depends, as I usually round up the payment, so if it's £13.50, I pay £15, so it mounts up giving me a couple of weeks payment free.

 

Two years ago I'd not received a letter, so I telephoned them - big mistake! I was told I was in credit, and didn't need to pay my first payment till the second week in June, I was told how much for that payment, then how much for each payment thereafter - I wrote it down as I was on the telephone, on my calendar.

 

I paid my first payment, then I received a letter telling me I was behind by around £38, and that they wanted it paying immediately, in full, so I just carried on paying each fortnight, then around a month later I got another letter telling me they were taking me to court!

 

I telephoned them to see what was going on, and it turned out I was given the wrong information, they said they didn't have the recording of the telephone call (which is why I record ALL my calls now), and that I either pay it in full or there will be a court date set.

 

I knew I'd done no wrong so just carried on paying, the court date came and went (in Northampton none the less), and the next thing I had a letter asking for the full amount and an array of court costs!

 

A bailiff them came out, who was lovely - and when I showed him that I always pay on time, and more often than not it's more than I am supposed to pay, but due to misinformation I started paying late - he told me that Yorkshire water are renowned for heavy handed haste with people who are late paying, he also told me he had no intention of taking any goods from my home.

 

He then advised me to just keep on paying, as he agreed it is ludicrous to take anyone to court who is paying something on a payment plan, and who is still continuing with the payment plan.

 

I still had several letters from Yorkshire water that I ignored - and a year later I received a letter with my new payment plan, and an extra "footnote" basically saying that "seeing as how I had kept up regular payments they were prepared to allow me to just carry on till I'd paid the original £38 that I was late paying"

 

What a complete waste of time and money!

 

If you ask me, they rely on people who panic - there was a time I would have done, as I am very strict when it comes to paying my bills, but now I think ah whatever, I know I pay my bills, it's your fault, so you'll wait