Chandlers unpaid council tax

[Rebecca H]

Hi there

 

I am posting on behalf of my daughter who is a student in London

 

"I am a student living in London - in wandsworth council - with two other students.

 

 

Therefore we are exempt from paying council tax.

When we first got our council tax bill we sent off our exemption forms.

Never heard anything so assumed was all sorted.

 

 

Months later, we received a reminder,

I tried to call the council to say we had sent off forms,

could not speak to an actual human being no matter what options i pressed.

Gave up as read on a forum that they sometimes send a bill anyway (stupid mistake of mine in hindsight).

 

 

We then got a final notice letter,

I again tried to ring up, couldn't speak to anyone, sent an email.

Never heard back.

 

 

A few days later we got a letter from chandlers debt collectors - all escalated very quickly.

If I am honest I think my flatmate, who is foreign and doesn't speak a lot of english

therefore we rarely communicate with her, might of being opening the letters and not understanding them

and therefore disregarding them, as we have recently discovered she also did it with the electricity bill!!.

 

 

Chandlers were due to come and collect on the 27/3/15 according to the letter,

 

 

last wednesday, 18/3/15, i rang the council again, could not get through, scoured their website,

they said their calling functions weren't working and to email,

emailed and got an automated response saying someone would get back to me in 10 working days.

 

 

All i want to do is speak to someone to explain that we are students and sent our expemption forms off

and what we need to do to make sure they get to the right place next time.

 

 

Then today i came home to a letter from the bailiffs,

they had been around to collect,

nobody was in,

stated that they would return again

and if we ignore the notice they would get a magistrates court order to collect in our absence.

 

 

I immdiately rang chandlers, they were unhelpful and said there was nothing they could do as it is just an order they get.

 

 

I then rang citizens advice and they said to pay the debt and they try and claim the money back off the council by proving we are exempt.

Which seems ridiculous as we don't owe it in the first place.

 

 

We are all hard working students and don't even have anything of value apart from my laptop for them to collect,

we don't have a TV, car or anything! Fridge etc belongs to the landlords.

 

 

My plan is to go into the actual council on wednesday (earliest i can do it due to work)

and try and explain, but not sure what else to do as chandlers said they would be calling again tomorrow

and we are all very worried!!!

 

any help or advice I would be so grateful for!!

 

thank you!

[dx100uk]

all you need to do is to produce proof to the bailiff that you are all exempt.

 

 

don't forget, regardless to what they say

they CANNOT force entry

and certainly wont ever get an order to force entry.

 

 

get down to the council ASAP.

 

 

dx

[i hate bailiffs]

No right of entry no locksmith

As your attempts to deal with the council have failed

You could do a formal complaint copying in your local councillors and local MP ( in writing)

that will get a rapid result on this

[Bailiff Advice]

Hi there

 

I am posting on behalf of my daughter who is a student in London

 

"I am a student living in London - in wandsworth council - with two other students. Therefore we are exempt from paying council tax.

When we first got our council tax bill we sent off our exemption forms. Never heard anything so assumed was all sorted.

 

 

Months later, we received a reminder, I tried to call the council to say we had sent off forms, could not speak to an actual human being no matter what options i pressed.

Gave up as read on a forum that they sometimes send a bill anyway (stupid mistake of mine in hindsight). We then got a final notice letter,

I again tried to ring up, couldn't speak to anyone, sent an email. Never heard back.

 

A few days later we got a letter from chandlers debt collectors - all escalated very quickly. If I am honest I think my flatmate, who is foreign and doesn't speak a lot of english therefore we rarely communicate with her, might of being opening the letters and not understanding them and therefore disregarding them, as we have recently discovered she also did it with the electricity bill!!.

 

Chandlers were due to come and collect on the 27/3/15 according to the letter, last wednesday, 18/3/15, i rang the council again, could not get through, scoured their website, they said their calling functions weren't working and to email, emailed and got an automated response saying someone would get back to me in 10 working days.

 

All i want to do is speak to someone to explain that we are students and sent our expemption forms off and what we need to do to make sure they get to the right place next time.

 

Then today i came home to a letter from the bailiffs they had been around to collect, nobody was in, stated that they would return again and if we ignore the notice they would get a magistrates court order to collect in our absence.

 

I immdiately rang chandlers, they were unhelpful and said there was nothing they could do as it is just an order they get.

 

I then rang citizens advice and they said to pay the debt and they try and claim the money back off the council by proving we are exempt. Which seems ridiculous as we don't owe it in the first place.

 

We are all hard working students and don't even have anything of value apart from my laptop for them to collect, we don't have a TV, car or anything! Fridge etc belongs to the landlords.

 

My plan is to go into the actual council on wednesday (earliest i can do it due to work) and try and explain, but not sure what else to do as chandlers said they would be calling again tomorrow and we are all very worried!!!

 

any help or advice I would be so grateful for!!

 

thank you!

 

I have realigned your post to make it easier to read.

[Bailiff Advice]

What your daughter needs to do is to visit the council and explain what has happened. She will very likely need to get a duplicate exemption form from the University but this is a very common situation so she should not encounter a problem.

 

There is a misconception that students do not have to pay council tax. The exemption only applies for term time and NOT for holiday periods (such as summer, easter, christmas etc).

 

How much is the debt that Chandlers are seeking to enforce?

 

Before getting to the stage of a bailiff visit there would have been two reminders letters from the council followed by a summons and then notification of a Liability Order. The flatmates need to ensure in future that correspondence is not discarded.

[fletch70]

What your daughter needs to do is to visit the council and explain what has happened. She will very likely need to get a duplicate exemption form from the University but this is a very common situation so she should not encounter a problem.

 

There is a misconception that students do not have to pay council tax. The exemption only applies for term time and NOT for holiday periods (such as summer, easter, christmas etc).

 

 

B.A. I am afraid that you are wrong on here. I am a student and live alone and am exempt from Council tax until my course finishes , holidays, summer etc

https://www.gov.uk/council-tax/discounts-for-full-time-students

 

Remember that study does not have to be contact time i e time in lectures, it needs to be the time you are expected to study. I have 17 hours contact time a week and probably at least that again as study time

 

What the OP needs is a duplicate certificate of registration I think it is called, I will check it out in the morning and confirm what mine is called. Send that off to the council

 

On a separate note if the OP lives in a house of multiple occupancy it is exempt , I believe that if eaxh bedroom has a lock on the door then that is one of the definitions

Edited March 24, 2015 by fletch70

[fletch70]

Just need to check, are the only people living in the property full time students?

 

If not would it be classed as a house of multiple occupancy

[Bailiff Advice]

B.A. I am afraid that you are wrong on here. I am a student and live alone and am exempt from Council tax until my course finishes , holidays, summer etc

https://www.gov.uk/council-tax/discounts-for-full-time-students

 

Remember that study does not have to be contact time i e time in lectures, it needs to be the time you are expected to study. I have 17 hours contact time a week and probably at least that again as study time

 

What the OP needs is a duplicate certificate of registration I think it is called, I will check it out in the morning and confirm what mine is called. Send that off to the council

 

On a separate note if the OP lives in a house of multiple occupancy it is exempt , I believe that if eaxh bedroom has a lock on the door then that is one of the definitions

 

Thank you Fletch for correcting me.

[fletch70]

NP B.A.

I would PM but sadly I can't

 

I have just checked and the letter my council needed was a "student status letter" It is also called a letter of enrolment

 

Student finance gets increasingly complicated especially for us old farts

[Rebecca H]

Thank you for all the advice

 

I am currently waiting at Wandsworth council to speak to someone. I have already seen someone briefly and they have said once it is sent to a baliff there is nothing that can be done. Which seems nuts, we don't Have the money to pay it!

[Bailiff Advice]

Thank you for all the advice

 

I am currently waiting at Wandsworth council to speak to someone. I have already seen someone briefly and they have said once it is sent to a bailiff there is nothing that can be done. Which seems nuts, we don't Have the money to pay it!

 

This is a dreadful response from the council and if this continues then your daughter has grounds for a serious complaint. The bailiff is simply an agent for the council and the council are wholly responsible for the debt and the way that it is enforced.

[brassnecked]

Formal complaint to CEO, and head of Revenues copied to Elected Leader, quoting the response"I am currently waiting at Wandsworth council to speak to someone. I have already seen someone briefly and they have said once it is sent to a bailiff there is nothing that can be done." point out in the complaint that the council has lost your original exemption paperwork, the contact system is fatally flawed and it is appalling that it has been sent to bailiffs to collect a debt that legally should not have arisen.