Jacobs and 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'm also not sure if i am liable for the entire amount from Durham County Council,

i have a feeling they have charged for a period after it was reprocessed but i do not have any concrete date evidence

(i've moved about a lot since the house went and have lost records).

 

 

I'm thinking i should also write to Durham Council to confirm ?

 

 

Should I notify the baliff that i am writing to confirm the debt?

 

 

Will this delay things?

 

Thanks for all your help (hopefully!)

 

Roo

[Bailiff Advice]

If the bailiff is unable to get your permission to gain entry into the house and unable to seize goods outside, he will be more willing to accept a payment arrangement. The one that you have outlined above is a very sensible proposal indeed.

 

As to whether or not you are liable for the full council tax or not, the legal position is that council tax is a joint debt between you and your ex partner and the council can take enforcement proceedings against either one of you. Possibly it has proven easier to trace you as opposed to your ex.

 

If the bailiff is not answering his phone then I would suggest that you send a TEXT message outlining your payment proposal. I have had so many enquiries today that it is crazy and most worryingly, is that almost all of them are stating that the bailiff will only insist on full payment. Being so soon after the Christmas period it is very difficult indeed. At least in your case you are willing to repay the debt is a very reasonable period of time.

 

PS: You have mentioned that you have a large car trailer transporter outside of the house. I would hazard a guess that this item could be an attractive asset for a bailiff to seize.

[pipparoouk]

Thank you for your response - I've since contacted Durham Council about paying them direct but they are not interested. I've confirmed I am liable for the whole amount £761 - but the bailiffs are wanting £1100 (fees i presume).

 

I think I shall try and move things tonight to get as little as possible available to be seized ready for the dreaded return.

 

I have been reading online about writing to the council and requesting i deal with them direct if they do not accept my payment offer - i'm not sure how successful i will be though, as when i asked on the phone earlier they said I had to deal with Jacobs direct (this seems to differ from information ive read on here/other forums though)

 

Thanks again

[Bailiff Advice]

Paying the council direct is fraught with difficulties and is highlighted in detail on the following page :

 

http://www.consumeractiongroup.co.uk/forum/showthread.php?457905-Jacobs-and-Council-Tax-Debt(4-Viewing)-nbsp

 

The debt will have increased by way of the enforcement companies Compliance Fee of £75 and the one fee Enforcement Fee of £235.

 

What the council can do, is that if you encounter difficulty getting the very sensible payment proposal accepted, the council can intervene by contacting Jacobs (who are all are THEIR agents !!).

[mikeymack2002]

Can you prove when you ere evicted? Because once you were evicted you should have made a change of circumstances to the LA. If you had done so you may have not been liable for the remaining part of your bill. Even now you may be able to do this as long as you take the proofs with you and get them copied at the Council offices.

 

The fact you missed this detail could save you a lot of money, so get there asap and you may be able to get the clock turned back so to speak. Because all of the mail would have gone to your old address unless you had a mail redirection in place. Thinking out loud here that's all.... Nothing to lose much to save!!! No one has actually asked you yet is this for this years bill?

 

Also you can go back to the people you were paying either rent or Mortgage to and ask for a copy of the repossession order. Then add this to your change of circumstances form.... I hope this helps.... Make sure you get a receipt from the LA that you gave them new information...

 

If asked why you didn't do this earlier the simple answer is it went to the wrong address...

 

 

[Bailiff Advice]

Can you prove when you ere evicted? Because once you were evicted you should have made a change of circumstances to the LA. If you had done so you may have not been liable for the remaining part of your bill. Even now you may be able to do this as long as you take the proofs with you and get them copied at the Council offices.

 

To answer your query, he was actually not evicted but moved out voluntarily before the property had been repossessed. He is aware that he is liable for some council tax and is making enquiries regarding this with the council. Hopefully there may be some reduction.

[Louloo]

A bit of advice to anyone dealing with Jacobs, it all depends on who you talk to, if you don't get anywhere with them, call again the next day, some of them can be quite nasty and unhelpful and others are quite the opposite, I've done this twice and got everything sorted out on my 2nd call