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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

to be freaking out right now?

118 replies

extremepie · 14/11/2011 11:16

I've just received about 6 letters from the council asking me to pay back council tax which I owe.

Fair enough, I didn't pay it at the time and I do technically owe them money but these letters are for every property we lived in dating back to 2006! Why now all of a sudden are they on my case asking for the money back after 5 years?!

Also, I have no idea how much I owe as every single letter is for a different amount!

We currently have no income, other than benefits, as I am a full-time student and my husband is a carer for our autistic son so there is no way we can pay the money back.

Have also had a letter from a bailiff saying that in the next week they will be coming round to remove goods to pay for it - I don't think even if they take everything we own is would cover the amount!

What do I do?!

Help!!

OP posts:
aldiwhore · 14/11/2011 11:17

It sounds a bit suspect... usually there would be a court order first, offers of payment plans etc., you mustn't sit on this though. Ring the council. Now.

slavetofilofax · 14/11/2011 11:17

Contact CAB, and pay what you owe. If you can't pay what you owe, then you should go bankrupt.

belledechocchipcookie · 14/11/2011 11:22

You need to go to the CAB, they will sort all of this out for you. Council's are trying to recoup as much money as they can, they are all broke. I've read details in the newspaper of people being taken to court by their council because they owe 1p!

They have to send you a bill, then a reminder, then a summonds to attend court before they can send a bailiff. If you've not received any of these then the warrant is invalid. Do check with the CAB for this though. You can make an arrangement with the council to pay in installments. Should a bailiff come to your house you must not let them in, they will make an inventory of the items in your home if you do and this will enable them to sieze goods. Keep your windows and doors closed. You really should go to the CAB or just call the council up and arrange to pay in installments. They are usually OK with this. Check the letters carefully, look at the dates as the different amounts may be from different dates. Hope this helps, try not to worry.

TroublesomeEx · 14/11/2011 11:23

Contact them, explain that the amounts are different and that you are not sure what your debt to them is.

And then pay it.

Like you should have done in the first place.

aldiwhore · 14/11/2011 11:23

A baliff also has to abide by certain rules. They can't take everything.

If you have a court order to pay then you can pay it off bit by bit (you can't do this before a court order) - there should be no reason to declare yourself bankrupt, if you can afford £5 a week.

We did this about 10 years ago, so it may have changed. As you've moved house and the debt is from a long time ago things may be different. But you MUST act. Don't be afraid. You owe that money now, and you'll still owe it when you get off the phone, but the ball will then be rolling to enable you to pay what you can afford.

belledechocchipcookie · 14/11/2011 11:24

Going bankrupt is a bit extreme slavetofilofax. This should be avoided at all costs, it's usually the last option when all others have been exhausted. You don't need to do this OP, just call them and pay in installments. Work out how much you can afford first though.

squeakytoy · 14/11/2011 11:24

If you owe it, you need to contact them and try to arrange something to sort it out. Council Tax are the ones you really do need to pay, as they will forever chase you, will prosecute, will send bailiffs round, and will not give up.

Original poster
extremepie · 14/11/2011 11:29

As I stated, I can't afford to pay what I owe!

Obviously I don't want them to take all my stuff to pay for it either :(

I couldn't afford to pay it at the time either (hence why I owe it) and my financial state has not improved much since that time.

I know this will probably make me sound a bit stupid but how exactly does bankruptcy (?) work? We have no assets to speak of, don't own our home or drive a car, would that make a difference?

OP posts:
Forrestgump · 14/11/2011 11:29

Definatly ring them, we have had hassles with our local council over rental properties, Properties we had actually sold, yet bailiffs arrived at our door, No previous correspondence at all!! thankfully we proved to them there and then we didn't own the property at the time of the bill but it was still a horrid thing to go through.

By the looks of it your head has been buried in the sand since 2006, the debt has probably been passed on to a debt collector agency, and they are now on your case.

A visit to cab is defiantly in order to try to come to some sort of agreement with the council over what you owe.

belledechocchipcookie · 14/11/2011 11:32

You won't necessarily have to pay it all in one go, just work out how much you can afford per week/month and offer them that. If you're a student then you can apply to the uni for the access to learning fund, they will be able to help. You don't need to go bankrupt, you do need advice though.

Forrestgump · 14/11/2011 11:32

If you are receiving only benefits I think the council can take a figure from that Before it hits your bank account - I know that works in the case of employed people where the council tax is taken from their salary from their employer.

Do you have any other debt other than the council tax?

TroublesomeEx · 14/11/2011 11:32

Well everyone else has to manage to pay CT and many other people can't afford/don't feel that they can afford to pay for it either. It's certainly a whacking chunk out of our monthly budget.

You don't really have a choice unless you are happy to go bankrupt and let everyone else pay your CT instead.

umadoopaloop · 14/11/2011 11:32

As I stated, I can't afford to pay what I owe!

Why have you not taken control of this situation before now?

You need to get to grips with what's happening if it's progressed to the stage where they're talking about bailiffs.

Go to the CAB, stop burying your head in the sand, and post on Money Saving Expert's debt advice forum - 3 simple steps.

Whatever you do, you need to start dealing with this.

TroublesomeEx · 14/11/2011 11:34

If you're currently a student, have you registered as such with your council? You will get a reduction for that.

Sounds like you've not bothered to pay it for all these years and have moved around and assumed you've got away with it. Well you have until now. But now you have to do what everyone else does.

umadoopaloop · 14/11/2011 11:34

Also ensure that you're getting any discount you're entitled to. If your DH is a carer, and you are a student, and there's just your DC, you may be entitled to a reduced council tax bill.

You should have got your uni/college to sign this off every year (at the start of the academic year). I don't know if they will backdate the discount, but it's worth asking.

fuzzypeach1750 · 14/11/2011 11:35

Maybe you should have sorted this out ages ago. Yes its scary but it's called being a responsible adult/parent.

TroublesomeEx · 14/11/2011 11:39

Why now all of a sudden are they on my case asking for the money back after 5 years?!

Erm, because you owe it. Presumably you've benefited from the services provided by CT over the past 5 years? Education, health, street lights, bin collections, Police, etc. Why shouldn't you have to pay for it if everyone else does?

Fuzzypeach is right, it is called being a responsible adult/parent. It sounds like you need to grow up a bit!

Original poster
extremepie · 14/11/2011 11:41

Its not that I just didn't feel like paying it - at one point me, my husband and my 2 children were having to live on £90 a week, there was literally nothing to spare to pay it.

Unfortunately I'm not at uni, I'm at college :)

I do have debt other than this, not massive but enough that I can't pay it all and still have money to live on.

I think there probably is an element of burying my head in the sand but it could also me due to the fact that we have moved 5 times in 5 years (not out of choice!) So most likely future correspondance would have been missed/sent to the wrong address!

As far as I'm aware we have no received any court orders or summons, anything like that.

Would a debt relief order cover council tax debt?

You're right Belle, I do need advice. What I don't need is people having a go at me for not being able to afford to pay my bills. Not exactly helpful!

OP posts:
HellonHeels · 14/11/2011 11:41

I think council tax debts do not 'expire' or become unenforceable over time which is why the council can take action to make you pay money owing from such a long way back.

Council tax is a priority for payment as you can (ultimately) be imprisoned for non-payment. Payment priorities should be mortgage/rent, utilities, council tax - these need to be paid before any other bills.

If you've been on benefits at any point where the council tax is owing you may not have had to pay it.

You can get immediate help and advice from the Debt free wannabe forum on www.moneysavingexpert.com

NinkyNonker · 14/11/2011 11:43

You really don't want to go bankrupt. Call them, establish the facts and start negotiating a payment plan. Use the CAB if necessary.

And then stick to the payment plan! You owe it, so it has to be paid somehow, bankruptcy is massive and not to be taken lightly.

2BoysTooLoud · 14/11/2011 11:44

Hi op,
Hope you have contacted CAB. As others have said- try not to panic but get the ball rolling re sorting things out.
[There are other less extreme steps before 'bankrupt' route. CAB will help I am sure].
Make a phone call to CAB or pop into office to make an appointment - take the letters with you.
Good luck.

TroublesomeEx · 14/11/2011 11:45

I don't think anyone is having a go at you for not being able to afford to pay, but the fact that you were quite happy in thinking you'd got away with it for 5 years and have come on here expecting sympathy for the fact they've caught up with you.

If you are at college full time, do you not qualify for a reduction? Have you checked?

Have you not had your post redirected when you moved? Did you not inform your LA? When you weren't getting bills or whatever and you knew you weren't paying did you not phone them and tell them?

It can't be a surprise.

Callisto · 14/11/2011 11:45

Why don't you get a job?

belledechocchipcookie · 14/11/2011 11:45

Shit happens extreme, I used to work in the CAB many moons ago so have seen a fair few people in your position. As I said, sit and work out what's coming in and what's going out and offer what you can afford to pay. They don't want to take you to court and are usually happy for people to pay it off in installments. A few questions though, were you claiming housing and council tax benefit at the time? Were you singe? (there's a discount) Were you a full time student?

quietlyafraid · 14/11/2011 11:45

Right first up stop panicking.

Second up, is this for the FULL value of the council tax or do you already have a discount? You haven't said in your post. It should say on the bills.

You may qualify for a discount if you don't already have one - you should get at least 25%:
www.direct.gov.uk/en/EducationAndLearning/UniversityAndHigherEducation/LifeAtUniversityOrCollege/DG_071488

You should also look at this:
www.direct.gov.uk/en/HomeAndCommunity/YourlocalcouncilandCouncilTax/CouncilTax/DG_10037280

You do need to stop burying your head in the sand about this though. 6 letters don't just all suddenly appear. And if they are chasing you for several years the chances are if you talk to them, you can alternative discuss payment options.