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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To ignore bailiff

135 replies

Thebrowntrout · 15/04/2016 19:31

Anyone got any experience of this, I have bailiffs coming round for unpaid council tax and I don't owe it.

I'm waiting for it to be referred back to council, does anyone know how long this normally takes?

OP posts:
Tequilamockinbird · 15/04/2016 19:59

X-posted. Go into the council offices with your £80 and tell them you will clear the debt. If they refuse to take the money, ask them to put it in writing. That way if it does go to court, it'll look bad on them that they didn't accept your offer.

trufflehunterthebadger · 15/04/2016 20:00

Remember, no matter what they say they CAN'T FORCE ENTRY

i believe that bailiffs acting obo council tax and hmrc matters can force entry actually.

Buckinbronco · 15/04/2016 20:01

Bailiffs with a council tax recovery court order can legally obtain entry to recover goods. They might need to police to enforce it, but if they've been to court that's what they did it for

Buckinbronco · 15/04/2016 20:01

That's why it doesn't seem as though they have one truffle

Tequilamockinbird · 15/04/2016 20:01

It's about 8 years ago since I had almost this exact problem. That's exactly what I did. They refused to take the money until I asked for a letter from them stating that I'd offered to settle the debt in cash and they'd refused it. A manager was called, he took the cash and stood the bailiffs down.

Things may have changed since then, but it's worth a try.

TheWeeBabySeamus1 · 15/04/2016 20:04

I've had this before, took a while but bailiffs got fed up with me not answering the door and sent it back to the council tax - they didn't remove the bailiff fees, court fees and charges though, but they did allow me to set up a payment plan ( which the bailiffs refused )

wheresthel1ght · 15/04/2016 20:04

The only way an £80 overdue payment gets to the £1k mark is if you have repeatedly ignored the letters from the council asking you to contact them to arrange payment.

They have then passed the debt on and for their to be bailiffs fees etc then you have clearly ignored their contact with you also.

Yabvu. You shouldn't have ignored it

GabiSolis · 15/04/2016 20:05

You need to be really careful here OP. I think bailiffs sent by the council do have some rights that others don't (not 100% sure with how this works though so you may want to do some research).

How did the council mess up? Not doubting it but just trying to understand how it got to this stage. Are they accepting this is their fault?

Ciggaretteandsmirnoff · 15/04/2016 20:06

Op this is what I did with advice off here.

Never engaged with baliffs or opened door.

Emailed council and said I was in a better financial situation and could start repayments - they said all or nothing

Emailed again and said I would save the money and wouldn't deal with the bailiffs

Bailiffs sent letter saying it could go to court (they referred back to council)

Emailed council once again offering monthly instalments offer got accepted

I was told of I judge seen I had continuously tried to pay debt back and saved money up that he would take a dim view of council and I was prepared to go to court.

But normally if you can pay original debt off all at once through council they will normally accept it

witsender · 15/04/2016 20:06

But if you have allowed it to get to the stage that outsiders (bailiffs etc) are involved then you are responsible for the costs they incur. So yes, they may get fed up and pass it back to the Council but their activities have costed, so you will still be responsible for those costs. It will still be more than £80. How long did it take for it to get from 80 to 1000? It must have been ignored for a fair while...

Ciggaretteandsmirnoff · 15/04/2016 20:07

My council tax bill was for nearly £2000 raised to £3000 by bailiffs

AliceInUnderpants · 15/04/2016 20:09

I owe the £80, nothing else.

YABU. Presumably for the debt to now be c. £1k, you have been burying your head in the sand and ignored correspondence. They will have incurred costs because of this, which you are obliged to pay them for, as per your agreement with the council.

Tequilamockinbird · 15/04/2016 20:10

Yes, I also had to pay bailiffs fees direct to the bailiffs. But, only legal fees. They had added a lot of illegal fees on which I told them I wasn't paying. There is a set amount that they can legally charge for each visit to your house, I can't remember how much it is/was but you should be able to find out by googling. They will try and add all sorts of illegal fees on.

I think I paid them about £100 and they had originally wanted about 7 or 8 times that Shock

Ciggaretteandsmirnoff · 15/04/2016 20:10

Ignore wit you do not have to open the door to them or pay for there fucking costs.

I had one post a letter saying he had called and I wasn't in. He didn't even knock! Added on £80 for not even knocking. Angry however- if you open the door to these fuckers you lose all your rights.

wheresthel1ght · 15/04/2016 20:12

Bailiffs are doing a job because you failed to pay for something you were supposed to, ignored it to the point it was passed over to a debt collection company.

They are doing their job because you didn't pay when you were meant to. That is on you not them

AliceInUnderpants · 15/04/2016 20:15

"these fuckers"?

You owed £2k of council tax, and "these fuckers" were doing their job.

Original poster
Thebrowntrout · 15/04/2016 20:16

I can assure you I am actually in the right here and have not been burying my head in the sand.

CAB told me 'do not let them in, it will be referred back to the council.'

I'm just wondering how long that will take as it's very nerve-wracking for me.

OP posts:
witsender · 15/04/2016 20:16

I never said she would open the door and certainly wouldn't. What I said was that I wouldn't be surprised if when it goes back to the Council that it was still the higher amount.

Original poster
Thebrowntrout · 15/04/2016 20:17

Sigh. No, Alice, I owed £80.

I asked 'do I owe anything else' they cheerfully said no, and that was four years ago.

In the last year suddenly it's apparently a pressing concern Hmm

OP posts:
Original poster
Thebrowntrout · 15/04/2016 20:18

Well that's not what CAB said wits but I guess time will tell.

OP posts:
ghostyslovesheep · 15/04/2016 20:18

I think you shouldn't ignore it at all

I'm not sure what's happened but you don't go from owing £80 to bailiffs without a few steps in between including court - where you could pay the £80 and have done with it - I've been there

If you owe the money it needs paying - if you have missed court you will also need to pay recovery costs - including bailiff fees

You need to talk to them and work out how to pay

Standingonmytippytoes · 15/04/2016 20:18

Why didn't you pay it 4 years ago then!

ghostyslovesheep · 15/04/2016 20:20

4 YEARS ago you owed £80 - did you pay it then? - I'm confused!

AgathaMystery · 15/04/2016 20:21

Have been in your position. Bailiffs round for non payment of council tax. Whilst I was a full time student & had of course handed all paperwork in to council. Hmm

I represented myself at the magistrates court. It was thrown out in the pre meeting before you even get to the magistrates. Council lawyer was apologetic & embarassed.