Bailiff request for information

[ByeGermsByeWorries]

I have received a letter from bailiffs namely Bristow and Sutor for outstanding council tax from a property I shared with my ex. I was sure it had all been cleared but it appears this was massively overlooked as it was for a property we shared nearly 10 years ago!

I am currently on a low income as we are nursing a fledgling business.

In order to agree a payment plan, they have requested evidence of income/outgoings which is fine.

They have also requested details of whether my home is rented, whether it is furnished or unfurnished, which I'm happy to fill in, but then it asks the landlords name, address and contact number.

I don't really want them contacting my landlord as the debt is nothing to do with this property, so I can't really see what it has to do with my landlord. All the bills for this property are up to date.

Do I have to provide this information or can I just ignore that part of the form and provide the rest?

It will be to confirm that the property is indeed rented. You are best providing it and trying to get it paid as soon as possible. I have seen what happens if it goes unpaid. It goes to court, they tell you what to pay. If you don't keep up with the repayments they will then send you a letter telling you to pay up in full within 14 days or face jail.

Have you acknowledged the debt? Isn't it time barred if it's more than 6 years old?

If I were you, I would not contact the bailiffs, but would get in touch with the council directly. If you were to agree a payment plan, how much do you think you could afford to pay?

Statute barred doesn't apply to council tax debt. It is not credit.
It is likely this has already been to court. Have you checked your credit file to see if you have a ccj against you?

I think the position on statute barring differs depending whether you're in England & Wales or Scotland. In Scotland, they've got 20 years but in E&W the council cannot go to court for a liability order if it's been more than 6 years since the council tax became due.

www.nationaldebtline.org/EW/factsheets/Pages/time-limits-for-recovering-debts/statute-barred-debt.aspx

No ccj no, I've returned the questionnaire with an offer of payment and just left the landlords part blank now.