www.iva.co.uk

the bailiffs have said they will enter my house and remove my goods,i give them £3oo off my council tax debt they lead me to believe i would then be able to pay the rest off in installments,when i rang and offered £60 pounds a month they told me i would have to find all of it or another large amount,i am on sickness benifit i also borrowed the £300 ,they told me to go back to my friends and ask them to lend me more money,i am so scared,i will not be able to eat or pay my rent if i have to find another lump sum.

So sorry you are having problems unfortunately I do not know how to deal with these people or what 'rights' they have - if any.

Hope you are okay

i am sorry to hear this have you tried talking to CAB?

http://www.citizensadvice.org.uk/

Anne ... how awful for you. Not being an expert I don't really know what advice to give you.

How much debt do you have? Do you think you would be eligible for an IVA? Could you declare yourself bankrupt if you have little in the way of assets?

Just want you to know that I am thinking of you.

Debbie

hi
Thank you fro replying,i will have to pay them,it seems the bailiffs are above the law,they seem to have more rights than the police.

Hi Anne,
So sorry to hear about your troubles - it is so stressful.I entered an IVA in April and just afterwards got a council tax bill and summons, for the next week, from an old address - I had given my fiancee my half of the money but he never paid the bill.
I offered what I could and was told it wasn't enough and they would go to court for a liability order. I was so scared any action would make me bankrupt and in deeper trouble. A call to my IVA company got it sorted. They added the bill to my IVA and sent the relevant paperwrok to the council involved. The council sent me an income and expenditure form to assess what I could afford - have you got one of those forms? If not ask for one and when it shows you can't afford it they hopefully will accept what you offer.I'm not an expert and one should be in touch from this site soon with advice.
Not sure if that helps.
Thinking of you,
Chardonnay

A bailiff has to initially gain peaceful entry to a property first. DO NOT LET THEM IN UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES.

They can only force their way in if they have issued you with what is known as a Walking Possession Agreement, where they go around the house marking goods for later repossession if you default on the agreement and do not make the payment as agreed - but they can only issue you with this agreement if they have gained a peaceful entry first. If you default on this they can come back and forcefully enter the property to remove the goods that were marked as theirs which you are looking after for them.

Please go and see the CAB about this. Bailiffs are certainly not above the law although they try to intimidate people into believing they are

Hiya Anne, try not to worry.
As it's already been said, the ballifs need to gain entry SO DO NOT ALLOW THEM IN THE HOUSE...KEEP YOUR DOORS AND WINDOWS LOCKED. If they gain peaceful entry they can enter the house anytime after that and take your possessions. You need to contact the Citizin Advice, they will help you negotiate with them to pay off the debt.

Hi Anne,

Some bailiffs are bully boys and will try any method to get you to pay up.

As the others have said, if they do turn up, DON'T LET THEM IN!. Also, make sure any windows and other doors are shut at the time because even if you refuse to let them in at the front, they can go round the back and enter through an open door or through a window.

If you type bailiffs into a search engine, there are various sites that will tell you what they can and cannot do.

In the meantime, make that call to CAB

Yes, good advice about locking doors and windows, as a peaceful entry is anyway into the property without using force. So a bailiff can walk through a open door or climb through a open window.

Hi Anne

Only a county court baliff can enter the property, if this has not been to court yet then you do not have to let them in and its illegal for them to 'gain' entry.

Council tax is a legal debt and therefore is a priority. If that baliff comes back tell him to go away. I cant help thinking the money is going straight into his back pocket. You deserve to be treated better, a court would certainly allow you to make affordable payments and not force you into more debt.

I had a council tax baliff knock my door, I told him to go away and he did. I was on benefits after losing my job and it was all sorted out. I hadnt claimed rebate, I didnt know I should, first time on benefits, etc. It scared the living hell out of me, so I know what your going through.

You need to sort this out directly with the council you owe the money to, phone them and explain whats happening, this baliff is preying on your fear. Dont give up, stay on the phone until you get this sorted out. What is happening to you here is just plain wrong.

Check out the website Bailif advice online. That has a piece to do with council tax arrears or there are questions about them on the insolvencyhelpline, also on the web.