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Hi!
I hope this is posted in the right forum. Technically it relates to council tax but now it is purely a DCA/Bailiff question.
When we moved out of our family home, we rented it out until we decided what to do with it, it is still rented out now (at a loss on a monthly basis)
Between tenants there was a bill for council tax for the period when the property was empty which was very low (less than £60) and genuinely unknown to me, the council took it to court. I found out after the court hearing and paid the council plus court costs. I rang the council and asked why a bill hadn't been sent, they were very unhelpful and said one was sent, but not to the house because "we don't send council tax bills to empty houses" so it was sent to the last address that they had for me, a business premises that I don't now live at and very rarely have anything to do with. I paid the council tax and court fees and said I wasn't prepared to pay the bailiffs ( who got involved apparently immediately after the court case). The council said they couldn't say for definite, but the collection agency "would probably drop it".
These fees were £75 but I didn't want to pay because I thought it was poorly handled and out of proportion. The collection agency didn't drop it. The letters kept coming and apparently yesterday they left a hand written letter at the business premises, even though I wasn't there and don't live there, claiming even more costs, about £300.
Can anybody please advise where I stand legally. I don't own any personal stuff there but technically I do have interest in the stock at the business premises. The debt was a very small one for council tax and not business rates, and the only "debt" left is collection agency costs (originally £75)
Thanks and best wishes
I hope this is posted in the right forum. Technically it relates to council tax but now it is purely a DCA/Bailiff question.
When we moved out of our family home, we rented it out until we decided what to do with it, it is still rented out now (at a loss on a monthly basis)
Between tenants there was a bill for council tax for the period when the property was empty which was very low (less than £60) and genuinely unknown to me, the council took it to court. I found out after the court hearing and paid the council plus court costs. I rang the council and asked why a bill hadn't been sent, they were very unhelpful and said one was sent, but not to the house because "we don't send council tax bills to empty houses" so it was sent to the last address that they had for me, a business premises that I don't now live at and very rarely have anything to do with. I paid the council tax and court fees and said I wasn't prepared to pay the bailiffs ( who got involved apparently immediately after the court case). The council said they couldn't say for definite, but the collection agency "would probably drop it".
These fees were £75 but I didn't want to pay because I thought it was poorly handled and out of proportion. The collection agency didn't drop it. The letters kept coming and apparently yesterday they left a hand written letter at the business premises, even though I wasn't there and don't live there, claiming even more costs, about £300.
Can anybody please advise where I stand legally. I don't own any personal stuff there but technically I do have interest in the stock at the business premises. The debt was a very small one for council tax and not business rates, and the only "debt" left is collection agency costs (originally £75)
Thanks and best wishes
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