If you don`t pay your council tax, we`ll follow a process to get what you owe back. If you miss a third payment and do not contact us, you will receive a final notice and will have to pay the full council tax for the year. Your board will send you a reminder where you can pay 7 days if you miss a payment. If you do not pay within 7 days, you will have to pay the full housing tax for the year instead. If we cannot collect the unpaid council tax in any other way, we have no choice but to request a summons to appear before the local magistrate. This is the first step in possible detention. If you receive a subpoena, you should contact us immediately or seek legal advice from a lawyer, your local legal center, or a citizens` office. We collect more than 98% of the housing tax each year. The recovery of outstanding debts will be vigorously pursued.
Your counsel will usually ask the courts for permission to collect the claim from you – this is called a “liability order”. You can send a bailiff to your home or take money from your salary. If you have not updated your account, we will issue a subpoena and a fee will be added to your account. Three weeks after the summons to appear is issued, if a balance is still outstanding, the Council will ask Coventry Magistrates` Court to rule on liability. Ask your council if they will allow you to pay your council tax in smaller amounts. You can spread your payments over 12 months instead of the usual 10 months to reduce the amount you have to pay on each bill. Ask for advice on setting this up for you. Your council may also ask to take money from the following benefits: Your counsel can ask a judge for a “liability order” if you owe them an unpaid council tax. This is a legal request for payment. The Council`s legal fees, such as hiring a lawyer, can be added to the money you owe. You are allowed to go to court and state the reasons for your non-payment if you wish.
If you do not pay as indicated on your invoice, the Council has no choice but to issue further documents and initiate recovery proceedings against you. We will issue one of the following notices: Your council will send you a final notice stating that you will have to pay the year-round council tax if you miss a payment for the third time. Email – counciltax@coventry.gov.uk. Be sure to include the following information in the body of your email: The summons will tell you the date and time of the hearing at North Hampshire Magistrates` Court in Basingstoke and the amount we intend to recover. This is the unpaid amount of council tax for the year plus our fees. No fees will be added to your account at this stage, but we will charge a cost of £75 at the liability hearing which will be credited to your account. We will evaluate the information you provide and decide on the most appropriate course of action to collect the outstanding debt. Don`t wait for them to contact you.
You should contact your counsel immediately. Ask to speak to someone at the local tax office and talk to them about your situation. Your advice can land you in court if you can`t pay the money you owe and bailiffs can`t recover enough property to cover it. Your counsel may send bailiffs (“enforcement agents”) to seize your property if there is no other way to collect your debts. They will tell you how much you owe before the bailiff visits you. Due to the significant increase in enforcement fees, we strongly recommend that you contact us if you are having trouble paying your housing tax. If you don`t pay your annual council tax within 7 days, the council can take legal action to get back the council tax you owe. Your advice can lead your employer to pay your unpaid housing tax directly from your salary. Visit GOV.UK to find out what councils do to collect municipal tax arrears. Bailiffs` fees may be added to the total amount you owe to the Council. If you fail to pay the amount stated on the summons prior to the hearing, we will issue a liability order to the judges for the unpaid amount of council tax for the year plus an additional cost of £75. If you do not pay your council tax after the reminders and final notice and have not contacted us, we may send you a subpoena.
If you receive a liability order, you should talk to your city council or local citizens` office about your options. Your housing tax is usually payable in ten monthly installments, starting in April and ending in January. If you`ve missed a council tax payment, you`re “late” – that means you owe your council money. If that means you don`t have enough money to pay other bills, you can seek advice if you can make smaller payments. Your board doesn`t need to agree, but will usually try to make a deal with you. You will need your housing tax customer reference number, your bank`s sort code and your account number. A final notice is also issued for accounts for which there is no entitlement to an instalment payment, since the amount to be paid was previously requested as a lump sum on the municipal tax bill. If you don`t pay your council tax on time, we`ll send you a reminder. If you do not pay within 7 days and do not contact us, you lose the right to pay in installments. If you do not pay within 7 days of the reminder (or if you are late in paying council tax for the third time this year), the council will send you a “final notice”.
If you ignore council tax arrears, chances are your counsel will quickly sue you to get all the money at once. You`ll have to pay court fees and possibly bailiff fees, as well as your debts, which can add hundreds of pounds to your bill. Your board may give you a one-time discount if you still can`t pay what you owe. You should also contact us if you believe that you are not required to pay the housing tax or if you do not agree with the amount of the summons. Check the letter you receive from the council to make sure you are transferring your council tax arrears to the correct bank account. It may be different from what you usually pay for your housing tax payments. If you`re having trouble paying your council tax, let us know right away, as you may be eligible for an exemption, refund or reduction in council tax that would reduce the amount you paid. Contact us at local.taxation@richmondshire.gov.uk.
If you do not pay after a reminder or final notice or if you do not tell us why you are not required to pay, you will receive a subpoena. They are summoned to court to explain why the housing tax has not been paid. A fee of £89.50 will be added to the unpaid council tax bill. The liability order gives us the right to ask you for information about your employment data and income. We will write to you after the court issues the liability order to inform you of the amount you will have to pay and the information you will have to provide to us. The letter will also ask you to make a realistic offer on how you want to pay off the debt. Contact your council as soon as possible if you are having trouble paying your council tax or if you are late with your payments. At the hearing, we will ask the judge to make a liability order. A liability order gives the board more power to collect the money you owe. You do not have to go to the hearing, but if you do, the judge will ask you if you have a valid defence that prevents the decision from being made. Our fair collection policy sets out what our customers and businesses can expect from us and what we expect from them when we collect housing taxes and other debts owed to us.
If the municipal tax bill is in the common name, a separate summons is issued to each taxable person. If payment (including the £78.50 summons fee) has been received in full prior to the summons hearing, no further action will be taken. You will receive a reminder from the Council approximately 2 weeks after you have missed a payment. In order to help us maintain best practice, we have signed a protocol with the local citizens` advice service, which is annexed to the directive. The Protocol provides guidance on how to strengthen the relationship between debt advice and advisory services. If the court makes a liability order to the Board, you will have to pay the cost of the court fees. You may also have to pay a bailiff fee. You may be eligible for a rebate/exemption or housing tax assistance that can help reduce the amount you have to pay. Once a liability order has been issued, we have additional powers to collect the outstanding debt.
The court may also deduct money from benefit payments such as: If you receive a subpoena, you will be charged an additional fee that will be added to your unpaid bill.