Hello,
If you get a letter telling you that bailiffs are going to come to your house you should take action urgently. Don't just wait.
The bailiffs charge fees to come to your house and these will be added to your debt.
What should you do?
• Call the organisation you owe money (for example the council tax department) and ask them to take the debt back from the bailiffs - make an offer to pay them, whatever you can genuinely afford, but not more.
• Write a letter to them saying the same thing. Keep a copy. If you do not think you do owe all this money, or if somebody else is equally liable, tell them straight away.
• If your debt is with the council, in order to balance their budget, they will want you to clear your debt by the end of the financial year (31 March) - do whatever you can to meet this date. Some councils have written policies telling you when they will pass debts to bailiffs, and when they will take them back. Ask your council if they have a policy like this.
• If you have a bank account, offer to pay by direct debit, but make sure you have enough in the account to pay off the debt at the time it is due.
• If your debt is unpaid Council Tax, one way you may have more money to pay it off is to reduce the amount you are paying out on other 'non-priority' debts. See our 'Dealing with debt' guide for more details.
• If you are receiving Income Support or Income-based Jobseeker's Allowance, you may be able to ask for direct deductions to be made from your benefit. This can be done for council tax, mortgage, rent, and service charges arrears, as well as debts to gas, electricity and water suppliers. These deductions are taken at a fixed sum - at the time of writing, £2.90 a week. If it is Council Tax arrears, even if you don't want direct deductions from your benefit, you should be able to make small weekly installments. If the court has fined you or made a compensation order, direct deductions from your benefit can be made and would usually be at £5 a week.
Kind regards,
Julia
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