I owe approx £1800 for two sets of council tax

[gail.ys]

I owe approx £1800 for two sets of council tax which I accept full repsonsonsibility for.I am unemployed at the moment but due to start a job in Sept.I am living on JSA at the moment.I have two officials from the coirts dealing with the amounts but it has now got to removal of goods as I am unable to pay significant amounts of both bills.What is my best next step as I am happy even to take on a payment striaght from my wage once I am working but I cant pay much now.

[MelanieGiles]

Hi gail and welcome to the forum

Keep trying to negotiate some form of settlement with the Council to avoid your personal items being taken away and sold - and why not get the CAB involved, who have excellent links with the local authorities and may be able to help.

[Michael Peoples]

Bankruptcy may be a suitable option for you or if your job is definite you could possibly enter an IVA with your payments commencing after you start work. Both these options would afford legal protection although some councils can be funny about IVAs.

[captain sensible]

bankruptcy for £1800????????

[Skippy]

If there's no other option then it should be considered.

[Michael Peoples]

My mistake. I thought it said £18000. Client could try for an administration order or a debt relief order. Sorry.

[Skippy]

You're more awake than me Michael, I didn't pick up on it either!

[Adam Davies]

Hi
I read in the weekends papers that in assessing someone for a DRO that persons pension pot is taken into account. This has meant that more people are excluded from DROs than first anticipated.
Regards

[Michael Peoples]

Typical. Come up with a good idea and wreck in the detail.

[soph1976]

i thought council tax was not allowed on ivas/bankrupcy as its a goverment thing and the only debt u could lad in prison for???

[kallis3]

Council tax is allowed to be included in both, as long as the debt is prior to the IVA or the BR.

Anything after that will have to be paid by the debtor.

[gail.ys]

Thanks all for the help.I am new to this,long story but I split with my H about two years ago and having received no finacial help has just got deeper and deeper.I want to be free of the worry and stress of all of the debt I have so an IVA seems to be the way to go...more structured of that makes sense.I have a couple of q's tho:
Is there a min amount of debt you have to owe before you qualify for an IVA?
How do I apply for one?
Who decides what I pay and when (I am due to start work on Sept 3rd)
How long does an IVA stay active-future credit refs etc?
How long does it take to clear amts owing by using an IVA?
What if there are amounts outstanidng once the IVA payment period is up?
Sorry thats alot of q's but I need to be sure that I am considering the correct course of action.

[kallis3]

Hi,

Sorry to hear of your problems.

To apply for an IVA, you normally need around £15,000 of debt.

You need to speak to an IP, so visit www.iva.com for a list of companies and reviews. Give one or two a ring and you will receive free and impartial advice as to all the options open to you.

Your IVA will be decided upon your disposable income after your other payments have been made.

Your credit record will be shot for six years after the IVA has been approved.

It usually takes 5 years and any remaining amounts are then written off after that.

If you only have the council tax debt, and IVA will not be suitable for you.