I voluntarily handed in the keys to my house last year, vacating the property without leaving a forwarding address for my building society.

I have this month received a council tax bill for #1000 for this property (the council have both my old and my new address) and was told by the council that I must provide written proof from the building society that it has BEEN repossessed or I must pay the bill.

The house has this week been boarded up and the locks have been changed by the building society, but I do not know whether this consitutes repossession. And I have no way of getting written proof of this, because as far as the building society know, I have disappeared. I am actually living in my husband's house and do not want this address tainted by my bad credit.

I wonder if anyone knows whether there is any way of getting out of paying this council tax bill as I cannot afford it. Any advice would be gratefully received.

-- Sarah Wood (Sarah@starbyland.freeserve.co.uk), May 16, 2000

Answers

This is one area ,which has many pitfalls and have seen cases in the past regarding this matter. The Local Authority have the right to chase this debt and unlike other debts. This debt will not go via the civil courts but to the magistrates court, should you not pay or make an offer,once they have made an order in the court you will be liable to various actions open to the Council.

The Question in your case is to fully co-operate with the Council and if you say you have no proof you will have to provide proof-if you state you have no money for this Bill then seek the advice of the CAB or Welfare Rights if you have one in your area.

Showing that you intend to make some sort of payment ,will usually stop the action and indeed the Council tax people can be very helpfull if you give the officer at the Town Hall, the full facts and if you can show some sort of proof. re you were not living in the house then -they may stay whilst you obtain it-the amount that you may owe would be worked out by CAB or Welfare Rights and tempory payments can be arranged in many cases Whilst i appreciate your problem it would not be fair to under estimate not facing this debt,but on saying that if you take the steps above you should end up without the worry-which is the most important

Good Luck

Charles Twford

-- charles twford (charles.twford@lineone.net), May 16, 2000.