Council tax reminder, summons and after court date

What happens next and your questions answered

When your council tax account is in arrears and you have not brought it up to date following the issue of a reminder, the full amount becomes due and the right to pay by instalments is lost.

The council will then take you to court to obtain a Liability Order and this gives the power to take recovery action such as refer the debt to Enforcement Agents, take payments direct from your salary or benefits, make you bankrupt or put a charge on your property.

Costs are added to your account by the council when the summons is issued and also when the Liability Order is obtained at court.

What happens next?

After the court date the council will usually pass your arrears on to a firm of  enforcement agents for them to contact you to collect the amount due.

The Enforcement Agents used by the council are: Rossendales (Marstons) CDER and Jacobs.

What will the Enforcement Agents do?

The enforcement agents will write to you and ask you to make an offer of payment. They will ask for details of your employment and for a statement of income and expenditure. It is important that you respond to them within 14 days.

The council used to write to me after the court, can I make a payment arrangement with the council instead of the Enforcement Agents?

You can still pay in full or agree a payment arrangement at this stage without incurring further costs so your rights and responsibilities haven’t changed. The only thing that is different is that you will pay the enforcement agents in full or agree a payment arrangement with them instead of the council.

This is your final chance to pay or make an arrangement to pay without incurring further costs.

What if I don’t respond to the letter from the Enforcement Agents?

If you do not contact the enforcement agents, they will commence recovery action against you. Firstly they will send a further letter and £75.00 costs will be added to the balance you owe.

If you don’t respond to that letter, an enforcement agent will visit your property and further costs will be added.

The further costs will be a minimum of £235.00