by Susan Paige

If you have any outstanding council tax payments, then you must contact your local authority to repay these debts as soon as possible. If you do not do that, then you may have to face legal action by the council who may order bailiffs to use your personal possessions to pay off the debt. They may also order taking reclaiming the money from pay, benefits and/or pensions. Surely, you don’t want that? Of course, you don’t, and this is the reason we are going to offer you advice on how to get relief from your council tax arrears.

Council Tax Arrears Explained

If you’re struggling to pay your council tax debts on time, then you need to notify your local council about it immediately. Also, at this point, you may need an arrangement such as an IVA to make it easier for yourself to pay your council tax.

The council can ask the court for a liability order if you repeatedly fail to pay your council tax. In such a situation, you may be summoned by the court to explain why you have not been paying your council tax. If you don’t respond to the liability order or the court’s request, then legal action could be taken against you to recover the debt.

As mentioned earlier, this could mean selling your personal assets or deducting from your pay or benefits to reclaim the money. Bailiffs are typically the ones asked to execute this order so once the bailiffs are called to recover your unpaid council tax, you should waste little time to sort the matter out.

If the bailiffs are sent to recover the unpaid taxes from you and if they can’t recover the council tax in full, then arrest warrants may be issued against the debtor. If you are struggling to make your local council tax, or if you believe you could be exempt from paying council tax at all, then you should speak to your local authority about it, or contact an IVA company to get some valuable advice on the matter.

An IVA Arrangement for Council Tax Arrears

Your council advisor and trusted advisers such as IVA companies are there to help you manage and pay your council tax over the year. In case you have substantial council tax debt, then an IVA may be the best arrangement for you going forward. However, you must seek professional advice regarding it and be completely transparent about your income and spending so that your chosen advisor can give you the best advice for your circumstances or  your council tax arrears.

Debt Relief Order (DRO)

A debt relief order (DRO) is a good way to ease your council tax arrears. A DRO typically comes into action when you have ‘too much’ debt to pay but little chance of making the payment on time. The DRO prevents your creditors from contacting you directly and your debts are written off after a year. A DRO is one of the few options that allows you to get your council tax written off. However, there are certain requirements you need to fulfill to be able to apply for a DRO.

If you want to know about these requirements or how you can set up an IVA to pay your council tax arrears, get in touch with us today!