Council Tax - It Seems You Still Have To Pay It When You Don't Even Live There!!! (The council tax)

Member Name: LAURALILIA

Product:	The council tax
Date:	20/06/09 (105 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Does provide services (but not for me I no longer live there!!!)

Disadvantages: Public money not spent always in the most efficient way.

***Council Tax***

I am writing this now, as I am fuming from a letter that has just appeared on my mat. I moved house in Decemeber last year and registered with my new area and rang up my old council to let them know.

I forgot all about it until I received a demand for payment for the current financial year. I rang again and informed them and they demanded to know who we had sold to and the date.

I spent a morning going through all the solicitors letters and couldn't find any name on any of the documentation. I rang the estate agents but the man we had dealt with had left and they had a new computer system and couldn't trace who we had sold to. I them remembered it was a relative of the receptionist and later that morning they spoke to her and she rang back with the name.

I then rang the council back (waiting endlessly listening to music) and they told me I must put it in writing!!! I did this, but in the meantime I received a court summons for missing April's payment. I rang again and was told to ignore it as they had received my letter and it had now been passed to the revenue recovery department. I asked to whom I was speaking as I was getting anxious now and wanted some record of the receipt of my letter. She told me her first name and when I asked her surname she said that she couldn't give it to me for security reasons. If I was speaking to a bank or utilities company I would be given this information no problem, but for a service that is funded by the public for the public - no this is too much to ask.

I asked if she would write to confirm our conversation and she said the revenue department would do so.

I thought no more of it, but today I get a letter saying that after the court hearing (which I was not present for) they demand that the money in full ( some £900+) must be paid. If it is not paid within 2 weeks they will take the money from my wage, income support (which I don't receive and never have) or they will send someone to my address to take goods worth this amount. My wage won't cover the amount so I assume I can expect someone knocking on my door.

I am so angry and anxious and feel helpless that no one will listen to me or have the courtesy to respond to my queries. Apart from a Christian name I cannot even confirm that I spoke to anyone and informed them.

In the current climate of MP's expenses it is laughable that I am being taken to court and chased for council tax in a house which I sold last December and no longer live in.

My advice to anyone in this situation is to send all documentation by special delivery so that you can get someone to actually sign to say they have received it. Do not rely on someone actioning your new details because they may do nothing. I know may end up on a credit blacklist of something or even worse may have someone taking goods from my house.

On Monday I will now face another long telephone conversation and honestly do know how to guarantee that this will be resolved. I welcome anyone with advice to give or anyone who has been in a similar situation.

I am sorry if this is just a rant, but perhaps anyone else moving house will attend to it in a more efficient way than I obviously have.

So for anyone moving house do not phone - write and get proof of receipt.

I also am amazed that they can chase me at my new address (Hmmm how do they know I live here?), but not acknowledge that I no longer live at the old one - are councils really THAT inefficient?

***Rant Over***

Summary: Would probably half to pay half the amount if they could just improve their efficiency to start with