What happens if I don't pay my Council Tax?

Firstly, we'll contact you, reminding you to pay your bill. It's your responsibility to tell us if your contact address has changed.

If we've already tried to contact you about your Council Tax payments but you've not paid or responded to us, we may take the case to court so that we get the power to:

  • Get the money taken directly from your wages
  • Get the money taken from your benefits
  • As a last resort, we may pass your arrears to an enforcement agent for collection. This action comes with additional charges, which you would be liable for. See below for more details.

Enforcement agents

We will only ever instruct an enforcement agent to collect a debt as a last resort. If you've been contacted by one of our enforcement agents regarding your outstanding Council Tax, you need to contact them directly.

Charges

The enforcement agents have standard charges, which are as follows:

  • Sending you a first letter regarding your debt will cost you an additional £75. This is known as the ‘Compliance’ stage.

  • If you do not respond to this letter and the enforcement agent visits your property, this will cost you an additional £235. This is known as the ‘Enforcement’ stage.

  • If the enforcement agent has to remove and sell your belongings, this will cost you an additional £110. This is known as the ‘Sale’ stage.

If your original Council Tax is greater than £1,500, the enforcement agents can charge you an additional 7.5 per cent for any debt over this sum.

Contact details

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Complaints

If you wish to make a complaint about an enforcement agent or their behaviour, you should contact the relevant company directly.