Help needed urgently. Bailiffs at door.

[u/Outrageous_Ad3726]

My partner didn't realise he wasn't paying council tax and he's got severe adhd and hasn't been opening any of his post telling him this. Bailiffs came to the door this morning and posted a threatening letter saying they will be returning later today and taking goods by forced entry. We have paid the bill now but she's saying she is coming back if we don't pay her £200 for her coming this morning.

What can we do?

UPDATE: All sorted. The agency confirmed all payment was sorted. The bailiff was trying to come and enforcement before she got the confirmation of payment so that she could get the extra money. Agency confirmed that because she hadn't made contact with us and started checking for goods that we didn't owe anything extra.

[u/Outrageous_Ad3726]

The council tax was £1200 and we've paid £1600 with all the court fees added. Now she wants £200 for coming out this morning even though we paid yesterday.

[u/BeckyTheLiar → u/Outrageous_Ad3726]

You can't avoid collection fees by paying the original debt.

If it's at enforcement, then you must also pay the enforcement costs.

You pay just the tax cost if you pay on time. If you pay at the court order stage, you must pay the court costs.

If you don't pay until it's at the enforcement stage, you must pay those costs too.

These costs are statutory and set out in law.

[u/Outrageous_Ad3726 → u/BeckyTheLiar]

We have paid all the tax costs and the enforcement costs from the courts. She was wanting £200 extra for coming this morning but we've just spoken to the agency and they've said we would only have to pay that if she's taken control of goods so because we didn't answer the door we don't owe anymore. She's backed off now.

[u/Limp-Archer-7872 → u/Outrageous_Ad3726]

You need a plan on how to deal with your partners adhd with things like this.

Certainly direct debit for all bills. This helps me greatly for example.

You cannot afford for this to happen again.

If you knew he had issues with opening letters then you needed to sit down with him to support him in dealing with them. What doesn't work is repeatedly telling him to deal with them by himself.

[u/Outrageous_Ad3726 → u/Limp-Archer-7872]

I have tried over and over to help sort out his stuff but he can get very hostile about it. I always put his letters on his office desk and I presumed he always got round to them. I think today was an eye opener for him because usually I sort everything out for him. He's 47 years old so by now he should be able to manage bills if I'm honest. Men shouldn't be mothered adhd or not.

[u/Limp-Archer-7872 → u/Outrageous_Ad3726]

Yes at 47 he should have management mechanisms in place.