Non-payment of Council Tax

What happens if you miss payments, do not pay after reminders or a final notice and what to do if you get a court summons or enforcement letter.

Council Tax reminder

If you miss a payment, your bill will be overdue. We will send you a reminder to pay in the post. Your reminder will be for the most recent payment date.

Pay as soon as you can and try not to miss another payment.

Getting a court summons

You may get a court summons if you miss more than one payment in a row.

A summons is a request for the court to grant a liability order against you. This means we can collect the rest of your Council Tax debt from you.

The summons will include a hearing date when you have to attend court. If you can pay before this date, you will not have to go to court.

If you have already paid your bill

If you have received a summons but have already paid your bill, contact us now with proof that you have paid. You can send this proof in writing either by email to revenues.services@islington.gov.uk or by post to:

Council Tax
PO Box 34750
London
N7 9WF

Repayment plan

If you cannot pay the balance in full before the summons hearing date, you may be able to apply for a special repayment plan. This may mean we will not take any more action against you.

Apply online

If you do this, we will still apply for a liability order but if you keep up repayments on an agreed plan, we will not have to do anything else. You can also contact us on 020 7527 2633 to ask about a repayment plan.

If we have asked you to give details of your income and spending, complete the income and expenditure form and send it to us.

What can happen if you do not pay Council Tax on time

Once a liability order has been granted by a court, there are many ways that we can collect your debt.

Your employer can take weekly or monthly deductions from your pay ('attachment of earnings').
An enforcement agent (sometimes known as bailiffs) may take your belongings and sell them at auction ('taking control of your goods').
Weekly deductions will be taken from your benefits ('attachment of benefit').
We will start bankruptcy proceedings against you (insolvency).
A Charging Order could be set against your property, meaning you might have to sell your home.

You could also be sentenced to prison for up to 3 months after a means hearing (‘committal proceedings’).

Letter from an enforcement agent

If you have got a letter from an enforcement agent, you must call them now. We cannot help you when you get this letter and you must talk to them instead.

Have your Council Tax account number ready when you call them. Find out where you can find this number.

CDER Group

Newlyn

Equita

Rundles

What enforcement agents can charge

Enforcement Agents can charge fees that you have to pay. How much you pay will depend on your situation.

There is a minimum fee of £75 and this will increase the more you owe in Council Tax.

You can get more information on bailiff’s fees from Citizens Advice. You can also find out more about about your rights when a bailiff visits from GOV.UK.