There are fewer jobs more divisive throughout the whole of Scotland than that of the sheriff. While across the rest of the UK it may be hard to disassociate the stereotypical image of the Wild West cowboy, in Scotland things are very different. Similar to the role of the bailiff, the sheriff has powers vested in him by the Scottish government to carry out debt recovery operations for those who have continually neglected to meet the conditions of their payment agreement.

The burning question when talking about sheriffs is always whether they possess the right to enter your home, and whether they have any legal permission to begin to take permissions in order to contribute to the repayment plan. In theory, the answer is yes but fortunately it is a rare occurrence for a sheriff to exercise this privilege – this is as much the case with Scott & Co as it is with the large majority of debt recovery firms across the country.

Scott and Co Sheriff officers can only be deployed by creditors – local governments included – after numerous other pathways have been taken to recover the money owed. You will also only be required by law to let them in should they be in possession of a relevant court order that permits them to do so; these court orders are not handed out with any serious frequency and will only be used in cases deemed serious enough by the court.

Wage Arrestment

One method that is more likely to be employed by your creditors is what is known as wage arrestment, also known as earnings arrestment. For those that do not seek the right help, support or guidance when faced with serious debt troubles, your creditor will – by law – send you an information package that highlights various paths you can take in order begin your repayments amicably. CTACIC are an example of one of these outlets, as our team of experts are experienced in dealing with personal debt – it is absolute vital you heed this warning and seek us out, or the consequences could be extremely debilitating for your financial situation.

Not doing so will give them legal right to arrest your wages – the literal taking of your wages out of your bank account, the amount dependent on how much you earn. Whether it is standard pay, a bonus, sick pay or accrued holiday, your creditors will have full access to take your money against your will. In this situation, you need to be fully aware of both yours and the creditor’s rights in order to ensure everything is being kept within the legal guidelines – with the help of CTACIC, we can guarantee this is the case.

A Countrywide Issue

One common misconception that creditors and sheriff firms such as Scott & Co love to perpetrate is that when you are in debt, you are an island – completely isolated from all help. In reality, this couldn’t be further from the truth. Council tax in particular is a serious problem throughout Scotland and the number of people who struggle to meet their payment every year is only increasing. As the cost of living continues to rise against a backdrop of wage freezes and unemployment, there are thousands of people that seek debt advice every day – but, unfortunately, there are many that don’t.

It is important that you realise you need to act as soon as you feel yourself losing control of your finances. Without doing so, you begin on the slippery slope towards wage arrestment and sheriff intervention and the longer you neglect to seek advice, the worse the scenario becomes. Here at Council Tax Advisors (CTACIC), we urge to let go of that stigma that is attached to personal debt and take positive action towards finding an amicable solution to your problems.

If you feel as though any of the issues covered in this blog relate to your personal situation, do not hesitate to contact one of the team here at CTACIC today.

We are all likely to experience times when money is tight, but the month after Christmas is likely to be a period where there is increased financial strain up and down the country. A combination of paying rent, bills and other needed living costs can leave us with limited money for other things such as transport to and from work. Therefore, avoiding debt can be easier said than done. Spending additional cash on council tax may become a more unwelcome charge than usual in January.

Here at Council Tax Advisors we help those who need financial support whatever month of the year it is.  Thankfully, we provide a range of options when people can feel helpless at their spiralling debt. Do not worry, solutions such as our Debt Arrangement Schemes (DAS) could be the first step in restoring your financial stability and dramatically improving your mood. This works simply and effectively at getting you out of the red and back into the black without the high interest rates of payday lenders.

So, what is a Debt Arrangement Scheme? It is a method of repaying what you owe by agreeing to a Debt Payment Programme (DPP) and this covers a third of people with arrears totally more than £5,000. It is a Scottish-government scheme and you get help from a specialist DAS-approved money adviser who contacts your creditors in order to request that they agree with your DPP. While this is helpful, you will be boosted by the fact that the terms of a DPP include a freeze in interest along with smaller monthly repayments. A disadvantage of this is that you will be in debt for longer, but on the other hand, you will be paying affordable amounts.

Under a DAS you pay what you can afford, which is the amount of money remaining after essential expenditure on rent, mortgage payments, bills and food. The fact that the interest of your debt, among other charges, is frozen shows that we are fully motivated at helping Scottish citizens with their financial troubles.  This arrangement is far more reliable than calling on payday companies for a quick fix. Another benefit from using this method of combating debt is the DAS means your creditors will then have no power of chasing you for the money you owe them.

Despite the positives of getting an approved DAS, it will harm your credit rating as you have defaulted on your initial repayment agreement. This means that you will be unable to borrow more money during your repayment period. On the flipside, an advantage is that you won’t lose your home as the case with some arrears where properties are repossessed. This doesn’t mean you will avoid paying rent or your mortgage, though. Your DAS only ends when you have paid all of your debts.

With council tax rising across the UK and slow economic recovery from the global financial crisis in 2008, it has proved to be very difficult for residents to keep up with property tax payments among a host of other bills. Contacting our team at CTACIC will help put your finances back on the right track and take the weight off your shoulders that financial problems bring. Getting a Debt Arrangement Scheme could well be your best option, but if you’re unsure what to do then please contact us today.

Dealing with debt in Scotland due to council tax can be extremely hard at the best of times. No matter how much we hate it, council tax is something that we all have to live with and the payments can pile up if you’re not too careful. In the unfortunate event of you not being able to pay your council tax for a while you may suffer various consequences. One of them is the possibility of a wage arrestment being issued, which takes money directly from your bank account in order to repay the arrears. There are a few steps you need to be aware of before this happens.

If it’s been a while since you paid your council tax, and you’ve been given written warnings about the arrears, then a Sheriff Officer could be called in. Sheriff Officers enforce court orders and they issue you with a summary warrant which details the amount of money due and where the payments should be made. By receiving a summary warrant you’re likely to have also incurred a 10% penalty charge on top of the council tax debt.

Sheriff Officers have slightly more jurisdiction compared to Bailiffs in England. They can repossess items from your property to the value of what you owe and they can even enter your home if they hold the necessary documents. Sheriff Officers contacting you on the phone may ask for employment and bank account details, and it’s advisable not to hand these over if you want to avoid a wage arrestment.

Anyone in employment, apart from those serving in the armed forces, can have their wages arrested. For a creditor to use a wage arrestment they must have served a charge for payment and provided you with a Debt Advice and Information Package, which explains exactly what rights you have and encourages you to seek advice. Your wage arrestment isn’t legal unless this process has occurred.

Should your wages be arrested there are certain rules regarding how much money can be taken from your account. The amount taken is dependent on how much money you earn, and even wages that include commission, bonuses and statutory sick pay can be arrested. The deduction is based on a formula and doesn’t take any other debts or outgoings into account. Should your earnings change, so will the wage arrestment deductions, but you must always be left with at least 60% of your net income.

Fortunately there are certain debt solutions available that can override wage arrestments. This includes trust deeds and Debt Arrangement Schemes, which terminate the arrestment and end the creditor’s right to withdraw money straight from your account. If you’re worried about council tax arrears and are unsure about how you’re going to deal with mounting debt, seeking help from a specialist service such as Council Tax Advisors could help to resolve all of your issues.

Council Tax Advisors offers free and impartial advice to people suffering from council tax issues or any other form of debt. If your wages have been arrested, or if you’re worried that they will be in the future, then get in touch with a friendly member of our team today. We can provide details about how best to handle your debt problems and give you peace of mind. If you would like more information on Wage Arrestments you can read our ultimate guide to wage arrestments by clicking here

Back in 2007 just as the global economic crisis struck, the Scottish National Party, or SNP, who had just come into power in Scotland made the audacious decision to freeze council tax levels. At the time it was considered a dubious move given most countries suffering from the crisis had decided to increase their taxes to offset the financial issues, but now, seven years later we can see that the Scottish collection rates have improved vastly in recent years.

A little before the millennium, the Scottish government was collecting taxes at an average of roughly 87.2%. This meant that over 12% of taxes remained unpaid and the government was forced to send bailiffs to make their collections, which in the long run will cost the taxpayer more.

Now however, 14 years after, Scotland are seeing a provisional in-year collection rate of 95.2%. A vast improvement since the financial year of 1998-1999. Could it be because of the consistent tax rates during periods of inflation and economic downturn? Some financial experts seem to believe it might be the case. Consistent council tax means manageable and expected expenses. Manageable and expected expenses mean people don’t get behind in their payments.

One of the most obvious benefits of improved tax collection rates is that fewer people are being hounded for money by councils and their bailiffs. In Britain we have relatively good tax collection rates but with the cost of living increasing throughout the nation it is understandable that it can be harder for some people to make ends meet. Bedroom taxes, inflation, unexpected expenditure. These are the kinds of thing that lead to debt, and debt causes stress, which can often lead to more debt.

Things are getting better. The financial climate is starting to improve and the government is being pushed to find solutions to meet a universal living wage. On the horizon we can see improvements being made that will reduce personal debt catalysts. In the meantime if you are struggling to make ends meet, if you have had your finances stretched too far and you aren’t expecting to be able to pay your next bill, whether it is for the council or another debt, try calling us here at Council Tax Advisors and we will lead you away from council tax chaos.