Council Rate Arrears

If you are in arrears with your Council Rates payments you need to address the situation quickly. We can help.

• What to do if you have arrears
• Payment methods
• Steps your local authority can take against you
• Council tax benefit

What to do if you have council rate arrears

Step 1 is to establish how much you can afford on top of your normal council tax payments in order to repay the arrears. Draw up a detailed income and expenditure form including repayments to your credit cards and loans.

If you have any money left after your other costs, step 2 is to contact your local authority and make an offer. Explain that the amount you are offering will prevent any further arrears and court costs. If your local authority will not negotiate with you continue making the payments to the authority (for further details on what to do if your offer is refused see below).

Payment methods

There are several possibilities for paying your Council Rates bill:

1. Pay the whole amount in one lump sum by cheque at your local council offices.
2. Pay your bill by direct debit over ten months
3. Pay your bill monthly or at shorter intervals over the counter at your local council offices in cash with a payment card.

Steps your local authority can take against you:

The council can start action to force the sale of your property to recover their outstanding rates.

It is still worth attempting to contact them with suggested repayments as some local authorities will consider your offer.

If you have received a court notice about your rates arrears and have not paid the arrears, the local authority can then ask the Magistrates Court to issue a liability order.