Council tax arrears: How bailiffs, court action and more turn small debts into big problems.
Citizens Advice has seen a surge in cries for help with council tax debts, and said "harsh" collection practices were making some people's problems worse.
Between April 2015 and March 2016, Citizens Advice helped people with 196,000 council tax debt problems in England, making it the number one debt issue for the charity.
Citizens Advice has seen a 33% increase in requests for help with council tax debts over the last three years, at a time when queries about other types of debt have been falling.
It is urging more councils to stop a practice whereby people who miss a monthly council tax instalment are forced to pay the remaining annual cost in one go.
No one likes council tax, but aggressive collection practices from councils are now forcing hundreds of thousands of people into problem debt - how to respond and win
Councils are calling bailiffs, and charging you, over tiny debts
Citizens Advice has seen a surge in cries for help with council tax debts, and said "harsh" collection practices were making some people's problems worse.
Between April 2015 and March 2016, Citizens Advice helped people with 196,000 council tax debt problems in England, making it the number one debt issue for the charity.
Citizens Advice has seen a 33% increase in requests for help with council tax debts over the last three years, at a time when queries about other types of debt have been falling.
It is urging more councils to stop a practice whereby people who miss a monthly council tax instalment are forced to pay the remaining annual cost in one go.
Citizens Advice Bureau Council tax debt
The use of bailiffs and court action are also making the costs balloon for those already in financial difficulty, the charity said.
"Some councils are too quick to crackdown on people falling behind on council tax," said Gillian Guy, chief executive of Citizens Advice.
"Of course it's right people should repay their council tax - but calling in bailiffs, adding on extra charges or forcing someone to pay the rest of the year's council tax bill in one lump sum can make the situation worse for everyone."
In one case seen by Citizens Advice, someone who contacted the charity for help had a ?27 debt which jumped to ?417 after council officials charged fees for obtaining a court order and calling bailiffs.
Citizens Advice has seen a surge in cries for help with council tax debts, and said "harsh" collection practices were making some people's problems worse.
Between April 2015 and March 2016, Citizens Advice helped people with 196,000 council tax debt problems in England, making it the number one debt issue for the charity.
Citizens Advice has seen a 33% increase in requests for help with council tax debts over the last three years, at a time when queries about other types of debt have been falling.
It is urging more councils to stop a practice whereby people who miss a monthly council tax instalment are forced to pay the remaining annual cost in one go.
No one likes council tax, but aggressive collection practices from councils are now forcing hundreds of thousands of people into problem debt - how to respond and win
Councils are calling bailiffs, and charging you, over tiny debts
Citizens Advice has seen a surge in cries for help with council tax debts, and said "harsh" collection practices were making some people's problems worse.
Between April 2015 and March 2016, Citizens Advice helped people with 196,000 council tax debt problems in England, making it the number one debt issue for the charity.
Citizens Advice has seen a 33% increase in requests for help with council tax debts over the last three years, at a time when queries about other types of debt have been falling.
It is urging more councils to stop a practice whereby people who miss a monthly council tax instalment are forced to pay the remaining annual cost in one go.
Citizens Advice Bureau Council tax debt
The use of bailiffs and court action are also making the costs balloon for those already in financial difficulty, the charity said.
"Some councils are too quick to crackdown on people falling behind on council tax," said Gillian Guy, chief executive of Citizens Advice.
"Of course it's right people should repay their council tax - but calling in bailiffs, adding on extra charges or forcing someone to pay the rest of the year's council tax bill in one lump sum can make the situation worse for everyone."
In one case seen by Citizens Advice, someone who contacted the charity for help had a ?27 debt which jumped to ?417 after council officials charged fees for obtaining a court order and calling bailiffs.
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