How to stop Alex M Adamson Council Tax debt recovery in Scotland
Wage Arrestment Expert can help you stop Alex M Adamson sheriff action for council tax arrears, business rates, benefit overpayments and any other debt that you may have.
Have you had a visit from an Alex M Adamson sheriff officer because of unpaid council tax, business rates, benefits overpayment or any other debt? Or have you received a letter from Alex M Adamson letting you know a sheriff will be visiting?
If you have, don’t panic! Wage Arrestment Expert can help. We specialise in helping people like you stop sheriff action. With our help you can avoid a wage arrestment, keep your possessions and set up an affordable repayment plan. In short, we can help you get your life back on track. What’s more, our services are free of charge.
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APPLY FOR HELPHow does Wage Arrestment Expert help me deal with Alex M Adamson?
- Speak to Alex M Adamson sheriffs on your behalf
- Put in place a temporary hold on sheriff visits for you
- Negotiate with your local council for you
- Arrange an affordable and sustainable repayment plan for you
Who are Alex M Adamson Sheriff Officers?
Alex M Adamson is one of the largest debt collection agencies in Scotland and they have six offices in Scotland. It works with private sector and public sector organisations. Most of its business is providing messenger-at-arms and sheriff officer services. Alex M Adamson is a member of the Credit Services Association.
Have you received any communication from an Alex M Adamson sheriff officer? Contact Wage Arrestment Expert today if you would like further details on what you can do to avoid any further action from taking place. Call us today on 0141 255 2104
Unpaid Council Tax and Alex M Adamson
If you have not paid your council tax, the council must have followed a number of procedures to ask you to pay before Alex M Adamson can get involved.
If you have not paid your council by the date it is due, the council will send you a reminder and ask you to pay the outstanding amount within seven days. If there is more than one person in the home who is responsible for paying council tax, they will each receive a reminder too. If you do not pay the amount that is due after receiving the first reminder, you lose your option to pay in instalments. You will receive a second reminder, but this will ask for the full amount that is outstanding for the rest of the year to be paid. You have 14 days to pay this.
If you have received two reminders about unpaid council tax from the council and you still haven’t paid, the council can apply to the Sheriff Court for a summary warrant. If this is granted, the council will send details of your name, address and the amount you owe to Alex M Adamson. You will receive the summary warrant from Alex M Adamson. This will state the amount you owe (there will a 10% penalty charge for the summary warrant added to the outstanding council tax amount).
APPLY FOR HELP“Wage arrestment expert were able to help me put my debt worries to bed and start living my life again”
Damien Gregg
Charge for payment and diligence by Alex M Adamson
If you receive a summary warrant from Alex M Adamson about unpaid council tax, we advise you to get in touch to agree a repayment arrangement. If you would like help with this, call Wage Arrestment Expert today on 0141 255 2104
If you do not agree a repayment arrangement, the council can obtain a charge for payment from the Sheriff Court. This gives you 14 days to pay the outstanding amount. If you do not do this, the council can use diligence. This is also known as enforcement action. Diligence, or enforcement action, gives Alex M Adamson the power to collect your debt in the following ways:
Earnings arrestment (taking money directly from your wages) Bank arrestment (taking money directly from your bank account) Attachment of property outside your home (taking and selling any possessions that are outside your home)Application to the Sheriff Court for an exceptional attachment order (which allows Alex M Adamson to visit your home to take and sell your possessions) Bankruptcy You can find out more about these methods below.
Alex M Adamson and Earnings Arrestment
If you do not pay your debt or put in place a repayment programme, Alex M Adamson will be able to put an earnings arrestment in place. This means they will deduct money from your wages after tax each month until the debt is repaid. Alex M Adamson will charge a fee for doing this each month. This will also be deducted from your wages.
By law, Alex M Adamson or the council must send you a debt advice package 12 weeks before serving you with the earnings arrestment.
Even if you have been served with an earnings arrestment, there is still time to prevent it happening. You can apply for a time to pay order. You will find more details about this further on in this article. You can also call us on 0141 255 2104 to get more information free of charge.
Alex M Adamson and Bank Arrestment
If you are not able to come to a repayment arrangement with Alex M Adamson, bank arrestment can be used to recover the money.
This gives Alex M Adamson the right to freeze your bank account until you give permission (called a mandate) to release an amount that either covers your debt or puts a lump sum towards it. Alex M Adamson will add a fee to the amount you owe. Any account in your name will be liable to being frozen, even if it is a joint account with someone else.
The arrestment only applies to money in the bank account on the day the arrestment was delivered to the bank by Alex M Adamson. You will not receive any advance warning of a bank arrestment.
If you don’t give your permission for the money to be released, your bank will be instructed to release it after 14 weeks. During this time, you will not be able to use the account. No direct debits or standing orders will be paid either. This means that you could be getting into an even worse financial situation.
If your account has been frozen, you can apply to Alex M Adamson to release some of the money under the arrestment. However, to do this, you need to agree to set up a standing order for the remaining debt.
Even if a bank arrestment has been served, there may still be ways to stop it happening. These include applying for a time to pay order or putting a debt repayment programme in place. To get free advice on these alternatives, call us today on 0141 255 2104
Alex M Adamson and attached of property outside the home
Once a charge for payment has been given and the council has the power to use diligence, Alex M Adamson has the power to arrange the seizure and sale of personal belongings outside your home to recover the debt. This is called an attachment of property outside the home, or attachment of goods. You will also have to pay Alex M Adamson’s fees for administering the attachment of goods.
Before Alex M Adamson can serve an attachment of goods and take your possessions, you must have received a debt advice and information package. This explains your rights and tells you where to get help. Alex M Adamson may send this to you up to 12 weeks before they visit you to seize your property. The sheriff who visits your home may also give it to you on the day they visit you.
Alex M Adamson sheriffs do not have legal permission to enter your home to enforce an attachment of goods (seize your property). However, they do have legal permission to enter outbuildings, garages, or business premises, even if they are locked.
Not all personal property can be seized. Items such as tools, books or equipment that you reasonably need to carry out your trade or business, up to a total value of £1,000, any vehicles that you reasonably require up to the value of £3,000, or a mobile home if it is your only or main residence are all exempt.
Once an attachment is complete, Alex M Adamson must give you a list of the goods being removed and the amount they are valued at. These goods can be sold seven days after they have been removed. Before they are sold, you have the right to buy them back within 14 days at the same value. A friend or relative can also buy them back for you.
You will still be liable for any debt that has not been covered by the sale of the goods.
If you feel that Alex M Adamson sheriffs have not carried out the attachment properly, for example removing items that are exempt from being attached, or someone else’s belongings, you can apply to the court to challenge it. To get free advice on this, call us on 0141 255 2104
When can Alex M Adamson Sheriff Offices enter your home?
A sheriff officer from Alex M Adamson may only enter your home as a last resort. They will need an Exceptional Attachment Order from the Sheriff Court to do it. They can only enter your home between 8.00am and 8.00pm Monday to Saturday.
You should always check the identity of the Sheriff Officer. You should also ask to see the court document, which will state that it ‘grants warrant for all lawful execution’. If you have been shown a document but aren’t sure if it gives Alex M Adamson sheriffs the authority to enter your home, call us immediately on 0141 255 2104 for free advice.
If an Alex M Adamson sheriff officer has permission to enter your home and you do not let them in, they can use ‘necessary reasonable force’ to gain entry. This means that they can force a door, or break a lock or window. You could also be charged with breach of the peace for obstructing an officer of the court who has been given permission by the court to enter your home.
If Alex M Adamson sheriff officers have to force a door or break a lock or window, the council has to pay for the replacement. However, the cost of doing this may be included as part of Alex M Adamson’s fees and be passed on to you.
There are exceptions to an Alex M Adamson sheriff officer being allowed to enter your home, even if they have permission to do so. There must be someone at home who is at least 16 years old. There must be someone there able to speak and understand English. There must be a person present who is able to understand the situation and who does not have a physical or mental disability that may prevent them from understanding.
Certain items are exempt from an Exceptional Attachment Order. These include clothing, bedding, basic household furniture, a fridge and cooking equipment. Alex M Adamson sheriff officers have the power of discretion. If they do not think you have a reasonable need for an item, they can seize it.
If you have an Exceptional Attachment Order, you should seek help urgently. Call us on 0141 255 2104 now to speak to one of our specialist advisors.
How to stop diligence being carried out by Alex M Adamson
Time to pay orders
If a charge for payment has been issued, you can apply for a time to pay order. This will prevent the council from using diligence against you so Alex M Adamson will not have the power to collect your debt using any of the ways above.
If you would like to get free advice about applying for a time to pay order and stopping action by Alex M Adamson, call us today on 0141 255 2104
Debt repayment schemes
Debt repayment schemes let you pay your council tax arrears with regular, affordable payments. While they are in place, the interest, fees and charges on your debt will be frozen for as long as you keep up the payments. Having a debt repayment scheme in place (and sticking to it) stops Alex M Adamson from collecting the debt using earnings arrestment, declaring you bankrupt or using any of the other forms of diligence mentioned above.
For free information on the different debt arrangement schemes available to you and to find out which one is right for your circumstances, call us on 0141 255 2104
How to make a complaint about Alex M Adamson
If you believe that a sheriff officer from Alex M Adamson has behaved unreasonably or broken the law, you should write to Alex M Adamson and ask for an explanation. You will find the contact details at the bottom of this page.
If you are unhappy with the reply you have been given (or you don’t receive a reply at all) you can make a further complaint to the Sheriff Principal at the local sheriff court. They will look into the matter for you.
To get free advice on how to make a complaint or find out if you have got a valid reason to complain, you can call us on 0141 255 2104
What fees can Alex M Adamson Charge me?
Yes, you may have to pay Alex M Adamson’s charges on top of any other amount you owe. However, the fees that can be charged are clearly set out in law. They can also only be charged once.
Here are some of the fees per person that Alex M Adamson may be able to charge for debt collection.
Attachment of vehicles and heavy machinery
Attachment of earnings or bank account
Taking possession of belonging
You may also have to pay other clerical and administration charges. If you have any questions about the fees you could be charged by Alex M Adamson, contact us today for further advice on 0141 255 2104
Unpaid Business Rates and Alex M Adamson
If you have unpaid business rates, the council can apply to the Sheriff Court for a summary warrant. They will then instruct Alex M Adamson to collect the debt from you. In this situation, Alex M Adamson will have the same powers as they do to collect unpaid council tax as discussed above.
You can apply for a time to pay order or put a debt repayment scheme in place to avoid diligence.
If your business rates debt is more than £3,000, or Alex M Adamson has not been able to recover the money from you and you cannot realistically repay the debt, the council can apply to make you bankrupt. It may be that being declared bankrupt – or declaring yourself bankrupt (which is a different thing) – is the best thing you can do. However, it is a very serious step because your home, assets and job could be at risk. It is vital you get the right advice. Call us today on 0141 255 2104 to discuss your options and find out what solution is right for you.
Benefit Overpayments and Alex M Adamson
If you have been paid too much benefit, you will be notified by the council and asked to pay the amount back. As with council tax debt, if you do not pay, the council will apply to the Sheriff Court for a summary warrant and Alex M Adamson will have legal powers as it does when it comes to unpaid council tax.
To discuss your options and get free help and advice on your situation, call us on 0141 255 2104
Consumer debt and Alex M Adamson
If you owe money on credit cards, bank charges, loans or any other type of consumer or financial debt, Alex M Adamson is likely to have the same rights and powers to collect the debt from you as it has to collect unpaid council tax. However, there may be some differences.
To find out more, call us today on 0141 255 2104
Are you facing a bank arrestment or earnings arrestment, or have one in place already? We may be able to look into a number of solutions available to stop this from taking place or remove it if it’s already in place.
How to contact Alex M Adamson
If you would like to contact Alex M Adamson directly, here are their details:
Head office address: 7 Park Street, Falkirk, FK1 1RE Telephone: 01324 621293 http://www.alex-m-adamson.co.uk/