LOCAL RATES 2015 - PAYMENT ENFORCEMENT

Morning all

I received an email from my solicitors (they are 'supposed' to deal with my finances for an annual fee) on Friday headed up:

LOCAL RATES 2015 - PAYMENT ENFORCEMENT

saying that my bill (which I've never received) has not been paid and saying there will be a 20% fine to pay in addition.

I'm annoyed on a few levels:

1)  I am never in debt and

2) I have an email from the Solicitors dated December 2014 saying that this direct debit (amongst others) had been set up !  The solicitors are saying

"It seems the direct debit has not been attended by your bank, therefore the tax office has initiated the subsequent enforcement procedure.

Please, note that the said amount includes a 20% surcharge for late payment. But, should the payment be made before the deadline which is the next 20^th October it will be reduced by 10%."

So I've emailed both the solicitors and the Bank asking who is responsible for this error.  I've also now checked with my bank online and can see that there isn't a direct debit set up, (but then maybe it wouldn't show if it hasn't had a first payment?) so I'm thinking that it's the solicitors error and they're blaming the bank.  Either way I need to find out who is responsible and make them pay the fine !  If I find it really is the fault of the solicitors, which it is looking like, then I shall be asking for my annual fee back and dealing with the matter myself in future.

Do you normally receive a bill?

Does anyone have any suggestions on this please? 

Have you checked to see if the town hall even tried to get payment from your bank.  If not, then it maybe neither the bank nor your lawyer. Our town hall used to take a year to get the DD working.  Not sure of they have improved.

Thanks johnzx, no I haven't, I'm in the UK (and don't yet speak Spanish) and the first I knew of this was an email from the solicitor urging me to send them the money to pay it.  It's interesting what you say though, thanks for taking the time to respond :)

I pay the bills for my son so I have 2 apartments for him plus a separate garage space.  I have my apartment and a local (lock up garage) so I have to keep watch on all the various DD’s for all the taxes etc  for all of them.   I also pay my son and his wife’s  second home taxes so that’s another 5 returns.  It’s almost a full time job !    Occasionally the town hall, electric, water,  etc. foul up.

Oh, you do have your hands full !  This was why I agreed to having the solicitor do it on my behalf.  Still not had any responses from them or the bank.  I'm imagining someone having slapped wrists :/

We don't get bills from our local council either (Vera). I managed to contact them via their Facebook page and received a bill, when I visited 2 weeks later, there was also a bill in the letter box!!

Can't help with the dd though as I won't set one up, because we don't get a bil. Catch 22!!!

Mark

That's hilarious Mark, a catch 22 indeed.  I'm learning so much from this forum :/

Hey Johnzx :D

It seems that you were right !  FINALLY, after sending an unusually assertive email this afternoon, within minutes the solicitors actually rang me from Spain.  I guess they don't like the idea of losing business and being named and shamed :/   It turns out that the Town Hall were at fault all along.  So, check your banks people and check your direct debits if you come under Murcia Town Hall.

This was part of an email from the solicitor this afternoon after my rather loud and angry 'conversation' with her :  ".....Murcia town hall and they informed me since the direct debits method of SEPA changed some of direct debits did not worked properly, it happens also to other clients....."

So, check your direct debits people and check all is well if you come under Murcia Town Hall.