Problems paying your sundry debt
A sundry debt is money you owe to Lewisham Council for services or goods, such as hire charges, licences, or other council services.
If you don't pay your sundry debt
We will send you a reminder if you do not pay your debt, or you pay late. The reminder shows how much remains outstanding and when it needs to be paid by. If you continue to miss payments or pay late, we may have to take further recovery action against you.
Debt Collection
If you still don’t pay, we may pass your debt to a debt collection agency. This agency will contact you to collect the money you owe.
Freezing Your Bank Account
In some cases, the council can ask a court to freeze your bank account to recover the debt directly from your funds.
Taking Money From Your Employer (Attachment of Earnings)
We can apply to take money directly from your wages to repay the debt. We will apply to the court for a judgement order, when it is granted we will contact your employer to start deducting the money from your salary.
Repaying a sundry debt using proceeds from the sale of your house
If you have not repaid overpayments and you are a homeowner, we can place a charge against your property so that when you sell it, the overpayment (including costs) will be paid from the proceeds of the sale.
We will make an application to the county court for a charging order. The costs of making the charging order will be added to what you owe us. Once an entry is made at the land registry confirming that the debt has been secured, you cannot sell the property without first repaying the overpayment. We will also claim statutory interest.
You can still make payments to reduce the debt. If you pay the debt in full, including costs, we will remove the charge.
Bankruptcy or Legal Action
If your debt is not paid, the council may take legal action which could lead to bankruptcy proceedings. This is a serious step and will affect your credit rating and other restrictions may be put on you. We can apply to the court to petition for you to be made bankrupt if your debt is more than £5,000.
What should you do next?
- Find out ways you can pay your sundry debt.
- Contact us immediately by calling 020 8314 3633 if you are having trouble paying your debt. We want to help you find a way to repay it.
- Get advice if you are worried about your financial situation. Organisations like Citizens Advice can help. You can also seek your own legal advice.
Challenging sundry debt invoices
If you think an invoice is incorrect or you are not sure why you have received it, please contact us immediately. It is important that you speak to us immediately to resolve your dispute as we may take legal action if you don’t pay your sundry debt.