UK households owe almost £19 billion to essential service providers and government in arrears according to Citizens Advice

Citizens Advice is calling for better regulation of unaccountable bailiff firms as it reveals households have fallen behind on their essential bills, such as council tax and utilities, by an estimated £18.9 billion.

Figures from the charity show:

UK households owe £18.9 billion to essential service providers and government in arrears. This includes tax credit overpayments of almost £7.5 billion, £2.84 billion owed to local authorities in council tax arrears and £2.20 billion owed to water companies.

Household debt has now overtaken consumer credit as the key money problem people bring to Citizens Advice.

Last year Citizens Advice helped people with 690,000 household bill debt problems, compared to 350,000 consumer credit issues.

Gillian Guy, Chief Executive of Citizens Advice, said:

“One person every 3 minutes come to us for help with bailiff issues. Families are living in fear of a visit from the bailiffs, and small missed bills can skyrocket through excessive enforcement fees.

“Our evidence shows aggressive tactics by bailiffs cause huge distress and can even push people further into debt. Families are going without essentials like food or electricity to meet their payments.

“The Ministry of Justice has already announced a call for evidence into aggressive collection practices by bailiffs. They must use this to take strong action and introduce an independent bailiff regulator to fix this broken system.”

Read the latest press release dated 21st August 2018 from Citizens Advice in full click here.

Allen Walkey

Highly experienced businessman with a successful career in property sales and investment both in the UK and abroad. Now a freelance writer and blogger for the property and Investment Industry, keeping readers up-to-date with changes and events in a rapidly changing world.

You May Also Enjoy

Estate Agent Talk

Real Estate Lawyers: Who They Are and What They Do?

When you want to purchase or sell a property, the best course of action would be to seek help from professionals. Real estate transactions usually involve huge sums of cash, so the legal protocols are there to ensure your security and prevent you from falling victim to fraud. Hiring a real estate attorney is essential,…
Read More
Breaking News

Weekly News Roundup – 03/05/24

A roundup of the week’s top property and proptech news stories in partnership with Proptech-X   Table of Contents Is Zoopla holding back the housing market? Will Yardi’s multi-million gamble on WeWork the former £37Bn Unicorn pay off? Nimbus report gives oversight on retail market post Covid   Is Zoopla holding back the housing market?…
Read More
Love or Hate Rightmove
Breaking News

Rightmove’s weekly mortgage tracker – 02/05/24

Matt Smith, Rightmove’s mortgage expert said: “Next week’s Bank of England meeting will be quite key for setting the tone for mortgage rates leading into summer. An uneasy few weeks for the world economy has meant that there is still a lot of uncertainty around when we might see the first interest rate cut – and…
Read More
Estate Agent Talk

Powering Up Your Brokerage: How Real Estate Apps are Transforming the Industry

The real estate industry once literally hand-to-hand with traditional printed flyers and face-to-face meetings became digital-friendly after the revolution of technology. Among the key drivers of this transformation is the real estate app through which brokerages redefine the role they perform and the way they interact with clients. Streamlined Workflows and Increased Efficiency Gone are…
Read More
Breaking News

Breaking Property News – 02/05/24

Daily bite-sized proptech and property news in partnership with Proptech-X. Is Zoopla holding back the housing market? Maybe it is me! and definitely me and my dog Zara do not think like most people, but – each month in the UK just 100,000 properties complete (exchange) and in the past decade this has been the…
Read More
Breaking News

Breaking Property News – 01/05/24

Daily bite-sized proptech and property news in partnership with Proptech-X.   Fine & Country relaunches Masterclass Series for 2024 to support network in winning more business Set to take place in both London and Huddersfield, Fine & Country will be hosting informative and engaging Masterclass sessions again this year, sharing insight from property experts on…
Read More