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jc808
Posts: 1,756 Forumite
Heres the situation - I share my house with lodgers. One of them is an indian national who had a student visa and now a work visa, and works full time
She pays no utility bills or tax here as she is effectively a houseguest (Her lodgings ie 'rent' include all bills and I pay the Council Tax on the property as I am the owner)
The council are aware she is here as I gave the names of my lodgers to the local Council when they moved in (They moved in within weeks of each other) as I had to unapply for single persons tax discount.
The lodger in question wants to improve her credit rating, which is very poor at the moment, according to experian. This is, apparently for three reasons
- Little to no credit history
- No utility bills (Though she can provide bank statements as proof of address so this is OK i think)
- Not on the electoral roll
The fact she is not a UK national may be a factor too, but its none of my business. She has asked me if she is registered here with the council, as Experian told her this would improve her credit rating. I told her about the council thing.
Really she needs to be on the Electoral Roll does she not? Can a non-UK resident be on the Electoral Roll (But presumably not be allowed to vote)?
Confused
She pays no utility bills or tax here as she is effectively a houseguest (Her lodgings ie 'rent' include all bills and I pay the Council Tax on the property as I am the owner)
The council are aware she is here as I gave the names of my lodgers to the local Council when they moved in (They moved in within weeks of each other) as I had to unapply for single persons tax discount.
The lodger in question wants to improve her credit rating, which is very poor at the moment, according to experian. This is, apparently for three reasons
- Little to no credit history
- No utility bills (Though she can provide bank statements as proof of address so this is OK i think)
- Not on the electoral roll
The fact she is not a UK national may be a factor too, but its none of my business. She has asked me if she is registered here with the council, as Experian told her this would improve her credit rating. I told her about the council thing.
Really she needs to be on the Electoral Roll does she not? Can a non-UK resident be on the Electoral Roll (But presumably not be allowed to vote)?
Confused
0
Comments
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If you are not eligible to vote you.... cannot register to vote!
However, she may be eligible:
Alternatively, you could reduce her rent and make her responsible for utilities I guess.....To qualify, Commonwealth citizens must be resident in the UK and either have leave to remain in the UK or not require such leave.
On a related issue, are you doing everything else you need to as a landlord with lodgers?
LODGERS (Licencees)
A lodger (broadly) lives in the same property with their resident landlord, and shares facilities. Unlike tenants, lodgers have few rights.
The Housing Act 1988 (above) provides definitions of 'Resident Landlord' and 'same property'.
There is advice for landlords considering taking in lodgers here:
LodgerLandlord (General information site)
Landlordzone (General advice on taking in lodgers)
Renting out rooms in your home (Government info)
Rent a Room Scheme (Government scheme for tax-free income from lodgers)0 -
Oh and yes, I have my other obligations covered in respect of lodgers0
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She can vote, but she will have to be registered firstMortgage start Oct 12 £104,500
current May 20 -£56,290_£52,067
term 9 years aiming on being mortgage free by 7
Weight Up & down 14st 7lb0 -
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sorry council not hmrc
ive directed her to the electoral roll www ta guys0 -
She is probably allowed to vote and she can do so by registering herself. This shouldn't involve you.
If you want to help her, you can change names on one of the utilities i.e. water and let the bill come in her name. Shouldn't be too much of a hassle for you.
It's an easy solution. You can also request your council to put both of your names in bill. I have lived in shared accomodation before and we had up to 4 people on the council tax bill.
Just make sure that the bills are paid on time.Nothing is more damaging to the adventurous spirit within a man than a secure future. - Alex Supertramp0 -
A mobile phone bill registered at your address meets the requirements for a utility bill.
Do not put your household bills in her name.The person who has not made a mistake, has made nothing0 -
As a lodger she has no responsibility for Council Tax and so her name should not be on the CT bill.If you are querying your Council Tax band would you please state whether you are in England, Scotland or Wales0
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Agreed...Do not ever put lodgers names on your bills. You could become financially connected and that is the last thing anyone wants.:footie:
Regular savers earn 6% interest (HSBC, First Direct, M&S) Loans cost 2.9% per year (Nationwide) = FREE money. 0
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