Council Tax Discount 25%

lizzieb_3

My husband is living and working away. He has a small flat which he has a 6 mth lease on (cheaper & more comfortable than bed & breakfast). He pays council tax at a reduced rate of 25% for sole occupany and all the other normal bills are in his name - gas, elec & water rates; in addition if he was ill he would be seek treatment in Hemel Hempstead his temporary home, likewise for the dentist. For all intents and purposes he is living in Hemel Hempstead in his flat and visits his home at weekends for one or two nights whenever possible. I applied to our local council for sole occupancy in Thanet where I live with my son who is a full time uni student. The council have refused my application saying 'for council tax purposes it can be considered that your marital/family home in Thanet remains his main residence and as primary permanent residence of two adults no discount can be awarded' Consequently my husband will be paying Council tax on 2 properties one at the full rate and one with a 25% deduction. On top of all this the lady at the Council Tax office in Thanet stated that my husband should not be receiving a 25% discount for sole occupancy from Dacorum Council because it is not his main place of reisidence. Anybody have any experience with this doubling up of council rates any advice would be much appreciated.

Fran

On the Dacorum Borough Council website it clearly states that someone can only get the 25% if it is not their main place of residence, so unless you and your husband have seperated I would guess that as his belongings etc. are at your home and he intends to return there at some stage then it would be seen as his main place of residence. He should contact council tax in that area because on the site it also mentions penalties if he receives discount that he is not entitled to. Unfortunately he has made the decision to rent somewhere so as things stand at the moment he will have to pay council tax if that is in his tenancy agreement.