Council Tax Single Occupancy reclaim?

SpideyPunk

Hi all

I have just discovered there is such a thing as Single Occupancy discount after seeing my friends bill on her kitchen side!
I have lived alone for a number of years since splitting with my partner and have paid my full council tax bill in monthly installments, I was wondering if i can put in a claim, and also if there is any chance of claiming all this extra cash back, as with the Banding type situation, or will i just have to settle for paying less in the future?

Your advice is appreciated :beer:

McKneff

just ring your local council up. They will be able to help you.
good luck

lonestarsky

Hi Spideypunk
Your council should be able to backdate your 25% discount but they may ask for third party evidence confirming you've been living alone for the period in question. Provided you do this there should be no problem getting back the extra cash you paid!
LSS

SpideyPunk

Fantastic!!
My council has this form
http://www.thurrock.gov.uk/counciltax/pdf/single_person.pdf
to fill out and says to write a letter for a "Substantially backdated claim" but what do you think this means? I have Council Tax documents showing i have paid in full since 2006 (I was paying and living alone before this but i dont have the council tax bills, so i dont know if i could claim that back? Or how?)

Thanks for all your help, this claim could sort out my debt problems!

olly300

SpideyPunk wrote: »

Fantastic!!
My council has this form
http://www.thurrock.gov.uk/counciltax/pdf/single_person.pdf
to fill out and says to write a letter for a "Substantially backdated claim" but what do you think this means?:)

It means write a letter stating what evidence you have to show that you lived alone for that time period and include photocopies of any documents you have to prove it.

Depending how good your local council is (and I don't think yours is any good because mine always have put leaflets in for single occupancy discount in with my annual bill) I suggest you send the letter by recorded delivery.

JimmyTheWig

You shouldn't need the council tax bills to prove that you've been paying the full rate. I would like to think that their system will show how much you have paid. I'm sure it would if you had underpaid for years!

I think what lonestarsky means is that you might need evidence to prove that you were living alone during this time.
For example, who has been registered on the electoral role?
Has your ex been paying council tax elsewhere? If you are still on speaking terms with them that might be enough for the council.

However, I've just followed your link. They say

Discounts will normally only be given from the date the claim is received. A claim may be backdated if a claimant can give a good reason why they did not apply in a timely manner, and can supply supporting evidence.

It then goes on to say

The onus lies with the Council Tax payer to apply when they first become entitled. This enables the claim to be verified by way of an inspection if we feel the need. Because it is almost impossible to verify backdated claims, we will not normally consider any backdating of a discount by more than a short period unless there is a very good reason for failing to apply at the right time and substantive documentary evidence is provided to support the claim.
We would not consider ignorance of the need to apply a good reason. The type of reasons we would need to consider whether we might award a backdated discount are:
* bereavement in immediate family
* serious accident or illness of Council Tax payer or near family
* marital split
* old age

Were you married to your partner at the time?

Looks like they might try and get out of giving you the money back. It's terrible that you have to apply for it - surely they know how many people live at an address and can apply this themselves?

SpideyPunk

Thanks for replying..

I have been the only one registered on the electoral role as at the beginning of our relationship my parnter was not a full UK Resident,and we never got round to putting her on it, I dont know if this will help or hinder the claim?

I was still technically Married to my partner at the time of paying, but the marriage had ended upon mutual agreement and terms.
My partner left the country shortly after,and has not been back to the UK since,however we are still on good terms so there would not be a problem to get a verbal/written statement from her confirming this all happened (and the fact that she hasnt even lived in the UK since the dates i would backclaim from!)

Any ideas on how to progress?
thank you all so much! :money:

elmer

I would phone them and ask, where I work as long as you asked in a straight forward way and were willing to provide evidence if we needed it, we would backdate if it was only a matter of a few years.
For more than two or three we would be looking for verification, and after 5 would mean a decision higher up the ladder and therefore less likely.
However this just my council, others may vary in their response so the best thing is to ask and see what they say.

Elmer

CIS

Looks like they might try and get out of giving you the money back. It's terrible that you have to apply for it - surely they know how many people live at an address and can apply this themselves?

From a council tax point of view we have very little in the way of records to know who is living where apart from what they tell us - the electoral roll can help but its easy enough not to register on it.

The council has a duty to safeguard public funds , this includes any discounts given, and therefore they will be careful over the award of backdated discounts.

lonestarsky

I agree with elmer, the council I worked for would usually backdate discounts without any problem as long as sufficient evidence was supplied. In this case you can confirm you were living alone as per the electoral role and if your ex partner is willing to confirm in writing the date she moved out that would probably help. Each council seems to want different evidence - for example my council would accept a signed statement from a professional such as a doctor/teacher etc confirming they know you and they know you have lived alone, but other councils probably wouldn't accept this.

Februarycat

I had to provide a solicitors letter when I separated from my husband to say that he no longer was living at the address and we were separated, it took me about 6 months to sort it out but did get the backdated overpayments which I had paid.