Council tax problems

RobertoMoir

L122ie wrote: »

Can the council claim back the unpaid amount anyway even if it is their fault. We are wondering if it is worth getting the advise of a Solicitor but not sure how much that would cost.

They would probably dispute the idea that it was their fault. The bill should quite clearly say that the reduction applied is for "single person occupancy". This will probably be spelt out quite clearly in the yearly bill,
e.g. something like this
Charge for period, Band B, 01-APR-2008 to 31-MAR-2009 £1000.00
25% reduction for single occupancy 01-APR-2008 to 31-MAR-2009 -£250.00
=============================================
AMOUNT PAYABLE BY YOU £750.00

There is some spiel on my bill directly under this that spells out even more clearly that the assumption for the reduction above is that only one adult lives at the address during the qualified period.

Their position will be that while it could be an honest mistake on your mothers part, it certainly isn't an error on theirs, and the problem is that from their point of view, an honest mistake on behalf of the taxpayer looks almost completely identical to an attempt to defraud them.