first home-council tax question

downs523

hi, i move into my first home this friday and need to sort out the council tax. its a 3 bedroom terrace house.

one of these bedrooms is going to be a permenant office and not a bedroom, can i inform the council that only 2 bedrooms are being used as bedrooms so the banding for my property is changed?

poppysarah

Yes and you will pay business rates on the use of the room as an office.
Your accountant should have advised you to not have a sole business use room in your house ...
Speak to your acct before you speak to the council.

You may require change of use if you're running a business from a section of your home.

downs523

its not for running a business, its going to be where my computer is and where i will be studying. beasically im starting my police career and am going to be using a bedroom as a study/office room.

poppysarah

In that case no you don't need to tell the council anything about it...

It won't get you a discount!

Is the property band a?

downs523

if i do tell them a bedroom is being used as a study/office will i get cheaper council tax making the property only a 2 bedroom? this was the point i was trying to make out if it wasnt clear. thanks

zfrl

It is not a 2 bedroom property. What you do with the rooms is up to you. Sorry no discount.

poppysarah

NO.
You will still have the room. You're just using it as something else.

If you live on your own you can claim a discount.

russ21282

The bands are done on the valuation the house was in 1991 or something, so i don't think it would make a difference if it was 2 or 3 bedrooms.

sarah_elton

No - the council don't care what your rooms are being used for. They won't charge you more council tax if use your lounge and dining room as extra bedrooms, and you can't get a discount for using a bedroom as something else.

tbs624

downs523 wrote: »

hi, i move into my first home this friday and need to sort out the council tax. its a 3 bedroom terrace house.

one of these bedrooms is going to be a permenant office and not a bedroom, can i inform the council that only 2 bedrooms are being used as bedrooms so the banding for my property is changed?

The Council Tax banding is based on the market value of your home as at 1st April 1991. The fact that you may choose to use a bedroom for another purpose won't make any difference to that banding, otherwise you could have bedroom 1 as a gym, bedroom 2 as a reading room & just kip on the sofa-bed downstairs and claim a massive discount.....;)

However, if you are living there by yourself you can claim a discount for single person occupancy.

downs523

ok so no discount, thanks for all the replies, how do they band it if it was build after 1991, it was built 2005? just out of curiosity??