Council Tax - Charged after graduation date

CIS

Some councils don't give any discounts for empty, furnished properties. Always worth asking though.

The minimum discount allowable under the Local Government Act 2003, which implemented the April 2004 adjustments to the regs, is 10% for unoccupied/furnished properties, the minimum discount for unoccupied/unfurnished is 6 months exemption and between 50% and 0% discount.

Gingernutmeg

melancholly wrote: »

just had a thought - i assume they will be charging you based on the dates on your council tax exemption certificate from your uni. so if those are the dates you were given, it's a bit late now....

We had a similar problem. OH and I were students together and our final year exemption certificates ended in May, and we were charged council tax from May 1st. We'd assumed that we'd still be students until we'd finished our exams and graduated but that's not the case, it seems like you're charged from the beginning of the month that's named as your finishing date on the certificate, and our university at least put the last month of teaching, not graduation. We thought this was a bit odd as technically we still WERE students until we graduated - I think we only found out that we'd passed everything a couple of weeks before graduation. Not sure if this is relevant to the OP but I can't see how you'll get out of paying it - I doubt that the council will believe that you were paying rent on somewhere where you weren't living (although of course I know that happens).

Fire_Fox

Gingernutmeg wrote: »

We had a similar problem. OH and I were students together and our final year exemption certificates ended in May, and we were charged council tax from May 1st. We'd assumed that we'd still be students until we'd finished our exams and graduated but that's not the case, it seems like you're charged from the beginning of the month that's named as your finishing date on the certificate, and our university at least put the last month of teaching, not graduation. We thought this was a bit odd as technically we still WERE students until we graduated - I think we only found out that we'd passed everything a couple of weeks before graduation. Not sure if this is relevant to the OP but I can't see how you'll get out of paying it - I doubt that the council will believe that you were paying rent on somewhere where you weren't living (although of course I know that happens).

My exemption certificate this year (technically my final year of the foundation degree but I do plan to top up) is from 1 August to 31 July. I have no idea why, but it may be worth checking with your Uni in case they can give you a longer certificate - at least until the actual end of your commitment.

Oldernotwiser

kelloggs36 wrote: »

Were you signing on as unemployed? Can you not get exemption because of this now?

You don't get exemption from council tax just because you're unemployed; you have to claim Council Tax Benefit.

Oldernotwiser

CIS wrote: »

The minimum discount allowable under the Local Government Act 2003, which implemented the April 2004 adjustments to the regs, is 10% for unoccupied/furnished properties, the minimum discount for unoccupied/unfurnished is 6 months exemption and between 50% and 0% discount.

I'll have to get back to my last council; they told us there was no discount for an empty property if it was furnished!

Kua

Oldernotwiser wrote: »

I'll have to get back to my last council; they told us there was no discount for an empty property if it was furnished!

Hi Oldernotwiser. This is completey off topic (so my apologies to the OP!) but I was hoping to send you a private message but your message box is full. I'd noticed you're a careers adviser, so its related to that. Is there something you can delete so I can pass the message on ?

Oldernotwiser

Kua wrote: »

Hi Oldernotwiser. This is completey off topic (so my apologies to the OP!) but I was hoping to send you a private message but your message box is full. I'd noticed you're a careers adviser, so its related to that. Is there something you can delete so I can pass the message on ?

I'll clear some space.

thebogbrush

thanks for the replies guys, seems that I have no choice but to pay it. I aint very happy but im just gona have to swallow it.

They've turned around and said, that it doesn't matter who pays the money of the 3 of us involved as long as they get it. So if i pay up my share, and the others don't im still in the !!!!. However, one of them dropped out of college around a month or so after moving in, while the other one didn't graduate till this February and his course didn't officially finish till November..after the tenancy ended! So now i dont know what to tell them. They assumed that us 3 all finished at the same time, hence the reason for why they are charging us as a whole.

CIS

Technically they are liable from the date they ceased being students, as each of you ceased being students you would become jointly liable from that date with any other non students in the property.

angel00079

Fire_Fox wrote: »

My exemption certificate this year (technically my final year of the foundation degree but I do plan to top up) is from 1 August to 31 July. I have no idea why, but it may be worth checking with your Uni in case they can give you a longer certificate - at least until the actual end of your commitment.

It may not be the case with all councils but some do not apply the exemption between the end of one course and the start of the next. Just thought it was worth mentioning as my friend got caught out with this.