1 month eviction notice?

Fire_Fox

Your AST clearly states you are supposed to pay for council tax and utilities directly to the supplier, do you have it in writing that the landlord did not want you to set up accounts? Do you have readings from the start of your tenancy? Please deal with the council tax issues ASAP, this is the only bill where you risk legal action for evasion or arrears.

edwardmluk

Yeah I know we need to pay the bills. I'm just saying if needed we can use the situation as leverage to spread the cost over a couple of months. As that'd be doing them a favour by letting them move back when they need, and us a favour because then we can afford to move out and pay back etc.

The council tax stuff, should we be sorting that out, or should we be asking the LLs to organise it? And what steps do we need to take to solve that situation. Legal funness is something that we'd like to avoid.

Fire_Fox

You are technically in breach of your AST by not paying the utilties directly to the suppliers, this fact gives you no leverage at all. I appreciate completely that your landlord has asked you to do this, but the fact remains that you are in breach. If you ask for your deposit to be lodged with a scheme now, they will struggle to claim the money for the bills out of your deposit which means you can then offer to pay over a period of time. Were any meter readings taken at the start of the tenancy?

It is the residents responsibility to ensure the council tax is paid, and the residents responsibility to contact the council. Just e-mail or ring the council giving your names and the date your tenancy started, and asking to pay by direct debit. DD means they shouldn't ask for the six months in one hit: don't tell them you are moving out just yet or they will close the new account which means you will need to pay in full. Councils are usually pretty chilled about people being slow to let them know they have moved in or out, they are not chilled if they find out for themselves and have to send red bills!