Just graduated - got council tax bill :(

jaxkesa

Hello

I have just graduated and therefore no longer a student I share a house with 4 other people who are still students until next year or later but have a single tenancy agreement as opposed to a joint tenancy.

Yesterday I got a council tax bill through the post in my name for which I have to start making £91 a month payments as of 1st August (that includes the 25% discount I get for being the only person paying).

The house is in Band C but it seems a little unfair to have to pay for the whole house when I only have use of 1 room and share the kitchen and bathroom. Is there any kind of discount I could maybe apply for or am I basically screwed? My 12 month tenancy runs out at the end of september so I can't really leave and find somewhere cheaper (which I would do if I could!).

Thanks.

melancholly

it does suck, but as a student in a shared hosue myself, i wouldn't be happy sharing the bill since i'm not eligible...... if you already have the 25% discount then i think that's all you can get. you might try getting your housemates to contribute something, but they are not in any way obliged to. if you're only there til the end of september, this effectively means only 2 payments, then you might be better off living with non-students.

i can't really see any way out of it.........sorry! unless by any small chance there's something in your tenancy agreement about council tax. the world after being a student of tax and loan repayments is a bit of a shock (i'm being a student again after having a break so i know how nasty this can be!).

Ryan.Maloney

You could always lie, but that's wrong and you definately shouldn't do that (e.g. make out you live at your parents, and get the tenancy transferred to a student mate)

Crispy_Ambulance

As the only liable person, you should get a 25% discount on the bill. You may also be eligible for council tax benefit and housing beneift if your income is low enough.

surfcat

I'm not quite following. You say you have a single tenancy (presumably a SHMO, where the rooms are properly lockable and let as individual units) yet the council tax is calculated on the whole property. I would have thought that the council tax should only be calculated as if you have a 1-bed flat with kitchen and bathroom?

Eoin_McLove

When I did my BA, I lived in the same house from September 2003 to September 2005, but I never paid council tax from the July 2005 when I graduated to the September 2005 when I left the property. Even though my course officially ended in July 2005, I wasn't charged for the remaining couple of months, as you have been.

This year in my new house, however, the Council has tried to screw us at every opportunity. The three people in the house are all full-time MA students, and our courses began on 26th September 2005. Because our contract started on 1st September 2005, the Council charged us for the 25 days when we weren't technically students! And a couple of weeks ago, we were sent a council tax bill for 16th June to 31st August, because the 16th June is the last day of term (for undergraduates) and the 31st August marks the end of our tenancy. Fortunately, because we're all postgraduates, our courses don't officially end until 1st September 2006, so we didn't have much trouble sorting this out. But the Council this year has tried to charge us tax at every possible opportunity - and yet last year, we had no problems whatsoever.

Having said all of that, I do think that you have to pay council tax, because your course, I presume, officially ended with graduation in July, so you're no longer a student. When I finished my BA last year, I should have had to pay council tax from July to September 2005, because once I'd graduated, I was no longer a student - well, not until 1st September 2005 when I started my MA! If you are staying on at uni to do a Masters, then you could probably get away with it, since you can argue that you're a student until September 2007, or whenever your Masters ends. It largely depends on the Council and the idiot who's dealing with it; sometimes you'll get away with it (as I did last year), other times you won't (as we didn't this year!).

On a Band C, you'll only be paying about, what, £60-70 for each of the two months? Obviously you'd rather not, but at least it's only for a short while. But if you no longer hold 'student status' with the Council, then I don't think there's much you can do about it.

DrFluffy

You're screwed, unless:
You are unemployed
You can 'persuade' the others to contribute...

Voyager2002

And what would happen if you moved out of the house early? Would the loss of your deposit outweigh the saving if you moved somewhere where Council Tax cost you less? And if that happened, would the others have to pay rent on your room? (They would not be able to find another student for such a short time?) If they faced the prospect of having to meet your rent payments if you left, they might prefer to share your Council Tax!

jaxkesa

I don't expect other students here to pay because thats not fair on them. But I dont see it being fair that I should have to pays as if I live in a 5 bedroom house all on my own, and have access to the whole house.

I would have thought that the council tax should only be calculated as if you have a 1-bed flat with kitchen and bathroom?

Yea this is my point. But I think there's no way out.

On a Band C, you'll only be paying about, what, £60-70 for each of the two months? Obviously you'd rather not, but at least it's only for a short while.

Its £91 a month and my tenancy ends a week or so before the 3rd payment has to be made.

And what would happen if you moved out of the house early? Would the loss of your deposit outweigh the saving if you moved somewhere where Council Tax cost you less? And if that happened, would the others have to pay rent on your room?

I don't think the others would have to pay my rent if I moved out because of the single tenancy.

I think I am stuck paying really. Thanks for all your replies!

thms

jaxkesa wrote:

Hello

I have just graduated and therefore no longer a student I share a house with 4 other people who are still students until next year or later but have a single tenancy agreement as opposed to a joint tenancy.

Yesterday I got a council tax bill through the post in my name for which I have to start making £91 a month payments as of 1st August (that includes the 25% discount I get for being the only person paying).

The house is in Band C but it seems a little unfair to have to pay for the whole house when I only have use of 1 room and share the kitchen and bathroom. Is there any kind of discount I could maybe apply for or am I basically screwed? My 12 month tenancy runs out at the end of september so I can't really leave and find somewhere cheaper (which I would do if I could!).

Thanks.

http://www.bristol-city.gov.uk/ccm/content/Housing/Council-Housing/tenancy-relations/tenancy-relations-frequently-asked-questions.en

Who has the responsibility to pay bills?

This is subject to agreement and the contract should clearly set out who pays for what. Generally speaking it is the householder i.e. the tenant who will be billed by the utilities.

If the tenancy is in a House in Multiple Occupation, bills for Council Tax, water and sewerage are likely to be sent to the landlord. The landlord can only recover this by suitable clauses in the contract where amounts to be paid are agreed in the contract, or the rent is agreed to be inclusive of bills. If gas and electric supplies are also shared with other tenants in the property, this should dealt with in the same way. It would be unreasonable for one tenant to be billed and then to have to collect from other tenants.

your landlord should pay it..you pay your share..get legal advice

Snow_Angel

thms - thanks for posting that link and information. I'm actually having problems with the house I'm in at the moment and that link has some excellent tenancy advice.