Just graduated - got council tax bill :(

DrFluffy

The other thing to consider is that you should get a rebate if you move out in September...

kittiwoz

I have been in a similar situation but with a shared tenancy rather than an HMO.

Ryan.Maloney wrote:

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)

I was told that the consideration is whether you actually live there at the time, not whether you hold the tenancy. So if you moved back to your parents you wouldn't have to get the tenancy transfered to a student mate to avoid the bill.

Otherwise you can recieve council tax benefit for low earners only if you are in reciept of other benefits so go and sign on unless you are already working, even if you've got a job lined up for September.

chugalug

kittiwoz wrote:

Otherwise you can recieve council tax benefit for low earners only if you are in reciept of other benefits so go and sign on unless you are already working, even if you've got a job lined up for September.

You don't have to be in receipt of any other benefit to receive council tax benefit but you do have to have a fairly low income if you're a single person as the personal allowance is very small.

kittiwoz

Yeah but you have to be able to prove it. If you're living off savings, which I was, you can't get council tax benefit because you can't prove you don't have an income. At least this is what the woman at Trafford council told me when I explained my situation at the time but they did seem rather disorganised so maybe it shouldn't be taken as gospel.