Just received large council tax bill for last 2 yrs

satriales

I've been living in my current flat since July 2009. I was at university that year, but I was retaking a year, I don't know if that makes a difference. After my exams in June 2010 I left university and applied for jobseeker's allowance but was refused as I was still considered a student for a few more weeks.

I continued to look for work over the summer and during that time I did receive JSA and housing benefit for about 3 weeks, but then took the first job I could which was working as a labourer for an agency. Up until now I am still working that same job earning minimum wage and often have days where no work is available. So as it is I'm struggling to just pay the rent, bills and food.

A few days ago I received a letter from the council saying I owed £1300 council tax for Jul 2009 - Oct 2010 and that me and one of my flatmates owed £680 for Oct 2010 - Apr 2011.

The flat I live in has four bedrooms and the other three people are full-time students. All of us are on our own seperate contracts.

I simply can't afford to pay ~£1700 and was very shocked to receive the bill as the whole time I'd been living here I had not received any hints that I owed council tax. When I applied for JSA and housing benefit I was asked if I wanted to apply for council tax at the same time and I wasn't sure as I knew nothing about it, and they told me that the landlord probably paid the council tax, so I didn't apply for help with it and assumed I didn't have to worry about it.

Now that I've received this bill I've looked into it a bit more and I can see that I probably do have to pay something, but I don't get why one of my flatmates is named on the second bill when they are a fulltime student, am I going to have to pay the whole of that £680 as well as the £1300?
And surely they can't just give me a £2000 bill out of the blue and expect payment in a couple of weeks?
Do I still have to pay for the first year when I was a student and wasn't working? (I couldn't receive a student loan either so lived off savings for that year).

I'm going to try and visit the council tax office tomorrow and speak to someone but I wanted to see if anyone here had some advice first just so I know where I stand.

Thanks

System

There is a fair amount of info about Council Tax on the directgov website.

One particular page that relates to students is : http://www.direct.gov.uk/en/EducationAndLearning/UniversityAndHigherEducation/LifeAtUniversityOrCollege/DG_071488

But there are other page links on the above page, with more info about the whole subject.

lincroft1710

It would seem that the council has not recognised neither yourself nor your flatmate as F/T students for the relevant periods. You will both have to prove to council you were/are F/T students for those periods. Your ongoing problem is that you will be liable for CT for the whole flat less 25% discount as "sole" occupier. CT would no doubt be cheaper in a studio or 1 bed flat.