Council Tax query and worry.

michaeldc

18 months ago me and a friend signed a tenancy agreement to rent a flat. Just as we were about to move in something happened that meant he could no longer live there anymore. Since the rent was very cheap I assured him not to worry and I could handle it. I rang up to sort out the council tax and stated I was living on my own and was eligible for a 25% discount which has saved me just under £400 in the last 18 months.

I am moving out shortly so rang up and told the council to cancel my direct debit and send me a final bill, upon hearing it was rented they requested the estate agents name and reiterated that I was living on my own. I didn’t think anything of it but on my lunch it occurred to me that my tenancy agreement has two names on it. Will the council ask the agent for this information and will I be forced to pay the extra because of this oversight on my part? I can’t prove to anyone I was on my own except for all the bills came out of my account.

I’m worried that I will have a very large bill to settle now, can anyone advise how likely this is to happen?

Thanks for reading

harryhound

Are you still in touch with the friend?

If the friend can prove their address(es) for the last 18 months, they could not have been living at your place.

michaeldc

harryhound wrote: »

Are you still in touch with the friend?

If the friend can prove their address(es) for the last 18 months, they could not have been living at your place.

Thanks for the reply.

His post went to his parents but that's been the case for 5 years now, we lived togather before this for 3.5 years and it was the same then. It's not really proof though is it?

I wouldn't want to drag his parents into it to be honest either, they've got enough on their mind.

Truth is, it's my fault for not speaking to my letting agency and if the bill comes I'll pay it, I was just curious if it was likely or not or if anyone knew how it works at the council?

Should I ring the council and explain the situation or sit it out and wait?

Think I'll save as much money as I can as quickly as I can and put it in my other bank account in case it happens. Best get on ebay...

CIS

Usually if we get cases like this in my office we will speak to the managing agent and ask them regarding the tenancy and who was resident. If they cant confirm it then we would need some sort of evidence from the other person to show that they were resident elsewhere.

michaeldc

CIS wrote: »

Usually if we get cases like this in my office we will speak to the managing agent and ask them regarding the tenancy and who was resident. If they cant confirm it then we would need some sort of evidence from the other person to show that they were resident elsewhere.

Would him being on the electoral register at his parents and getting all his mail/bills and payslips there be good enough evidence? I don't know what else we could offer?

Thanks for the reply!

ceh209

Would him being on the electoral register at his parents and getting all his mail/bills and payslips there be good enough evidence? I don't know what else we could offer?

It's a good start but the council may get fussy.

Your friend's parents telling the council he was living there for council tax purposes would have been more useful... however I'll bet my right foot they didn't bother as it didn't affect any discount they'd get.

michaeldc

ceh209 wrote: »

It's a good start but the council may get fussy.

Your friend's parents telling the council he was living there for council tax purposes would have been more useful... however I'll bet my right foot they didn't bother as it didn't affect any discount they'd get.

You're right, it wasn't mentioned. I guess if it comes back to me I'll just have to stump up. A real shame, only just started to get some savings together.

Time to get selling on ebay

anniecave

The council may not bother about it at all. Yes, the tenancy agreement was in two names, but if you tell them that your friend didn't ever move in they may just take your word for it.

The council may be asking for a copy of the agreement just so they have the records of the landlord/letting agent so they know who to contact to find out about future tenants or tenancies, or to know who to send the bill to whilst the property is empty prior to the next person moving in.

If your friend is not on the electoral roll at your place (and especially if he is at his parent's house) then that should help matters if they do ask.

alfiesmum

Sorry if it sounds daft (it's always a possibility where I'm concerned!), but can you not just tell the council his actual address? If everything is the truth it's not really a case of 'dragging his parents into it'. It's asking them to comfirm circumstances, even type the letter for them, ask them to sign if everything in letter is correct. Or can your friend not do so himself? I think you're worrying for nothing, you lived there alone the whole time, so you were entitled to the discount.

michaeldc

alfiesmum wrote: »

Sorry if it sounds daft (it's always a possibility where I'm concerned!), but can you not just tell the council his actual address? If everything is the truth it's not really a case of 'dragging his parents into it'. It's asking them to comfirm circumstances, even type the letter for them, ask them to sign if everything in letter is correct. Or can your friend not do so himself? I think you're worrying for nothing, you lived there alone the whole time, so you were entitled to the discount.

Yes, if they call me and query it I'll tell them the truth and offer photocopies of his bank statements, payslip - ask them to check his name on the electoral register and offer to have his parents sign a letter saying he lived there for the duration. I suppose I am just worried they won't leave it at that and start hassling his parents. I will ask, if they ring, how likely is this to succeed and if they say, not very then I will simply offer to pay - I have a terrible guilt complex and it wouldn't be worth it.

To be honest I am very wary of the council and how they go about things, it's not the same exactly but once when I was 20 years old I signed on for 2 weeks (I promptly got another job) but because I had left my previous place of work after not being able to go full time (they requested it, I refused as I was going to study in a couple of months so left amicably so they could find someone who could) they started to investigate it, send me letters saying that technically I wasn't fired so couldn't sign on and that what I had told them wasn't good enough. When I pointed out that I signed on once for next to no money and had already got a new job they told me they were suspending the investigation but should I ever sign on again (ever!) they would open the case back up! I may have been in the wrong there, I'm unsure, my work didn't want me to stay so I left, I'd never signed on before but I thought they were incredibly heavy handed.

At 28 years old, I have paid all my taxes, always declare where I live for council tax (and pay it!) and yet I feel I will always have the book thrown at me if I do even the slightest thing wrong, like forget to tell them something.

michaeldc

Just had a thought... One of the reasons he didn't move in was because he became a student again for a year doing his masters. Can student exemption from Council Tax be applied retrospectively? If I was stung for cash surely this would knock 12 of the 18 months worth off anyway right?