Council Tax chasing me for payments

Hanfox

Back early this year (Jan-Apr) I lived in South Shields with a flatmate.

I was a student and entitled to 25% off which I claimed and was reflected on the bill.

My flatmate was on JSA benefit and applied twice for council tax/housing benefits. Both times she never heard anything back. The first time they'd lost the application. The second time nothing at all... we left it thinking maybe it was just taking a while. Then just as we moved out (3 months later) we received a new bill chasing us for £254.37

We're down to the last 7 days pay-up-or-else period now.

Now I wonder as we did apply but the council was being useless how do we go about avoiding having to pay this money?

Must we just attempt to prove that she was on benefits at the time and if so what exactly would have to be provided? There's a good chance she no longer has anything to do with her JSA claim any more, however.

CIS

If you were a Full Time student and shared with a non student then you are not jointly liable for the council tax - you would only be liable if you held a higher interest in the property than the non-student. If you were joint tenants then the Council Tax is not yours.

Must we just attempt to prove that she was on benefits at the time and if so what exactly would have to be provided? There's a good chance she no longer has anything to do with her JSA claim any more, however.

The Council Tax Benefit claim is separate to any outstanding Council Tax - irrespective of why it has not been paid the Council Tax is due until such point as any Council Tax Benefit is paid. In Council Tax law any Council Tax Benefit is treated no differently from any cash payments you may make - eg until its in the account it is not taken account of.

If she can prove to the benefit department at South Tyneside that she had placed the claim and they had received it and they had not paid it then she may be able to claim backdating.