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Renting a room in a house full of students. What are the Council Tax implications?

24

Comments

  • bryanb
    bryanb Posts: 5,034 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 1,000 Posts Name Dropper Combo Breaker
    BeenieCat wrote: »
    No, you have to pay their share yourself. So one full rate bill for the house, for you - but you get a single persons discount of 25%.

    Not quite, they have no "share".
    It's single occupier, marital status is irrelevent.
    This is an open forum, anyone can post and I just did !
  • Sandwich
    Sandwich Posts: 185 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 100 Posts Combo Breaker
    edited 4 June 2012 at 4:28PM
    Edit: so the house would become liable, but I would be the only one who is sent an actual bill (i.e. all the other students would just get a bill for £0)?

    In which case, would I still be able to apply for CT benefit if I was to leave work for a period of time?
  • rpc
    rpc Posts: 2,353 Forumite
    HappyMJ wrote: »
    You would have a job trying to convince the other occupiers to pay the bill. <snip> If you don't pay it they have to pay it

    Oh no they don't...

    The case of students and non-students in the same house is a special case and liability does not attach to students - Local Government Act 2003, section 74 "Exception of students from joint and several liability"
  • HappyMJ
    HappyMJ Posts: 21,115 Forumite
    10,000 Posts Combo Breaker
    rpc wrote: »
    Oh no they don't...

    The case of students and non-students in the same house is a special case and liability does not attach to students - Local Government Act 2003, section 74 "Exception of students from joint and several liability"
    Sorry, what I was getting at is the landlord of the multi occupancy property would get the bill and split it by adding to everybody's rent in equal amounts. I wasn't very good at explaining that and I apologize for that.
    :footie:
    :p Regular savers earn 6% interest (HSBC, First Direct, M&S) :p Loans cost 2.9% per year (Nationwide) = FREE money. :p
  • tbs624
    tbs624 Posts: 10,816 Forumite
    edited 4 June 2012 at 4:36PM
    HappyMJ wrote: »
    You would have a job trying to convince the other occupiers to pay the bill. If you do start trying to convince them then expect to be asked to leave. It's not split ever....it's always jointly and severably liable. If you don't pay it they have to pay it and if they have to pay it they will ask you to leave so they have no further liability.
    My bolding. This is not the case - full time students *cannot* be held J&S liable for the CT payments [edit:incurred] by non students. The relevant info on this is in one of my much older posts. ( CIS may post back with it before I get round to finding it)

    Edit - ah, cross posting. It's already been corrected :smiley:
  • Sandwich
    Sandwich Posts: 185 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 100 Posts Combo Breaker
    So because of that new(ish) legislation, how it would work is I would get a CT bill - not the landlord or the full-time students - and I would still be able to claim CT benefit if I was to leave work?
  • bryanb
    bryanb Posts: 5,034 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 1,000 Posts Name Dropper Combo Breaker
    edited 4 June 2012 at 4:39PM
    Sandwich wrote: »
    So because of that new(ish) legislation, how it would work is I would get a CT bill - not the landlord or the full-time students - and I would still be able to claim CT benefit if I was to leave work?

    Anyone liable to CT may claim CT benefit. Whether they get it depends on income. It often goes with other benefits, eg Housing benefit (by it's new name) LHA I think.
    This is an open forum, anyone can post and I just did !
  • Sandwich
    Sandwich Posts: 185 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 100 Posts Combo Breaker
    bryanb wrote: »
    Anyone liable to CT may claim CT benefit. Whether they get it depends on income.

    Yes, but if the bill is for the property and goes to the landlord, with his/her name on it, does that mean that I wouldn't be able to claim?
  • HappyMJ
    HappyMJ Posts: 21,115 Forumite
    10,000 Posts Combo Breaker
    Why do you want to move into a house full of students and be almost forced to pay 75% of the council tax for what I imagine is going to be a Band C or D property? I really would reconsider moving into this property.
    :footie:
    :p Regular savers earn 6% interest (HSBC, First Direct, M&S) :p Loans cost 2.9% per year (Nationwide) = FREE money. :p
  • bryanb
    bryanb Posts: 5,034 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 1,000 Posts Name Dropper Combo Breaker
    Sandwich wrote: »
    Yes, but if the bill is for the property and goes to the landlord, with his/her name on it, does that mean that I wouldn't be able to claim?

    Yes of course, because you wouldn't be paying it if the landlord was.
    Try to make sure your contract includes CT, or live elsewhere.
    This is an open forum, anyone can post and I just did !
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