setting up joint-no acceptable proof of address for 1 party?

rumncoke

After some advice for my son. He is trying to set up a joint bank account with his wife who has recently arrived in UK to live from the US.

All bills etc are in my sons name. The only thing with wifes name on is the joint rent contract (changed it to both names when she arrived in UK a month ago) Bank will not accept this as proof of address. Her individual bank account is obviously an American one.

Council Tax were notified that no longer eligible for the 25% discount but new bill was still only in sons name. Is the only way to open a joint account to get this changed into both names?

Thanks in advance

sjlou

The council tax can be put in both names.

When we moved house and I rang the council to notify them, I put both of our names on the account.

Your son should be able to ring up and get both names put on the account, and the bill resent with both names on.

InsideInsurance

You can put things into joint names and then ask for a statement/ bill reprint etc and that'll normally come in both names.

Letters from the Home Office/ UKBA are normally acceptable, does she have any if she's only just come to the country?

Alternatively HSBC (and probably others) do a "just arrived to the UK" type account which has lower requirements - but isnt a great account

rumncoke

Many thanks. The only correspondence from UKBA was via email so don't think that will be acceptable either.

Looks like a call to the council then.He did want to avoid having to contact council tax again as it is his 1st time paying it (previously a student-now in his own flat) and each time they have recalculated the bill upping his monthly payments. He knew they would go up after the discount was taken off but due to problems setting up the direct debit initially the total amount has been divided over less months with each contact-if that makes sense.

InsideInsurance

The DD issue changes only the monthly amount not the total payable, if he's been good then he has that missed payments money still sat in his account and so can just spread it across the months in the same way.

An email from UKBA? Never heard of one in my 6 years of fun dealing with them! Assume she has applied for residency and not just a tourist visa?

rumncoke

Yes, she applied for a settlement visa for herself and their 22 month old son. All submitted online and then sent appropriate paperwork off to New York. Only thing back from them was the return of her documents and passports.

He knows that the total amount payable doesn't change but at the moment budgeting has been difficult due to needing stuff for the little one. Also the first time he is solely responsible for bills as he was in a shared student house before.