council tax - previous owner

simran_2

Hi,
We have bought a flat in dec and have moved into it Jan. when we moved in, we called council and informed them that we have moved in and gave them all the all the details (dates from dec when we completed the sale) and they sent us the council tax bills last month which we paid. so from our end we have sorted out everything.

The problem is that we are still receiving letters from council on previous owners names. We havent opened them and always mark it " no such person, return to sender" and put it in post box.
This weekend we received similar letter and from the looks of envelope it says "summon..." so i would think that council has summoned the previous owner due to non payment.

What should we do. Should we call council and ask them..but then why should we bother if its not addressed to occupier or on our names.
Please advise.

many thanks.
simran.

RufusFrog_2

We had this problem in our last house. We rang the council tax department and told them that these people didn't live at the property any more, that they already knew this and we didn't have a forwarding address for them. They checked the records, apologised for their mistake and stopped sending the letters. It may cost you a bit in time and phone calls to get through to a non-muppet but it's much better than waiting for a couple of burly bailiffs to turn up and then try to persuade them to go away empty-handed!

Bargain_Rzl

I've had a similar problem - and the lovely council tax office at Southwark Council won't even talk to me when I call, they always want to take a name and number and call me back. I've actually had them return my call just to say "sorry nobody's got back to you yet - we will!" and not heard from them since :rolleyes:

I think it is now sorted out in respect of the previous owner of my flat (which was the property developer - the flat was new but empty for over a year before I moved in so their exemption expired) but I've also had to deal with returning a council tax bill for 2007/08 addressed to the building which was knocked down in order to build the block I live in now :rolleyes::rotfl: - as I'm Flat 1 in my building the postman seems to use me as the default mailbox for anything that's not correctly addressed :rolleyes:

olly300

Unfortunately some councils are very slack on chasing up people to pay council tax and keeping their records up to date. Therefore I always deal with them in writing, normally email.

1. Write to the council tax department recorded delivery and inform them that you are the ONLY occupants of the property with the date of your completion. And if you know where the previous occupants have moved to or the address of their solicitors then put this information in the letter.
2. Keep sending the letters back unopened.
3. Phone the council up in 2 weeks and ask them if they have received your letter. If they have (you will know they have if you sent it recorded delivery) ask them to stop sending letters addressed to the previous owners to your house.

pinkshoes

Yeah, just call the council and explain they don't live there and you have no idea who they are, and hopefully someone with a braincell or two will note it in the computer system, and inform the person who keeps sending the letter! I get the impression that council workers don't talk to each other and pass on info, even if they sit in the same room!!

hazeyj

Or get in touch with the prev own or their sols and pass the letters on to them and let the council know youve done this.

The prev owners prob havent told the council they have moved. This happened with me in our flat and I called the owner to tell him we were receiving letters from them.