Council tax and lodgers

Hibbs

Hi,

I rented a room in someone elses house for 10 months, I was paying £460 a month all bills included. I moved out three months ago and am now renting a house. I have changed all the council tax details for the house I am now in - on this form I had to put where I had been living previously.

My old landlord has just been in touch to say that as I have told the council that I was living there I now have to pay the council tax bill they have sent him. It seems he hadn't told the council that there was more than one person living in the house and was claiming the 25% discount (as well as myself and the landlord there was also another lodger who was there Mon-Fri). He is saying that I am liable for the extra council tax (approx £500). We had no contract and apart from a couple of e-mails confirming that the rent was £460pm and a bond of £500 nothing in writing about bills/council tax etc. He has asked me to ring the council and tell them that I was only there for a week which I'm not happy with doing.

Where do I stand with this, can he force me to pay his council tax? I didn't mean to drop him in it with the council but didn't realise he was claiming the 25% discount for sole occupancy either!

giraffe69

He was cheating. He got caught. Why should you pay?

gayleanne

No you do not have to pay this money, he was cheating the council tax, not you, as there is no contract it is, tough, ON HIM!!!!!

mel48rose

Bullying tactics cos he's been caught out. Might make him think in future eh! :rotfl:

Hibbs

That's what I thought, but would he have a leg to stand on if he took it further? He is saying that I knew he hadn't declared that there was someone else living there and had agreed that if I told anyone I was there then I would pay the council tax. I must have been asleep when we had this conversation as have no recollection of it!

Werdnal

No, you are not liable. If LL wanted you to contribute to the CT at the time, he should have come clean about you being there, cancelled his single occupancy discount and you would have paid it at the time.

The CT is not higher because you were living there, its just the LL being on the fiddle that fraudulently reduced it, and not your problem. The CT applies to the property, HIS property, and he should pay it.

Did you have a lodger agreement in writing by any chance? If that states "all bills included" then I would say CT is one of those bills you thought you were contributing to in your rent.

InMyDreams

Hibbs wrote: »

That's what I thought, but would he have a leg to stand on if he took it further? He is saying that I knew he hadn't declared that there was someone else living there and had agreed that if I told anyone I was there then I would pay the council tax. I must have been asleep when we had this conversation as have no recollection of it!

What leg would that be then? Is he really going to own up to being knowingly fraudulent and inciting someone else to be too? Surely that just makes his position worse. Your word against his and it's not in his interest to make a noise about this.

lincroft1710

As you were not a tenant, owner or live in partner of your LL you have no liability for paying CT, the liability for paying the CT bill is your LL's. He has to pay the full amount in this situation.

Under no circumstances should you make a false declaration to the council.

Werdnal

I wonder if LL was declaring his rental income for tax? He can earn up to £4250/year tax free under the rent-a-room scheme, but as you were paying £460/month, and there was another lodger staying week days only, he has overdone it, and would need to advise HMRC of his additional income.

You could always drip that one in his ear if he rings again with the !!!!-and-bull story about you being liable for his CT! Tax evasion and CT fraud - naughty boy!

Hibbs

I'm pretty sure he was not declaring the rental income as he would only accept rent in cash, as I agreed to this I guess I was helping him to evade income tax?!

gayleanne

He has obviously not declared that he had lodgers, and if he is fiddling the council tax you an bet your life that he is fiddling the tax people, just remind him of that.