Council tax advice

minorinjuries

Hi,
The council are planning to start bankrupcy action towards my wife for unpaid council tax from a previous house she used to live in 4 years ago.Around that time she and her brothers used to rent the house and the eldest brother was responsible for paying the council tax but somewhere along the line he stopped paying thereby this bill.The council wrote to my wife with regards to the outstanding bill asking her to pay the total amount; she did try to explain to them she was staying with her brothers around that time and they were all responsible for that bill and even asked the council to split the outstanding bill for her to pay her share and have her brothers pay the rest but the council were unwilling to do that.Now they have sent this letter of bankrupcy action,what can she do?cause i really don't want baliffs sniffing round my house.Thanx

lincroft1710

Unfortunately the phrase "jointly and severally liable" is applicable in the case of Council Tax debt. This means that where there are several Council Taxpayers, the council have a legal right to pursue any one of them for the whole debt. This usually happens where they cannot trace the other taxpayers.

I know this sounds unfair but in law your wife owes the whole amount.

minorinjuries

lincroft1710 wrote: »

Unfortunately the phrase "jointly and severally liable" is applicable in the case of Council Tax debt. This means that where there are several Council Taxpayers, the council have a legal right to pursue any one of them for the whole debt. This usually happens where they cannot trace the other taxpayers.

I know this sounds unfair but in law your wife owes the whole amount.

Thanx for the reply,so if my wife gave the council the addresses of the other tenants will they pursue them as well?

CIS

so if my wife gave the council the addresses of the other tenants will they pursue them as well?

Possibly, its the council's decision.