reinstating single person council tax discount when lodger leaves

katejo

My lodger has just told me that he is leaving at the beginning of December. I rang my local council to reinstate my council tax discount as I won't look for a new lodger until the New Year. Waltham Forest Council will not reinstate my discount unless I provide the full address to which my lodger is moving. I have not had this before when previous ones have left. The council appears to be doing a big check on fraudulent claims.
Has anyone else had this?

Red_dog_Sam

It's increasingly common.
The Council has a duty to take reasonable steps to ensure a discount does apply and it is seeking to fulfil that duty and combat fraudulent claims. So the Council aren't doing anything untoward or behaving unusually towards you.
And these days, many Council's also contract out work to validate discounts to companies that use credit referencing agencies. Such mechanisms have seen many people have discounts cancelled because there are records associating someone else with their address, even though if they don't reside there. Things like relatives using it as a correspondence address. People then have problems regaining a discount if they can't provide any proof that the third party lives elsewhere.
If you don't provide anything then they may assume that you have no entitlement to discount - your legal duty is to correct any incorrect assumptions though. If your claim has been refused you do have a right of appeal to an independent Valuation Tribunal. But documentation to support that your lodger now has a different address will settle the matter so if you can, take that route.

tBagpuss_2

If your lodger can't or won't provide you with details of where they are going to live, make sure that you have signed, written confirmation from them of the date they are moving out.

You can also do a formal written statement declaring that you are the sole [adult] occupant.