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How do i prove single occupancy for council Tax?
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as I've said, I've had single occupancy discount for the last 22 years and have never been asked by any council for anything more than the declaration
Yes , but looking at it from the council point of view - you haven't just popped up and asked for it to be backdated more than a decade.
A request made on an ongoing basis can be checked up via credit agencies, electoral rolls, property inspections which, whilst not perfect, allow the council some measure of verification. These checks are effectively worthless if you try and chase them up retrospectively.I no longer work in Council Tax Recovery but instead work as a specialist Council Tax paralegal assisting landlords and Council Tax payers with council tax disputes and valuation tribunals. My views are my own reading of the law and you should always check with the local authority in question.0 -
Yes , but looking at it from the council point of view - you haven't just popped up and asked for it to be backdated more than a decade.
It is the Council who have popped up and asked for a decade of backdated tax. The OP seems not to have challenged liability; they have not, for example, denied living there etc. So why should the Council not be sensible and take the OP claim at face value?0 -
It is the Council who have popped up and asked for a decade of backdated tax.
Not really - the Valuation Office have banded a property that the OP has lived in for 12 years and failed to declare to the council. The council are obliged to bill for the council tax which is now outstanding.I no longer work in Council Tax Recovery but instead work as a specialist Council Tax paralegal assisting landlords and Council Tax payers with council tax disputes and valuation tribunals. My views are my own reading of the law and you should always check with the local authority in question.0 -
It is the Council who have popped up and asked for a decade of backdated tax. The OP seems not to have challenged liability; they have not, for example, denied living there etc. So why should the Council not be sensible and take the OP claim at face value?
The valuation is done by the valuation agency (voa) as previously mentioned. The property previously was unbanded by them not the council... The fact that the voa have recently backdated it means the council couldn't charge until recently (when the voa) notified them of the banding.
Most organisations won't except proof of eligibility for discounts without proof although i understand that in this case it is difficult to provide proof over the timescale.
Did the OP ever contact the council or VOA during the preceeding the banding to query why they weren't having to pay ?Spelling courtesy of the whims of auto correct...
Pet Peeves.... queues, vain people and hypocrites ..not necessarily in that order.0 -
Not really - the Valuation Office have banded a property that the OP has lived in for 12 years and failed to declare to the council. The council are obliged to bill for the council tax which is now outstanding.
What obligation is there on the OP (a tenant) to declare anything to the Council regarding an unlisted property? If anyone has failed to declare it is the owner/landlord.0 -
What obligation is there on the OP (a tenant) to declare anything to the Council regarding an unlisted property? If anyone has failed to declare it is the owner/landlord.
There isn't but the OP never queried in 12 years why they weren't receiving a council tax discount or paying council tax which doesn't help the case one bit. If they'd queried it then the problem would have been sorted long before it got to this stage.I no longer work in Council Tax Recovery but instead work as a specialist Council Tax paralegal assisting landlords and Council Tax payers with council tax disputes and valuation tribunals. My views are my own reading of the law and you should always check with the local authority in question.0 -
There isn't but the OP never queried in 12 years why they weren't receiving a council tax discount or paying council tax which doesn't help the case one bit. If they'd queried it then the problem would have been sorted long before it got to this stage.
So no obligation to query or declare anything with the Council. How does that "not help the case one bit"? Not all annexes need to be separately listed depending on the entrance requirements, facilities, etc and the OP is not expected to know the VOA rules to the extent of querying the (lack of) listing.0 -
So no obligation to query or declare anything with the Council. How does that "not help the case one bit"? Not all annexes need to be separately listed depending on the entrance requirements, facilities, etc and the OP is not expected to know the VOA rules to the extent of querying the (lack of) listing.
Which is why it may have been an idea to query it earlier as per the previous posts ..Spelling courtesy of the whims of auto correct...
Pet Peeves.... queues, vain people and hypocrites ..not necessarily in that order.0 -
fed_up_and_stressed wrote: »Which is why it may have been an idea to query it earlier as per the previous posts ..
I dont disagree (especially with hindsight) that it would have been a good idea. However I think it would be unfair if not doing so was seen in a negative light as CIS seems to suggest. This is not like failing to declare something on a tax return since there is absolutely no expectation on the OP to declare or query anything.
Having said that, the OP does not seem to keen to defend their own actions (or inactions) so I will leave it at that.0
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