Council Tax Bill Received - Supposed to be paid by landlord?

Bluebirdman_of_Alcathays

JoeJester wrote: »

It's antagonising when a reply assumes that I don't have the right to be frustrated at this point with a series of events of both a LL and a property agent who are obviously incompetent beyond measure.
It went into a quiet enjoyment bunfight, as you call it, as anselld seems to have no sympathy for my frustration as a tenant who believes I have a clear argument to not be happy with the way the LL & agent acts. The specifics of the law aside, it's just not acceptable and I won't stand for it.

I'll be ringing CT office up today as I finish work early to get this sorted out.

Thanks for clearing that the act only covers my specific private area. It's not ever going to be used for any of this, this all just stemmed from me mentioning that an added frustration of this tenancy was that the LL felt just entered the property randomly to look at mail.
If I see mail that isn't for anyone in this house then it's going back in the post box as return to sender, as I don't even have information of who the LL is.

I'm not trying to pick holes, but if the LL accessing the shared areas frustrates you, I can only suggest you attempt to end the tenancy. In an HMO it is the LL's absolute right to access the communal areas as and when they please. It is for that reason that (when I rented), I ensured I had a standard AST.

G_M

JoeJester wrote: »

the LL felt just entered the property randomly to look at mail.

If I see mail that isn't for anyone in this house then it's going back in the post box as return to sender, as I don't even have information of who the LL is.

Since this appears to be an HMO the LL is perfectly entitled to 'enter the property randomly' for any purpose he wishes including looking at mail.

Since he probobly pays utility bills (and should be paying CT) he is entitled to use the property address for the bills, and enter to collect them. Returning them to sender is unjustified and simply causing unnecessary further problems.

Who do you pay rent to?
Landlord & Tenant Act 1985

1 Disclosure of landlord’s identity.

(1)If the tenant of premises occupied as a dwelling makes a written request for the landlord’s name and address to—

(a)any person who demands, or the last person who received, rent payable under the tenancy, or

(b)any other person for the time being acting as agent for the landlord, in relation to the tenancy,

that person shall supply the tenant with a written statement of the landlord’s name and address within the period of 21 days beginning with the day on which he receives the request.

(2)A person who, without reasonable excuse, fails to comply with subsection (1) commits a summary offence and is liable on conviction to a fine not exceeding level 4 on the standard scale.

MrJester

G_M wrote: »

Since this appears to be an HMO the LL is perfectly entitled to 'enter the property randomly' for any purpose he wishes including looking at mail.

Since he probobly pays utility bills (and should be paying CT) he is entitled to use the property address for the bills, and enter to collect them. Returning them to sender is unjustified and simply causing unnecessary further problems.

Who do you pay rent to?
Landlord & Tenant Act 1985

Thanks I shall make a request for the landlord info.
If I at least have a name, then I will concede to putting that persons mail to one side of the shelf by the front door, the rest I can send back. We get ridiculous amounts piling up by the end of a week, pretty sure its illegal to just bin it so I have to return to sender. Which is good since it usually stops them sending it to the address once it gets to them. Worked for my last address anyway.

Went from 5 a day to a few a week.

anselld

JoeJester wrote: »

It went into a quiet enjoyment bunfight, as you call it, as anselld seems to have no sympathy for my frustration as a tenant who believes I have a clear argument to not be happy with the way the LL & agent acts. The specifics of the law aside, it's just not acceptable and I won't stand for it.

It isn't a question of lack of sympathy. I am simply trying to advise that life would be a lot easier if you stick to battles that you are able to win, ie the Council Tax issue.

MrJester

anselld wrote: »

It isn't a question of lack of sympathy. I am simply trying to advise that life would be a lot easier if you stick to battles that you are able to win, ie the Council Tax issue.

Agreed. Missed my chance to ring them today :mad: took longer to get home than I thought. So will have to be over lunch period tomorrow, eager to get this sorted now. Will update with what happens.

MrJester

Rang local council office on my lunch.

The council tax bill will stay liable on my name until I can this sorted. They just need a letter/email from me stating the situation, with a copy of my tenancy agreement, and information of the landlord.
I don't have the landlords information yet, so will have to get that off the property agent first, who are a pain in the !!! to get in contact with.

MrJester

Sent official request via email to my property agent for my rental, quoting the Landlord and Tenancy Act 1985. Hopefully that should speed them up. I need that info before bothering sending anything to the council

Pixie5740

Is the landlord's name along with an address for the serving of notices not written in your tenancy agreement? Could you not give those details to the council?

RAS

JoeJester wrote: »

Sent official request via email to my property agent for my rental, quoting the Landlord and Tenancy Act 1985. Hopefully that should speed them up. I need that info before bothering sending anything to the council

You need to follow this up by WRITING a letter to the LL at the address for the serving of notice and the EA, even if the address for the serving of notices is c/o the EA.

MrJester

Pixie5740 wrote: »

Is the landlord's name along with an address for the serving of notices not written in your tenancy agreement? Could you not give those details to the council?

Nope. Purely the property agent. That's why I have had to make this request to the agent. Once I have them, then I will be able to do something.

RAS wrote: »

You need to follow this up by WRITING a letter to the LL at the address for the serving of notice and the EA, even if the address for the serving of notices is c/o the EA.

I have no address for the LL. So I am requesting it from the EA.