Council Tax Question and Students : Big Problem, help needed

siliconbits

A long council tax related story that dates back more than two years. A few weeks ago, I received a call from a London Borough CT department. They asked me some details about a rented property where I was living 14 months ago. As a honest lad and as I don't have anything to hide, I told them that I was a student at the time and that I moved out of the property long ago. They told me to send a mail with my details and proof that I left out the property already.

I did all this and to my utter disgust, they sent me a letter saying that I owed them more than £1000 for the period from 2005 to 2007. I called that London Borough department and after 15 minutes discussion, the CT advisor told me that she would refer my case to her superior.

As I see it, The problem is 3-pronged.

(a) I was a full time student during my stay there. I have proof of this. Their website actually says "From 1 April 2004 students will no longer be held jointly and severally liable with other people that have the same level of interest in the property as them, unless they are all students." This as far as I can tell points to the fact that students don't have to pay council tax.

(b) Why wait nearly two years to send that council tax bill?

(c) There were several other occupants of the said property during that period and when I highlighted that point to the CT advisor after getting the bill, she told me that "I should look for the other flatmates myself". Bearing in mind that (1) At least a dozen couples have come and gone in that property (2) They are not necessarily friendly (3) Some of them have left the country.

Is it a case where honesty actually lands you in big big trouble?
Am I actually paying for the problems of red-tape sclerosed CT department?
Could anyone advise me what are the possible options offered to me?


Thanks!!!!!

CIS

It appears that they don't have your student details on file for that period - send them the details and you will be disregarded for Council Tax purposes. The dept I work in has 4 large universities quite close and this is problem we get every working day.

The onus is on you to supply details and prove you where a F/T student and not on the Council.

a) This actually means that providing you are a F/t student and you prove it then you are disregarded from paying Council Tax and the liability to pay will fall on any other residents . If these are only student in the property then an exemption is applied (Class N).

b) If a person moves without a forwarding address it can take several years before either an address is supplied or the department decide to chase up a debt.

c) Providing you can prove you were a f/t student then you don't need to bother about the other occupants , that's the councils problem.

All in all they are acting quite within Council Tax legislation and when you consider a Council can easily have 200,000 properties and are usually short staffed they cant always keep on top of each account

siliconbits

You made my day. The prospect of paying £1100 wrecked my weekend actually.