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Council Tax After House Sale

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Comments

  • davidmcn wrote: »
    So you've claimed the exemption - didn't their response say it would end after six months? I'm surprised they're not writing somewhere, even if just to the empty property

    No letters ever arrived at the property
  • CIS
    CIS Posts: 12,260 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 10,000 Posts Name Dropper
    GoingSolo wrote: »
    No letters ever arrived at the property

    Unless they accidentally suppressed the demand notice on the account (which I have seen happen...) then demand notices will have been posted somewhere. You need to ask the council to find out where.

    Craig
    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.
  • davidmcn
    davidmcn Posts: 23,596 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 10,000 Posts Name Dropper
    GoingSolo wrote: »
    No letters ever arrived at the property
    Where did they write to when they acknowledged the exemption?
  • booksurr
    booksurr Posts: 3,700 Forumite
    obviously you resent the idea of having to pay tax, but the cold hard facts are that your mother's estate is liable for the council tax once the exemption period ends, and it most probably has by what you have written. That liability is not going to disappear, so best deal with it now not wait for it to catch you up later when you've spent the money and "can't" pay it

    realising that a property up for sale is still liable for CT is hardly a strange concept
  • G_M
    G_M Posts: 51,977 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 10,000 Posts Name Dropper Combo Breaker
    There's no point claiming it's unfair, or you didn't ask your mum to die (go to prison whatever) or that you are landlords (no idea where that came from!).

    All properties are liable to CT, though there are various discounts or zero ratings.

    There's a clear hierarchy of who is liable.

    In this case, the Estate of your mum is liable, which means the Executer of her will or Administrator of her estate.

    If that is you, you have a legal duty to sort it out and pay what's due. So write to the council, explain the circumstances :

    * date of death with copy of death certificate
    * date of Probate with copy of Grant
    * date of sale of property, with copy of contract and /or conveyancer's details

    and ask them for a final bill.

    Then pay it using money from your mum's estate.
  • Marvel1
    Marvel1 Posts: 7,447 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 1,000 Posts Name Dropper
    Can you pay from the proceeds of the sale/estate, sure there would be enough.
  • All sorted. :beer::j:T:D
  • seashore22
    seashore22 Posts: 1,443 Forumite
    Tenth Anniversary 1,000 Posts Combo Breaker
    Well that's monumentally helpful to others in a similar position.

    Some idea of how it's "sorted" would be nice.
  • booksurr
    booksurr Posts: 3,700 Forumite
    GoingSolo wrote: »
    No one told us that before even when we informed the council. In fact we've had no paper work from them since we informed them of her passing just day's later as we sorted out her affairs
    clearly you have not noticed you are dealing with actual people at the council. They receive a notification from you that your mother has just died, the real people handle how they treat you sensitively and don't come after you demanding payment - it is called showing some humanity.

    You, not they, are expected to deal with the administration of your mother's estate. Part of that administration includes identifying what bills the estate is liable for. You are entitled to a 6 month class F exemption. Once that ends the estate is liable for the resumption of council tax since, as you see from your website extract, the rules changed in 2013 and I don't know any council in the UK that still offers a 50% empty discount. Take it up with your executors if you feel hard done by, it is the estate that pays the bill, not you.

    as for "it's unfair", i am inhuman, I think it is unfair that you have inherited a large sum of money and yet complain you are entitled to it all tax free.
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