Council Tax - Need to pay 10 months but only got 5 months to pay it

jill..mac2605

Hi Everyone,

Sorry if this question has been asked but I can't find anything similar to my situation in the threads.

I started my lease on my rented property in June (moved in in September) but have only just received my council tax bill.
The council are charging me 10 months (June to March) but only taking payment from November onwards.

I understand I have to pay it, but I am effectively paying twice as much a month until March which I really cannot afford.
Is there anyway to get the payment spread out more?

I have emailed them but got a reply saying they have a backlog and can take 4-6 weeks to reply and I am struggling to find time when I am at work and their office hours are the hours I am working.

Thanks in advance for your help.

Rosemary7391

Bit odd that you only just got the bill - in my experience that bit of the council is very efficient!


I'm not sure the council will be very sympathetic as you've had several months where you won't have paid it and they'll probably argue you knew it was due and should have set aside some money towards it. Have you done this? Even if you can only pay a partial lump sum towards it that might make them more amenable to spreading the rest out... although I suspect they want it all paid in the financial year if possible.



Any chance of getting a 0% credit card for it?

https://www.moneysavingexpert.com/credit-cards/best-0-credit-cards/
How much can you afford per month/how many more months would you like to pay it over? If it's just a bit less they're more likely to agree than if you want to take 2 years to pay it back for instance.


If not, Debt-free wannabe board might have more suggestions and could have a look at your budget for you. If you've got any other debts I'd seriously suggest posting there since you'll need to prioritise payments.

McKneff

You really should have been putting an amount aside since June to cover this.

Borrow or sell things. Not sure you have any other choice to be honest

BoGoF

Let me get this straight......you haven't paid a penny council tax since June, decided to spend it on other things and are now complaining! Pay your dues like everyone else.

marliepanda

jill..mac2605 wrote: »

Hi Everyone,

Sorry if this question has been asked but I can't find anything similar to my situation in the threads.

I started my lease on my rented property in June (moved in in September) but have only just received my council tax bill.
The council are charging me 10 months (June to March) but only taking payment from November onwards.

I understand I have to pay it, but I am effectively paying twice as much a month until March which I really cannot afford.
Is there anyway to get the payment spread out more?

I have emailed them but got a reply saying they have a backlog and can take 4-6 weeks to reply and I am struggling to find time when I am at work and their office hours are the hours I am working.

Thanks in advance for your help.

They’re not ‘only taking payment from november’ they have to give you notice, and it’s too late to give you notice for October.

Why has it taken them 4 months to get you a bill? Did you take 4 months to tell them?

Regardless, you knew you lived there, you knew there was council tax. There’s now five months (June July aug sept and oct) that you should have put money aside and you can pay something in October if you want, right now you have chosen to only pay over 5 months.

Rosemary7391

marliepanda wrote: »

you can pay something in October if you want, right now you have chosen to only pay over 5 months.

That's a good point OP - whatever else you do, pay your standard council tax + whatever payment you can afford this month. That will make it a bit more manageable.

davidmcn

Have you claimed any exemption if the property was empty from June to September?

HampshireH

It reads as if the OP moved in in Sept then notified the council that this was the case. However as the tenancy started in June its been backdated.

Regardless everyone is right. You knew you would owe it so it should have been set aside

Teamocil

Pay your tax.

Rosemary7391

Teamocil wrote: »

Pay your tax.

How insightful... I think the OP has figured that one out already! They've already moved onto "How do I pay my tax with the means I have?".

jill..mac2605

Hi Rosemary7391,davidmcn and Sunny Intervals thank you very much for the non-judgemental and helpful answer to my question, as not everyone has been.

I have just got out a controlling relationship where I was never allowed to see the bills or pay them, so although this might have been obvious to everyone it wasn't to me. I am a trainee nurse so have been on placement the last four months so basically have buried my head in the sand with regards to my flat, which I am really regretting now. This is my first time in the forum so I am obviously not a pro with my finances here like everyone else it seems, but thank you for not being as rude and judgemental as everyone else. I don's see the point in posting something if its not helpful to someone else?