Council tax discount

sevenhills

I will probably be taking in a lodger in the next few weeks.
The last time I got anything from the council my daughter lived her and she was in full time education, so I received the 25% discount.
Should I inform the council about my new occupant straight away?
It will start off as a 3 month stay.


I believe that if I am charged 100% council tax, it would just be for that 3 months, is that correct?

G_M

Of course.
As soon as there is more than 1 (non-student) person in the property, you will lose entitlement to the single person discount.

The key is in the name "single person".

Not telling them would be a council tax fraud.

If /when the lodger leaves, you can again claim the discount.

AdrianC

You get the discount for the time you live on your own.
You don't get the discount when others live in the property with you.

So, yes.

CIS

The key question to ask is 'Is this the lodgers sole or main residence ?' It is residence that is key (residence and living in a property are two individual terms for council tax purposes).



If the answer is yes then they are resident for council tax purposes and will affect any discounts or exemptions.


If the answer is no then they are not resident and it will not affect any discounts or exemptions.


Irrespective of the answer then you still need to tell the council as it will, at the least, prevent problems further down the line.

Honeylife

If this is going to be a regular thing - having a lodger that it - it's worth considering a full-time Student Lodger. They dont pay council tax. You just have to send a copy of their Student Registration into the Council Housing and you will continue with your single person discount. Part time students do not qualify for the exemption. A student lodger ususally needs a desk in the room but generally are good lodgers.

sevenhills

CIS wrote: »

If the answer is yes then they are resident for council tax purposes and will affect any discounts or exemptions.


If the answer is no then they are not resident and it will not affect any discounts or exemptions.

If he does become my new lodger, his length of stay is uncertain.

But I believe it will be his main residence as he is selling his house.
I believe he is looking for a house to rent, so it could be one month or it could be four months.

lisyloo

I’ve been informing my council of changes by email.
Works well because I get an acknowledgment and I have a record.
So there should be no issue with just informing them when the situation changes.

sevenhills

lisyloo wrote: »

I’ve been informing my council of changes by email.
Works well because I get an acknowledgment and I have a record.
So there should be no issue with just informing them when the situation changes.

I prefer emails too; the answers to emails are always factual and correct.

CIS

I always try to work via email where I can simply because there's no argument what was said.