Settling down after three years of sofa surfing

Tobster86

I'm 35 and my mother has just retired. She is disabled and was claiming PIP.

I've been sofa surfing for the past three years after a particularly unpleasant experience with a rogue HMO landlord.

I've been staying with various family, friends and colleagues; including regular and sometimes prolonged work visits to Germany.

For convenience my car, work-registered and general mailing address (full time employer) have been my mother's house.

I didn't formally move into my mother's house as I wished to remain independent, and was concerned about becoming bound by some form of "carer status" for my mother, but ended up essentially "stuck" at the address during each of the lockdowns over the past year anyway. The house has a moderately large mortgage outstanding, which has been interest-only for several years, and my mother isn't getting any younger and, combined with her disabilities, is losing the ability to remain fully independent. I've reluctantly agreed with my two siblings that I should move into the property, rescue the financial affairs, and assume ownership of the house.

Am I likely to face any issues with the process of formally registering as living here from the point of things like council tax? The property is under a different council's jurisdiction to the previous HMO I lived in three years ago. "Of no fixed address" doesn't appear to be a valid "previous address" so I've gone with the HMO address although I've been sofa surfing for three years, and I'm not prepared to share details of anyone I've been temporarily living with as it's not fair on them to be chased up by the council. Is sofa surfing "illegal" and am I likely to be billed for three years of council tax on the basis of things like my car being registered at my mother's address?

AdrianC

The main reason they ask for your previous address is to determine whether you're moving within their area or from outside it. No, you aren't likely to have any issues at all.

tacpot12

I would agree with Adrian C. Sofa surfing isn't illegal, but the people who you were staying with should have  declared you if they were claiming any discount or reduction on their council tax. So they may have committed fraud, but you have done nothing wrong. 

Tobster86

Follow up; no issues whatsoever, they didn't even ask.

rexmedorum

Tobster86 said:

... I've reluctantly agreed with my two siblings that I should move into the property, rescue the financial affairs, and assume ownership of the house.

If you really mean assume ownership of the house (and not just take care of it), make sure that you get it sorted properly. It's amazing how easily people forget what they agreed to if large sums are at stake.