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House repossessed due to council tax debt
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It may be relevant as the OP will need to prove he lived elsewhere so as not to be liable for the £20k of council tax arrears.emmajones1976 said:
Irrelevant to the thread I know, but I should mention it: you are at least on the electoral roll there, yes?MsBWIL said:Thanks to everyone again for your advice. I agree a solicitor will probably be needed. I am not registered for council tax where I am living as I am staying with family. The letter stating an eviction is taking place was sent by the court. A date for the eviction has been set for next month.
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unless the house was unoccupied - in which case he would be liable as owner2
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fatbelly said:If the house is jointly owned, then the default position is that, after the secured debts and fees are paid, the remaining funds are split 50/50.
Equally you are jointly liable for any shortfall if that should occur.
Sorry about any misleading comments - you have to understand that an order for sale following a charging order is a very rare occurrence. I doubt @CIS has ever seen one on council tax debt - but I might be wrong
Not whilst working for a council but in my current role I've seen 2 or 3 in 6 years.
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.3 -
enthusiasticsaver said:
It is perfectly possible. The OP said there were arrears before he moved out which was 8 years ago. I am not sure if the council imposes penalties for non payment so that £20k may include penalties but if we stopped paying our council tax for 8 years it would be more than £20k.emmajones1976 said:How on earth do you build up £20k in council tax arrears?! That would take at least 4 years even on a Band H property?
There's no penalty added for late payment.
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.1 -
MsBWIL said:Thanks to everyone again for your advice. I agree a solicitor will probably be needed. I am not registered for council tax where I am living as I am staying with family. The letter stating an eviction is taking place was sent by the court. A date for the eviction has been set for next month.
I appreciate this is a rare and complex situation so I am grateful for your contributions in getting my head around it all.
The council tax side would need to be looked at further if the council are holding you liable but as long as there's at least one liable party with a debt the council can take enforcement action against that party.
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.1
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