Cancelling Council Tax DD

Pixie5740

I let a property in Scotland and there was a void of a couple of months between tenants so I was liable for the council tax.  I dutifully completed the online form to tell the council the tenant was moving out and that I was liable.  I have been paying the bill by DD but never received a bill in the post so I ended up having to phone the council to get my council tax account number so I could view the bill online instead.  I mentioned a new tenant was moving in and the person I was speaking with advised me to cancel the direct debit as the council is taking at least 90 days to set up and close council tax accounts, and Christmas is coming up so mine could take longer.

I'm worried about cancelling the DD and then getting a demand to pay the whole year before the council processes the form telling them there are new tenants.  Am I being a bit paranoid?  If it's taking at least 90 days to process applications will the council act quicker for alleged arrears?  I have the money to keep paying it until the council sorts themselves out but it does mean transferring money from one country to another each month.....sometimes I win, sometimes I lose.

Fergie76

Which Council is this?

If you cancel the DD it will automatically produce a new bill, as there has been a change to your CT account, ie the payment method.

Hopefully the advisor you have spoken with has suppressed your account to stop the new bill and also to stop any reminder letters while they process your change.

Once the change has been processed you should receive a new bill with your final amount, which you can then arrange to pay.

Pixie5740

Fergie76 said:

Which Council is this?

If you cancel the DD it will automatically produce a new bill, as there has been a change to your CT account, ie the payment method.

Hopefully the advisor you have spoken with has suppressed your account to stop the new bill and also to stop any reminder letters while they process your change.

Once the change has been processed you should receive a new bill with your final amount, which you can then arrange to pay.

Aberdeen City Council. No I don’t think she has done any of that, just advised I should cancel my DD because they’re taking at least 90 days to process changes of occupation. 

Perhaps it is sensible to err on the side of caution and keep paying it until the council catches up. 

Nostrus

Pixie5740 said:

Fergie76 said:

Which Council is this?

If you cancel the DD it will automatically produce a new bill, as there has been a change to your CT account, ie the payment method.

Hopefully the advisor you have spoken with has suppressed your account to stop the new bill and also to stop any reminder letters while they process your change.

Once the change has been processed you should receive a new bill with your final amount, which you can then arrange to pay.

Aberdeen City Council. No I don’t think she has done any of that, just advised I should cancel my DD because they’re taking at least 90 days to process changes of occupation. 

Perhaps it is sensible to err on the side of caution and keep paying it until the council catches up. 

Yep, I wouldn't trust ACC to organise a !!!!!! up in a brewery. I guess you could have it written into the new tenants' rental agreement that they pay you back the Council Tax for as long as it takes to change over?

Fergie76

Nostrus said:

Pixie5740 said:

Fergie76 said:

Which Council is this?

If you cancel the DD it will automatically produce a new bill, as there has been a change to your CT account, ie the payment method.

Hopefully the advisor you have spoken with has suppressed your account to stop the new bill and also to stop any reminder letters while they process your change.

Once the change has been processed you should receive a new bill with your final amount, which you can then arrange to pay.

Aberdeen City Council. No I don’t think she has done any of that, just advised I should cancel my DD because they’re taking at least 90 days to process changes of occupation. 

Perhaps it is sensible to err on the side of caution and keep paying it until the council catches up. 

Yep, I wouldn't trust ACC to organise a !!!!!! up in a brewery. I guess you could have it written into the new tenants' rental agreement that they pay you back the Council Tax for as long as it takes to change over?

You can't charge the Tenants.  Once processed, the OP's account will be closed from the day before the tenant moved and the tenant will be liable from the day they moved.

If the OP has over-paid then this will be refunded.

Pixie5740

That’s what I was thinking. Keep paying and then get a refund…eventually….in 2022. Seems safer than cancelling the DD. 

Fergie76

Pixie5740 said:

That’s what I was thinking. Keep paying and then get a refund…eventually….in 2022. Seems safer than cancelling the DD. 

If you can afford to, that is probably the safer option, however, if you can't, phone the Council tell them that you are no longer liable for the CT and you have completed the relevant paperwork to inform them and ask them to suppress account, until the final bill is issued and you will then settle the final bill.