Tenant paying council tax in two different boroughs

SandyN21

Fingers crossed our house is due to exchange and complete end March.  Both myself and ex husband still live in the house (tenants in common). 

I'm not buying another property for now so will rent for 12 months.  I'm in the process of having my tenant references done for a beautiful and affordable 2-bed flat I viewed last week.  The question I'm asking is since the council tax on our house was paid for 10 months - so payments start again in April....if for any reason the house sale falls through, I'll still keep the flat as there is such a high demand for rentals - will there be questions asked when paying council tax in two different boroughs as my name will still be on the demand for our house?  Thanks

Flugelhorn

no - I pay in two boroughs, they just take the money !

user1977

What sort of questions? If you occupy two properties then you're liable for council tax on both of them - no real question about that. There may be a concession available if either of them is unoccupied and unfurnished.

TripleH

We rented in a new area whilst waiting for our flat to sell.

We ended up paying council tax on both properties. Be specific and verify they understand your exact situation. One council gave us the wrong information then threatened to take us to court for not payment despite us following their instructions (it was luck we found the threats of court action as they had sent them to the old address despite having our correct one).

PRAISETHESUN

I'd had a similar thing in the past when moving between rental properties and the tenancies overlapped - there are generally no questions asked beyond the standard ones on the form - move in/out dates, etc, to determine when you are liable for each property so they can generate the bill. Councils are always happy to take money from you! Plenty of people are responsible for paying CT on more than one property anyway.

The point above about the properties being furnished or not is a good one, as some councils provide a discount for unfurnished properties. Mine did, so even though I was still responsible for paying CT when I moved out of my last place the actual bill was £0.

theartfullodger

You could own/rent many properties I'd different boroughs - say 17 - and unless someone else was the occupant you'd be liable for council tax for each.  But may only claim any discounts e.g. single discount for just one.

Just like if you own 3 cars you need to pay vehicle excuse duty on each 

canaldumidi

theartfullodger said:

Just like if you own 3 cars you need to pay vehicle excuse duty on each 

though just as you can 'SORN' a car you are not using and which is off the road, you can (sometimes) claim a discount if a property is not used and empty. Check the relevant council's website.

SiliconChip

Conversely to the possibility of an unoccupied discount, you also need to be aware that if a property stays emply for more than 2 years a council tax surcharge can be applied, which I was rather surprised to find can be as much as 4 times the normal bill if a property is empty for longer than 10 years.

https://www.gov.uk/council-tax/second-homes-and-empty-properties

SandyN21

Thanks for your replies.

The CT discount of 25% for single occupancy will be for the flat as I'll be living there on my own + it is in band D (our house is F) so will also get the Government discount of £150. 

Neither properties will be unfurnished as I've told the letting agency that I'd like to start the tenancy 2 weeks before completion date so that I can move my furniture and belongings in gradually.
 
I will also arrange flat contents and liability insurance once my tenancy begins.