Am I eligible for single occupier council tax discount?

ssm90

Hello,

I own a flat where all documentation is in my name. I moved out of this flat about a year ago as I got married but the new property is in my partner's name and I am not on any documentation with regards to ownership. However, we both pay council tax on this property.

For the flat, when I moved out, my sibling moved in with no change in ownership. As all documentation was in my name, I also decided to pay the council tax as a family member is residing in this property.

I have been availaing of the single person occupier discount as my sibling is the only person living in the flat as I have moved out. However, I have been informed by the council that I have to pay back in arrears the full 25% discount I received last year for the flat. Is this correct? If so, I guess I have no choice but to pay it. However, in order to avail of this discount going forward, should I change the council tax payment so it is under my siblings name?

Thank you

lincroft1710

As soon as your sibling moved into your flat the responsibility for paying the Council Tax became theirs. The council seem to have assumed that either you had moved out of the flat and it was unoccupied and thus the Single Person Discount would no longer be applicable or that your sibling had moved in with you and similarly the SPD was no longer applicable.


The correct thing to do would be to inform the council of the date your sibling moved in and then he/she will be billed from that date and will be able to claim SPD. You will be refunded your CT payment back to that date. The not so correct (and more costly) thing to do would be to pay the 25% SPD and inform the council that your sibling has now moved into the flat. 

penners324

Contact the council to advise them who is the flat and from what date....

The sibling will then get a bill for the whole year and you will get rebate for the whole year.

ssm90

Great, thank you. I will do that.

RAS

And remind your sibling to claim the single person's discount from the day they moved in.