Being charged for services not recieved

silversaltire

Hi,

I'm a private tenant & apparently my landlord never registered my property with the council. I have been here since 2015 & have never been able to arrange any refuse collections or tip appointments, i don't get recycling services or bin bags etc as my house is not on the system. I have finally managed to get it in writing from the council that my house is not listed on their database & therefore I am not eligible for any services. 

However I have had a council tax bill that I have been paying since I moved in 2015. I am wondering what the legality of those charges are as they have admitted I am not getting any of the services they have been charging me for?

Does anybody know if I am entitled to claim a refund for the years I have been charged without getting these services & how I would go about doing that?

They have refused to register the property for me & state it is not their responsibility. They do not like me asking these questions & as soon as I query the bill they stop replying to me. This has been going on for years but this morning they finally admitted I am not eligible for any services. 

So what are my legal rights? I have been paying them for services not provided & that seems very odd to me.

Can anybody help? Thanks in advance.

lincroft1710

If you are getting and paying a CT bill, you are certainly registered somewhere in their system! I think you should approach your local councillor and ask them to take up the lack of refuse collection etc .with the council


Unfortunately you are not entitled to any refund of your CT payments as CT is a tax on the occupation of domestic property and money so collected goes toward funding local council expenditure

MalMonroe

Hi, just to say that I agree with what lincroft1710 says, above. Please do contact your local councillor, it's easy to do - and in my experience, they can and do help. Info in the following link -

https://www.gov.uk/find-your-local-councillors

Please also contact your MP - similar way to find out about them in the following link -

https://www.theyworkforyou.com/mp/

As it says, "they work for you" - so do get them working for you.

The good thing is that you have actually been paying your council tax bill - it'd be awful if the council came to you and said you owe thousands because you haven't paid. You have been paying and so you ARE definitely entitled to all the services. How dare they?!

You are definitely on a register somewhere and this seems to be another of those sloppy council administration errors. (It's the same where I live - why do we put up with it?)  But that is what your councillor is there for. Make them do their job for you.

macman

Are you being billed by and paying your CT bill direct to the LA? Or is your LL 'collecting it' for you somehow?

theoretica

What does your LL say when you point out that they need to register the property?  And if they didn't do that, what else have they skipped?

silversaltire

macman said:

Are you being billed by and paying your CT bill direct to the LA? Or is your LL 'collecting it' for you somehow?

No The bill arrives to this address in my name & I pay it by DD. But if i try & use the council website to request services or make payments they do not have my address on their database & I am unable to arrange anything. When I email asking for bin bags or appointments they say I can't make one as they don't recognise my address. It's a joke.

When I spoke to the Planning Dept 2 years ago about getting my house registered they replied verbatim "... it's not our responsibility". Once I threatened to stop paying & they sent me a court summons!

silversaltire

theoretica said:

What does your LL say when you point out that they need to register the property?  And if they didn't do that, what else have they skipped?

I haven't spoken to my LL about it as I didn't want to rock the boat as a renter. I don't want to lose my home as my son & I are happy here. I just want what I've been paying for. 

lincroft1710

Having reread and rethought this, it isn't making a lot of sense.


Your address is most definitely on the finance department of your council's database, otherwise they could not send you a CT bill, so why isn't it on the environmental services' database if different departments have different databases. Is there anything unusual about your address? Could it be confused with another address? Are you on the electoral roll? Can you find your address on the Royal Mail Postcode database?


Finally, as you have had no refuse collection for over 7 years, how have you been able to dispose of your household rubbish?

macman

silversaltire said:

theoretica said:

What does your LL say when you point out that they need to register the property?  And if they didn't do that, what else have they skipped?

I haven't spoken to my LL about it as I didn't want to rock the boat as a renter. I don't want to lose my home as my son & I are happy here. I just want what I've been paying for. 

Why would your LL seek to evict you for asking a perfectly reasonable question? Is he even aware of the issue?
C Tax is not a tax for services, it is a tax on the occupier of the property.
Could you explain the layout and house numbering here, is this maybe an annexe of your LL's property, or a subdivision of another house? Why is the address 'missing'?
Clearly if they can send you a CT bill, then the property is listed, and you will be able to see it listed on your LA's CT site if you do a search.
Have you asked your local councillor to help?

silversaltire

lincroft1710 said:

Having reread and rethought this, it isn't making a lot of sense.


Your address is most definitely on the finance department of your council's database, otherwise they could not send you a CT bill, so why isn't it on the environmental services' database if different departments have different databases. Is there anything unusual about your address? Could it be confused with another address? Are you on the electoral roll? Can you find your address on the Royal Mail Postcode database?


Finally, as you have had no refuse collection for over 7 years, how have you been able to dispose of your household rubbish?

Here's are 2  emails from the council stating my address can't have any services...

(Removed by Forum Team)

(Removed by Forum Team)


Here's an email from Council Tax Department stating they do not have my address listed, only my landlord's (a separate property)...

(Removed by Forum Team)


And here's a copy of a letter stating I have a council tax liability at The Cottage, which they say doesn't exist??...

(Removed by Forum Team)


So no, none of it makes sense & that's why I'm getting nowhere because as soon as I point this out they stop replying & I can't get anybody to register my house. So if they say it doesn't exist why am I getting a bill?

silversaltire

lincroft1710 said:

Having reread and rethought this, it isn't making a lot of sense.


Your address is most definitely on the finance department of your council's database, otherwise they could not send you a CT bill, so why isn't it on the environmental services' database if different departments have different databases. Is there anything unusual about your address? Could it be confused with another address? Are you on the electoral roll? Can you find your address on the Royal Mail Postcode database?


Finally, as you have had no refuse collection for over 7 years, how have you been able to dispose of your household rubbish?

The issue with the bins collections is up until now they have just collected everything. But last month they changed the system so now everybody has wheelie bin & recycling boxes & because I have not been provided with either as I'm not eligible they are refusing to take my rubbish away. My bags have been sitting on the side of the road for over a week & they will not take them because they are not in a wheelie bin.