Council Tax - I am on a war path (need some help though)

roney

My question is if the council (bailliffs) send you a rediculous council tax bill with your Nick Name and your mobile number on it, to an address you have never resided - do you have to pay it (*considering the fact that I am paying council tax in my own house)

Basically my aunts house underwent refurbishment in October last year and being the nice person that I am, I decided to take charge of the project as she was not well and had left the country.

I went with her to her local council and she spoke to one of the case workers who made us aware that she could get a 100% council tax exemption since her house was empty and unfurnished.

I helped her fill out an application for the exemption which I scanned and emailed to the council who sent me a confirmatory email confirming the the exemption.

The works on the property were completed after 8 months and in June this year, I went with her to the property for the first time since we handed it over to the contractors only to find dozens of letters from the local council addressed

Ric Brown (07912 345879)
12 Whatever Close
London

I have tried calling them to tell them I have never lived at the above address but they keep referring me to the bailiffs.

Now assuming my name was Richard Brown and I have never lived at my aunts address - could I just ignore these letters?

CIS

Your aunt needs to contact the CTax dept and inform them that she is the liable party and you are an agent working on her behalf therefore any bill should be addressed to her. When you ring if you cant get any sense then ask for the departments senior or principal officer in charge of recovery action - they will be able to authorise the account to be withdrawn from the bailiff and a new acount be to be raised in the correct name.

roney

CIS wrote: »

Your aunt needs to contact the CTax dept and inform them that she is the liable party and you are an agent working on her behalf therefore any bill should be addressed to her. When you ring if you cant get any sense then ask for the departments senior or principal officer in charge of recovery action - they will be able to authorise the account to be withdrawn from the bailiff and a new acount be to be raised in the correct name.

My aunt is currently out of the country and is too infirm to really take on this burden - I have contacted the Council Tax dapartment and all they tell me is - if I say my aunt is really liable then I have no right to act on her behalf.

right now I'm wondering if I could just ignore their letters and argue that Ric Brown has never lived at that address. I have checked my credit report and all the summons have not affected me in anyway.

CIS

Council Tax will never affect your credit rating - unless it got to a point where you where made bankrupt.

Was the property only empty for 8 months ?, what happened to it after that date.

I''am assuming that you got a Class A for the first 6 months ? If so then after the 6 months then you claim a Class C exemption for a maximum of another 6 months after that date providing the property was empty and unfurnished.

If you aunt is the liable party then you can act on her behalf - I assume that they are getting at the point that they have no written authority authorising you to act on her behalf - with your aunts authority, why not send a letter on her behalf stating what's happening , I'm sure a signature can be sorted out...

roney

****UPDATE****

The council have withdrawn the account from the bailliffs - but there is bad news

The have added a council tax bill for 2004 (the property was empty for that period as well) and even though they have given me a 50% discount it is unaffordable -


My aunt and I do not want to appeal however we wouldlike to pay the amount in installments.

The amount is £1,600.00 and we can only afford £200.00 a month, how do I go about this.

Thanks