Council tax bill when course has NOT ended

RealFredBloggs

Good day MSE forum members!

I need your advice. I know that councils can send a bill for residual council tax to students if the stay beyond the end of their course in a property. However, my son has received one while still having two terms left.

The bill appears to be for the third year of his Masters course, which is a four year course. The letter from the council states that they got information from the university that his course "finished" a month before he vacated the property after the third year. However, his course has not finished and will not until June this year.

Have the council made a mistake? Are they "trying it on"? Or is there a rule that even if the course has NOT finished, they can still claim for anytime between the summer term of one year and the autumn term of next year?

Help!  I'm a first time user of MSE forum, so be kind please! And thank you for any wisdom you can impart!

400ixl

Council's don't try it on. If they have been informed by the University that he has finished the course then they will enact their process for charging council tax. There is no trying it on.

There does sound like there is a mistake. Has he taken the simple steps of contacting the council and telling them there is a mistake, whilst also contacting the University to say the same and asking them to sort it, or at the very least get the University to supply evidence he is still on the course.

RealFredBloggs

400ixl said:

Council's don't try it on. If they have been informed by the University that he has finished the course then they will enact their process for charging council tax. There is no trying it on.

There does sound like there is a mistake. Has he taken the simple steps of contacting the council and telling them there is a mistake, whilst also contacting the University to say the same and asking them to sort it, or at the very least get the University to supply evidence he is still on the course.

Given the current council crisis, I wouldn't rule out a council sailing close to the wind legally with enforcement, as the exact wording of the exemption does seem to leave some room for interpretation. So no, I don't agree that "trying it on" isn't an option, unless you are a council tax worker with direct experience of enforcing policy. 

As for a mistake, obviously we're following that course, but what I was hoping for is a response from someone who knows about this subject, so we can make a prognosis on our chance of success. If you are that expert, then thank you for your confirmation on the law.

elmer

He needs to ask his university for another student certificate to cover the terms that are not on his previous certificate and forward it to the council, who will then be able to update his exemption

saajan_12

Could easily be a mistake if just other students are on 3 year courses. If they receive information they have to act, that doesn't mean you can't refute it. Just provide the council with the proof of the course dates and it should be fine. 

building_with_lego

This could be correct, depending on the structure of his course. If he's doing a 3+1 course (e.g. BSc plus MSc) then one course finishes around June then the second begins in the autumn. If it's an integrated Master's it should be a straight 4 years though. 

I work in a university and we have some courses which are a 2-year Foundation Degree then a 1-year top-up to BSc. Those students are liable for CT for the few months over the summer that they are between courses.