Student Council Tax Problem

codo

My daughter has been at university for the last 4 years. 

In January she received a bill for council tax for 2022. She rang the council and they said they hadn’t received her exemption certificate. She still had a copy so sent it on. They then said she owed a month as she moved into the property before her course started. They emailed a bill which she duly paid.   She wasn’t aware that this could be an issue and told them she would have the same problem for the following year (different property-new course). They said they would check and get back to her. She rang them again a week later to see if they knew how much she owed. She was told they were way behind in calculations and would email the bill once they knew what she owed. 

Today the letting agency from that property contacted her then flatmate to say an urgent letter had arrived addressed to them. The letter was from a bailiff to say they owed a couple of months council tax (£221) and also bailiff fees of £300. She rang the council to say she was told she would receive a bill by email and they said they don’t send any bills that way even though she told them she already received the previous bill that way. She and her flatmate are happy to pay what council tax they owe but the council are saying it’s now in the hands of the bailiff and they have to pay the penalty. 

Is there anything they can do?  They were waiting to get the bill via email as she told them they no longer live at the address. There were obviously letters sent to the address but they didn’t get them and the only letter the letting agency got was the one today. 

Would appreciate any advice. 

Voyager2002

Contact an elected councillor, emphasising that they were relying on what they were told about the bill being sent by email.