Council tax court summons was not even aware.

ColdPizza

Long story short. I had a court summons for council tax early this month. I did not know about it because I no longer have anything to do with the property. The landlord had their solicitor email me a complaint and in that they scanned all letters received after I stopped dealing with the property. The letter was sent on the day of the court summons. So even if I saw it then I would not have been able to do anything. 

From my point of view I didn’t even notice it until two weeks later. Because it was attached with so-called evidence, basically my unpaid rent is £4600 ( 2 months) landlord somehow decided I owed an extra £1500 for solicitors cost, £1500 for repairs ( absolutely nothing wrong with the property beyond normal wear & tear ) and repainting that they tried to charge me for because somehow white walls are supposed to stay pristine white over 6 years and yellowing, skirting boards and walls forming movement cracks is a sign of gross negligence. So I was to annoyed disputing the nonsense. 

What do I do about the summons it’s passed without me being able to dispute or make an arrangement and I assume bailiffs will now be getting involved. Can I still contact the council? 

RAS

It's unclear from your post when you vacated the property and for which period the Council Tax is being claimed? 

Did you contact the Council and tell them you had vacated the property? If not, do so now.

Given the other issues with your LL, it's possible they are less than happy that they are liable for CT now?

Did you pay a deposit, and in which scheme was it registered?

HampshireH

You are responsible for updating the council of your address and for arranging the forwarding on of any mail when you move out.

If the council have summons you for a debt you are responsible for them that's unlikely to change & you'll need to comply with whatever the court order states. Of course you can contact them but they may point you else where. 

The charges from your landlord are irrelevant to you council tax case. Also consequences of not paying council tax can be far worse than not paying the rent for a property you no longer live in.

fatbelly

I assume that this is a liability order and not a committal

Yes, now is the time to talk to them. You were liable for council tax until your tenancy ended so you may need a discussion on the dates.

Then you can pay it or arrange a plan before they send it to bailiffs and more fees get added

Stateofart

You can be jailed for not paying Council Tax - address it with them now.

fatbelly

Stateofart said:

You can be jailed for not paying Council Tax - address it with them now.

Yes, not in Wales, Scotland or Northern Ireland though.

In England it's rare but my council does take people to committal hearing even though the court never gives them a jail sentence.