Daughter being charged for all others in house

Tiggy777

Hi all

Hope everyone is well and hopefully if can get some advice as well.

My daughter was at University a few years ago and has now received a council tax demand from 2 years ago...it relates to the time her course finished to when she moved out of the shared house about 6 weeks later.

She was sharing a house with 3 others who have all moved out of the area and she has lost track off.  It would appear the tracked her down as she still lives in the same council area (she was unaware of outstanding balance)

Council have basically said they can chase her for the 'full' amount as they are all jointly liable.  This seems a bit unfair as she is willing to pay her part but council said that is not good enough.  They added without full payment they will apply for a libility order and send the bailiffs round.  She is currently on maternity leave on a zero hours contract looking after a young baby.  I am trying to help her as she is finding the position stressful as she has tried numerous times to contact them by phone by the never answer.

Would really appreciate any advice or suggestions.

Thank you for your time reading this 

Regards

Tiggy 

Torry_Quine

The people are all jointly responsible for the full amount so the council can chase any individual for the full amount.  They have done nothing wrong 

Peter999_2

This is exactly how it works I'm afraid.  Joint and several liability means if they only find one person they can claim the lot from them.  

tacpot12

I'm afraid the time to sort this out was when the council tax was due. She will have been aware that she/they owed council tax when she moved out.

Best thing to do is to pay it yourself, or if you can't afford to, help her agree a repayment plan with the coucil. 

ButterCheese

similar happened to me with utilities.  I had moved out but I (stupidly) agreed that my friend could stay there over the summer, as I had paid up until september anyway.  He agreed that they would pay the itility bills but did not.  He moved him and a mate in, they ran up bills, then moved out.  As I was the only tenant who they had details for, they chased me and I had to pay.  Suffice it to say he is no longer my mate

saajan_12

Tiggy777 said:

Hi all

Hope everyone is well and hopefully if can get some advice as well.

My daughter was at University a few years ago and has now received a council tax demand from 2 years ago...it relates to the time her course finished to when she moved out of the shared house about 6 weeks later.

She was sharing a house with 3 others who have all moved out of the area and she has lost track off.  It would appear the tracked her down as she still lives in the same council area (she was unaware of outstanding balance)

Council have basically said they can chase her for the 'full' amount as they are all jointly liable.  This seems a bit unfair as she is willing to pay her part but council said that is not good enough.  They added without full payment they will apply for a libility order and send the bailiffs round.  She is currently on maternity leave on a zero hours contract looking after a young baby.  I am trying to help her as she is finding the position stressful as she has tried numerous times to contact them by phone by the never answer.

Would really appreciate any advice or suggestions.

Thank you for your time reading this 

Regards

Tiggy 

How much is the amount? Should just be the 6 weeks, not the whole year.. 

If the amount is correct, then she will have to pay it or face further enforcement costs. That's how joint liability works - the creditor (council) can chase any of the occupiers for all of it. The person who ends up paying can then claim from the others who should have been sharing it - that's based on a (verbal) agreement between them to pay x% of the costs each. The council wouldn't know anything about this intra-tenant agreement (imagine it was a couple sharing with one paying bills and the other staying at home..)

Of course now there may be late payment charges, because they didn't deal with it at the time 2 years ago - unfortunately they can't really complain they weren't billed, as its on the occupier(s) to update their student status which would generate the bill. 

Spendless

Unfortunately many students arent aware they become eligible to pay council tax the day after their course finishes and they lose their student exemption.

I warned my son and housemates about this and they werent convinced I was correct until the bill landed thru the letterbox the day after the course ended. Their council was very on the ball with sending letters out.

As said it will be from the end of the course and I believe until the end of the tenancy even if your daughter moved out before it ended?

Where did your daughter go and live after this? Is it possible she continued to owe CT with where she lived next.

It's unfortunate that shes the one theyve found and she's lost contact with the others but nothing she can do Im afraid.