Council tax - own a place, rent elsewhere for work

AnonKittenRenter77

hello. I am new here - and hope I can get the correct advice as getting nowhere with the councils involved

I own a place in city A together with my spouse

I had to move to city B for work - I am renting

we are paying council tax in city A and I am paying council tax in city B. Is this correct? Am I underpaying or overpaying? I don’t own the place but pay a lot to rent. I am worried I made some mistake.

I am mostly in city B for work, but spend my holidays and free weekends in city A with my spouse

user1977

That seems correct, you're occupying two properties so you pay the council tax for both. If it's only ever you in Property B then I expect you should qualify for the single occupier relief. I expect Property A being your permanent residence (even if you're not actually there during the week) means your spouse can't claim they are a sole occupier.

AnonKittenRenter77

thank you! But I don’t have to pay double council tax in city B as a colleague suggested? As I said I don’t own that property

lincroft1710

Where a 2nd property is occupied by necessity of being close to work, then the double CT does not usually apply.

HouseHuntingAmy

Take a breath - what you've described is almost certainly correct, not a mistake. Council tax follows occupation rather than ownership, so as the tenant in city B the bill there is yours, and the bill for your own place in city A stays with your household. Since your spouse lives there, it's occupied, so there's no empty-home premium or anything like that to worry about.

The things worth a quick check rather than a worry: if your spouse is the only adult living in city A, they may qualify for the 25% single adult discount on that bill - worth asking the council. And if you ever moved out of city B but kept the rental on, that's when second-home premiums (some councils charge up to double) start to matter, but that isn't your situation.

The confusing bit is usually that people assume you only pay council tax on one 'main home'. There's no such rule - you pay on each property you're responsible for, and right now that's two. If you want it in writing, both councils will confirm your liability by letter, which is handy if an employer ever needs proof of the arrangement.

lincroft1710

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/82161169#Comment_82161169

In order for the 25% discount to apply to the City A property, the OP would need to have completely moved out and not be expected to return.

HouseHuntingAmy

That's a fair refinement, thank you - it all hinges on whose sole or main residence the city A place actually is. If the OP has genuinely moved their main home to city B, then the spouse is the only adult resident in city A and the 25% should apply. If the OP is expected back and city A is still really their main home, it wouldn't. As with most council tax questions the council makes the final call, so it's still worth the OP asking rather than assuming either way - and their answer in writing settles it properly.

user1977

Given the OP states "I spend my holidays and free weekends in city A", by most definitions that (and not their weekday "digs") is still their principal residence, so I can't see they can avoid being treated as resident for council tax purposes.

lincroft1710

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/82162175#Comment_82162175

It is clear from the opening post that the OP still returns to their home in City A and thus they would be wasting everybody's time in asking if a single person discount was applicable.

clairec666

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/82162175#Comment_82162175

I would guess that the OP hasn't moved much of their furniture to city B, so their city A home is still their "main" residence despite spending quite a low percentage of their time there (it sounds like they might only spend some weekends there, not all?)

But my view of what's their "main" home doesn't matter, it's the council's opinion that matters, so check it out properly.

HouseHuntingAmy

Fair challenge lincroft1710 - reading the opening post again, you're probably right. If the OP is still regularly back at the city A place, it's likely still their main residence and there's no discount to chase. The furniture test is a good rough guide too clairec666.

I'd still say a quick answer in writing from the council beats guessing, since it's their definition that decides it - but it may well be a short answer!