Council tax and moving house

frostyspice

If you move into a house, who is responsible for letting the council know you're there?

We rented our house for 3 months and then bought it. We've never heard anything from the council (though we've budgeted for the council tax). I think we assumed that the previous owners would tell the council they had rented it to us, so they wouldn't be liable to pay it any more. I am a bit worried about things now though.

sooz

frostyspice wrote: »

If you move into a house, who is responsible for letting the council know you're there?

You are. Call them now, as they do know where you live

dansylvester

Second the above.

Your LL/Previous owner will probably have told the council they are no longer liable, but you need to tell them you still are. Contact you LA in the morning and advise them of the exact date you moved in.

Did you inform the council when you moved out of your old address?

CIS

You need to inform them ASAP and come to a payment arrangement to clear both the debt and the current years balances before you get any further behind.

I regularly come across people in similar circumstances were we only find out after 2-3 years of occupancy - its no fun trying to pay it and invariably it ends up at the bailiff.

poppycracker

landlord wont tell em. Western Isles council came after US when we moved from our flat in Stornoway....I'd written to tell them that we were moving and they wanted US to tell THEM who was moving into the flat, and also where WE were moving TO! Talk about lazy. (Landlord not council)

takoo

Hi Frostyspice

If the last occupiers improved the house in a big way you may find it will be rebanded.

Takoo

frostyspice

takoo wrote: »

Hi Frostyspice

If the last occupiers improved the house in a big way you may find it will be rebanded.

Takoo

No, they didn't improve it at all - rather the opposite!

We have budgeted for the council tax - it's just that the demand has never come. But today the 2008-9 demand came, addressed to the previous owners, so I'm assuming that they (1) never told the council that they'd moved out of the house, and the area and (2) paid for the entire year and didn't ask for a rebate. We've been here for less than a year.