I am £1200 because my flatmate has not paid the council tax!

bombata

Yesterday I received a letter with a court summon because apparantly I owed Tower Hamlet Council £554.93 Pounds. I was quite surprised about this, since I arranged with my flatmate to pay her £50 a month and she just pays the council tax.

I mentioned this to my flatmate and she said she is going to sort it out. However I am moving in 3 weeks, because I bought a flat in the same Borough so I thought I call up the council.

They told me we owe:
£441.63 from the year before
£554.93 from last year
£212.86 from this year

That is £1209.39

Since my name is on the bill they said they will be after me too. I know my flatmate does not have the money to pay for it all at once, but I don't want to pay it because I PAYED IT TO HER ALREADY!

I do not want to leave the flat, break contact with her and then find myself chased for the debt. I only have a standing order into her account with the subject line "Rent & Council Tax" - no other receipts.

Is there a legal letter she can sign before I leave to clear me of all debts? So I can give that to the council?

immoral_angeluk

Do you have an actual contract with her?
Was it agreed from the start that you would pay her £50 a month for the council tax and she would pay the rest? Do you have receipts/proof for the payments you made to her?

EmptyPurse

The council won't care about a private arrangement between you and your flatmate. If your name's on the bill, you're liable for the outstanding amount - even though you've already given your flatmate £50 per month. If both your names are on the bill you're jointly liable for the debts.

If you want to avoid a CCJ you're going to have to pay the council fast. Don't trust your flatmate - she's already proved untrustworthy and could land you in even deeper trouble if you're not careful. You need to raise the money any way you can - bank loan, credit card, relatives - and protect your own credit rating. If you get a CCJ you'll be stuck with it for six years and will find it incredibly difficult to get any kind of financial product.

I'd also get free legal advice about recovering the money that you paid to your flatmate (and her share of the money that you paid to the Council). You might be in with a chance as the bank statements clearly show that it's for Council Tax but I'm no legal expert. Get some advice and then take her to the Small Claims Court if necessary.

peb

Sorry; if you are jointly on the bill you are liable. If you are unable to pay it all now they will probably come up with a repayment plan. Can you stop paying her rent to recop the money before you move out? Otherwise it is a private contract which has gone awry and although you may have a case it will be a nightmare getting the money out of her.

immoral_angeluk

You will be liable for the bill.. but if you have the documents that I mentioned in my first post you may be able to reclaim them from your flatmate via the small claims court.

didi_nodebt

Hi sorry to hear about this, I am sure someone will be along to help sort this out but heres my laymans view of this...

First things first there nothing she can sign or probably will sign, you will have to pay the outstanding amount for your part and then once you have paid it chase her up for the money.

2nd You will have to get the police involved as this is theft, the only proof I think you have is the fact that you have a standing order from your account which shows rent & council tax and when the difference is split it should show that you have been paying both for the duration.

Write/ call to the council and explain the situation send copies of your bank statement which shows the standing order going into flat mates accounts and then show them the break down what is rent and what is council tax and also inform them that you have reported this to the police.....

this will not stop them demanding payment but at least they will know from your side you are helping to get this paid. Also ask them to give you time to sort this out with your flatmate as the police are now involved.

Then go to your local CAB (citizens advice) office and get them involved as well they will help with the CT situation....hope that helps...

tallyhoh

Where has all your post gone from the Council telling about your arrears? I assume your flatmate hid that. I have worked for 2 councils & you would normally have received a Court summons for arrears after a few weeks.

It could be that your Council is a bit slow, you have checked that there are no summons or court orders?