To start a fire?

Ha ha, in my experience I’d say no. Some idiot set my property on fire and we obviously called 999. I live opposite a fire station and they didn’t attend! Had to wait 25 mins for another 2 fire engines to come, flames were 30ft high. 3 village firefighters sat and watched, apparently you need 4 to fight a fire. 🤷‍♀️🤣🙈

so no don’t risk starting a fire.

Think my council tax is over £200 a month now, for a 3 bed semi. We live in what I think is one of the most expensive council tax places going (midlands, not Home Counties). I remember 20 years ago reading how much council tax Tony Blair was paying on his London mansion which was then priced at 7million and we paid more council tax than he did!

Thank you! That's a relief!

Occupied.

She's been a lanlord for 3 years, apparently. @PILEALLTHEPILLSONTHEFLOOR

Yes. Where do you live to only pay £87? @PILEALLTHEPILLSONTHEFLOOR

If she is renting it out and is not looking onto things like this then shes gets absolutely no grace

Never include CT in the rent and pay the council yourself. If the tenant doesn't pay the rent you're liable. Council tax and utilities go in the tenant's name .

Can I jump on this thread with a question? We currently live in a friend's second home under an informal guardian-type agreement. There is no written contract; they just let us stay there in return for us maintaining the property and keeping it looking lived in (after they had a problem with squatters previously). Because there's no paperwork in our name, they pay all the bills and we reimburse them. Our agreement was that this would continue for a year (we're currently 3 months in) and then they intend to sell the property.
For council tax purposes, will the property be considered empty or occupied?

@PILEALLTHEPILLSONTHEFLOOR Did you tell the tenants that the rent included council tax? Or are they responsible for paying all household bills?

Every house I have ever rented has required me to pay the council tax and utility bills in addition to the rent but it depends how you have marketed it and what the rental contract says?

I have to say your post is very confusing. You live in one house and inherited another, yet you have a mortgage on the inherited one for more than the house is worth, forgive me but aren't you supposed to gain something when you inherit a house - it makes no sense? So you are trying to sell your home, to move into the inherited one you are just renting out? Is that right?

I just wanted to say I’m so sorry to hear about your partner, you’ve been through such an awful time. Good luck with everything going forward, there was some really unnecessary nastiness on this thread.

Your tenants should be paying their own council tax? Separate from rent

No. They should pay it themselves

@PILEALLTHEPILLSONTHEFLOOR

I know you don’t want tagging but you’ve got the perfect opportunity here to make sure all of your paperwork is watertight before the new tenants move in. Please don’t ignore it because you’ll be up shit creek when it comes to trying to get them out.

Have you got the EPC, GSC, Current how to rent guide, deposit protection and an EICR? You should have them sign for receipt and keep on top of it or this could be very problematic.

Ah, I see. I was worried she was thinking of burning the place down.

It was a tongue in cheek comment about using the fire service as she is being charged for fire services and police among other things.

My friend is facing this soon as she has her mother’s house to sort out before sale. It’s a huge job. Thankfully she will be able to fund it for a while pre sale but think it will give her the push to get sorting. But such a hard job, I did it with my close friend’s DD last year after her sudden death at 57 and it was emotionally draining. You don’t get long really.

People are asking you if you are doing all the required legal stuff to do with letting a house @PILEALLTHEPILLSONTHEFLOOR because you don't seem to understand one of the elements of it.

Council tax is due based on who is living in the property not who owns the property. If all the tenants were full time students no council tax would be payable. If only one working adult lives in the property there would be a 25% discount.

A council tax bill of £87 a month (£1044 a year if over 12 months) is quite low even for a Band A property unless it is located in some of the London boroughs. Have you been claiming 25% discount on the property because you live alone? If you have and the tenants weren't liable for the discount, you will have been committing council tax fraud...

It's awful isn't it. We were in the same situation....paying 100% council tax on the property my father in law died in, for a time (he paid 75% due to single person discount), which then doubled after a time. £600 every month down the drain. Councils in England have the discretion not to charge the X2 rate....our council basically said 'tough luck, we are charging it'. Add in £250 monthly service charge for a flat where someone wasn't living - took 3 years to sell, at a massively under market value - it was all rather shit!

This amazed me too, I live alone in a Band A and now pay £140 a month, I would love to only have to find £87 a month

If you rent out a property, the tenant(s) pay rent, council tax, water, gas and electricity, at least that is what everyone I know who is in private rented does. I have never ever heard of the person who actually owns and rents out the property paying the council tax.

Council tax should be included in the rent. The tenants are the ones getting the benefit of the services council tax pays for, not you.

Why don't the tenants pay their council tax?

My council tax is going up to nearly £400 a month!

I’m slightly shocked your council tax is only £87. I own only one house annd pay over £250 per month, and I don’t live in a mansion.

If u don’t want to charge your tenants what they rightly should be paying then that’s on you to figure out how you’re gonna manage.