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Original poster

DD not been paying council tax and didn't know

49 replies

Phancy · 14/05/2023 12:04

DD lives in a flat that's owned by a family member and she pays the family member rent. She graduated 3 years ago and we only just had a conversation about council tax and she was bloody clueless and said she doesn't pay it as she gets an exempt letter and I explained that's because she was a student at the time she moved in. If she updates it now, is it going to be found out she wasn't actually a student for the last few years and is she going to be billed over 3k? I'm aware she should obviously have to pay it but I really don't know how she will.

OP posts:
CharlotteRose90 · 14/05/2023 12:06

She needs to update it urgently and whatever figure they tell her she needs a payment plan. No point burying your heads in the sand, get it sorted and pay it. We all make mistakes but the sooner she sorts it the better.

Mrsjayy · 14/05/2023 12:09

Just get her to update and the council might give her a payment plan.

Hwory · 14/05/2023 12:10

She needs to advise them and set up a payment plan. If she doesn’t it’ll eventually get manually reviewed and a back bill issued.

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Original poster
Phancy · 14/05/2023 12:11

Will the council know as soon as she updates that the history of it can't be accurate or will it just go ahead like no one knew she wasn't a student for that time or would she need to prove it? I'm a bit confused why they didn't contact her because they did for her second year to confirm she was still a student

OP posts:
SunnySaturdayMorning · 14/05/2023 12:11

Well there’s no other way to go about it. She has to update them 🤷‍♀️

Mrsjayy · 14/05/2023 12:12

She had to know she wasn't excempt and was chancing her arm.

Mrsjayy · 14/05/2023 12:16

If she contacts the council she can say it was an oversight and gets back on track.

2bazookas · 14/05/2023 12:19

That's her problem.

Step back; its clearly high time her family encouraged more independence and adult responsibility instead of coccooning her.

CantFindTheBeat · 14/05/2023 12:21

Phancy · 14/05/2023 12:11

Will the council know as soon as she updates that the history of it can't be accurate or will it just go ahead like no one knew she wasn't a student for that time or would she need to prove it? I'm a bit confused why they didn't contact her because they did for her second year to confirm she was still a student

She will have to let them know she is no longer a student, OP, and therefore no longer exempt.

They will ask when she left education.

She will have to be honest and say it was an oversight.

She's obviously an adult and will need to figure out how to pay the owing money, but I can appreciate as a parent how worrying this is for you.

willowstar · 14/05/2023 12:22

This is the crappy part about growing up nd making mistakes...it is her problem to sort out and she will just have to get on with it. We have all made costly mistakes.

CremeEggThief · 14/05/2023 12:23

Only the local council can advise, OP.

FormerlyPathologicallyHappy · 14/05/2023 12:25

I’d just update and keep quiet. It’s the time you do finals now so she could’ve done a masters for all they know 🤷🏻‍♀️

Rafaellarooboo · 14/05/2023 12:25

Does your council offer any kind of money advice service as she might be better making an appointment with them, explaining the situation and checking if she's getting everything she's entitled to if she's on a low income. They could help her then to contact council tax. I would deal with it now though as its not going to go away and if she's entitled to UC it might mean she gets help with her CT. Money Advice services normally offer to do budgets too which might be what she needs, especially if she's missing out bills.

crowsfeet57 · 14/05/2023 12:30

The council will require a student exemption letter for the missing years which she won't be able to provide. She needs to get in touch with them to set up a DD for the current year and a payment plan for the missing years. She needs to do this asap because the current yerar needs to be paid by March next year and it takes a few weeks to set up the DD so she will already be paying the current year in 9 months instead of 12 or the more usual 10.

NurseCranesRolodex · 14/05/2023 12:30

Is it possible the owner of the property has been paying it? Would the owner not get the correspondence. Either way, she should just go to Citizens advice and they will help her to approach the council who will certainly accept a payment plan.

Mrsjayy · 14/05/2023 12:32

NurseCranesRolodex · 14/05/2023 12:30

Is it possible the owner of the property has been paying it? Would the owner not get the correspondence. Either way, she should just go to Citizens advice and they will help her to approach the council who will certainly accept a payment plan.

The renter pays council tax she has had letters to the address.

Throwncrumbs · 14/05/2023 12:39

Has she been getting letters that she’s been ignoring ? You get a bill every year that you have to update if there’s any changes, she must have received one.

WomanStanleyWoman2 · 14/05/2023 12:45

I’m amazed it could go on for three years. I got a council tax bill for the month I had left on my lease of my student flat after I left university. I certainly didn’t contact them to say I’d left.

Original poster
Phancy · 14/05/2023 12:45

She has just been getting you are exempt letters each year and never updated. Maybe she was just trying her luck but she seemed genuinely surprised when I told her she was only exempt while she was a student (her dad did the original exemption)

OP posts:
Original poster
Phancy · 14/05/2023 12:46

Me and her dad assumed she would just be contacted as well...

OP posts:
Nimblesandbimbles · 14/05/2023 12:51

As pp have said I don’t understand how this would have happened as councils are usually very stringent about this & would start charging the usual amount after the period of study had ended. You have to prove your study dates & I can’t see how the discount would just roll over.

StressedToTheMaxxx · 14/05/2023 13:05

The councils get a list of students from the university (at least in Scotland they do). So I'm not sure why she's been notified that she's exempt.

RunningFromInsanity · 14/05/2023 13:07

If she’s the only one at the property then she will get a 25% single occupancy discount.

BarbaraofSeville · 14/05/2023 13:09

If she was getting annual exempt letters they would have almost certainly said on them that she must inform them if her circumstances have changed.

We get an annual 'pre council tax bill' letter asking to confirm who lives in the property, I don't particularly take any notice as we've lived here for years and pay full council tax, but it is very likely this letter will point out the need to check entitlement to any reductions.

She needs to let them know and arrange a payment plan.

kitsuneghost · 14/05/2023 13:14

I think you need to have a discussion with her about bills and how things like CT, gas, electric all work incase she is behind or misunderstands other stuff too.
It seems like nobody has had a sit down financial explanation of bills and how they work, It's not a knowledge you are born with.

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