Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. Flexible and made to last.

Meet the Other Phone.
Flexible and made to last.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To think paying 75% of the council tax is unfair?

153 replies

NotaSpringChicken · 27/02/2019 21:40

Any council officers on here at present? Advice appreciated please.

DD has just moved into a shared house with another young woman. It is DDs first job after 4 years as a student and her first house share. The other girl is a mature student, still at Uni, so far so good.

Today council tax bill arrives. DD is expected to pay 75% of the tax as the other girl is a student and therefore exempt. This means DD picks up the whole bill with a 25% discount while the other girl has no bill to pay. She is upset and worried as money is tight for her.

Is the council entitled to do this to DD? She had expected to pay 50% of the bill and the other 50% to be covered by her housemate's student exemption.

OP posts:
Crystalintheeyes · 27/02/2019 21:43

Why would the house mate pay any of it when she’s exempt ? Confused

The bill is for your dd, she needs to pay it.

I don’t understand why you think someone that is exempt from council tax should cover your dd.

MoBiroBo · 27/02/2019 21:44

Council tax is 50% property (including the land) and 50% people based on 2 adults (can be single parent with an adult child)

So the student is exempted from the person charge reducing the bill to 75%. They have to have a student certificate from the university (I used to work in Council Tax)

This has to be sorted out between your DD and the mature student as to what they agreed.

In a couple most don't split the council tax 50/50 cost wise.

WallisFrizz · 27/02/2019 21:45

To be fair it sounds right (though I am no expert). The housemate is a student so exempt, therefore has no bill to pay. Your DD is not exempt from council tax but as the only adult in the house that can pay it, she is entitled to single person discount, therefore ‘only’ has to pay 75%.

If the housemate was not exempt, they could split the 100% bill. If they were both students they would not pay anything.

MadCatLadee · 27/02/2019 21:45

I think that they should split it 50:50. It was the student's decision not to live with other students.

newmumwithquestions · 27/02/2019 21:47

It’s counted that the student isn’t there, (they’re a non-person!) so your DD has to pay the bill as if she is the only one there - hence the 25% single person allowance.

It is a bit tough for your DD, but that is how it is calculated. The student is not liable for it.

WallisFrizz · 27/02/2019 21:47

No MadCat, it was the non students decision to live with someone who was a student and therefore had no need to share that bill.

tenbob · 27/02/2019 21:48

Council tax bills aren’t issued to people, they are issued to households

So the student is not exempt. She is a resident of a household with a discounted bill and they are both responsible for it

Ellisandra · 27/02/2019 21:49

Did she not research this before, or discuss it with the landlord? (is it a sublet from the student?)
She must know about exemption if she’s been a student for 4 years.
Why on earth would an exempt person pick up 50% of the bill?
This isn’t something to query with the Council Tax, it’s part of your daughter growing up - this stuff is easy to check, and she should have checked before moving in.

Hahaha88 · 27/02/2019 21:49

Surely she discussed the living costs before moving in together? If not it's pretty much tough luck on her. And TBH if it was your daughter still a student and her house mate expecting her to pay half the council tax, despite being excempt and there only being a council tax bill because her house mate works, I'm sure you'd be on here bemoaning the request for her to pay half of it

olderthanyouthink · 27/02/2019 21:50

And this is why I shot the idea of moving in with a friend who was a student and some of her student friends when I was not also a student. I didn't fancy paying all the council tax on a very large house even with the single person discount.

Daisymay2 · 27/02/2019 21:50

Yes , its correct. My son has the same issue in reverse. Sharing with 2 guys who are working. He is a student. There is no reduction for him and he is paying 33% of the Council Tax as we felt it unfair to ask the guys to pay 50% each.
Not being unsympathetic, but it is pretty clear if you look on any Council's website.

Zofloramummy · 27/02/2019 21:50

Depends on your dd’s income as well. Is she entitled to benefits? If she gets UC there should be an additional reduction.
However if she earns over £16k that’ll be unlikely.

RandomMess · 27/02/2019 21:51

It's probably worth your DD applying for UC to see if she can get something towards her rent at CT.

OnlyFoolsnMothers · 27/02/2019 21:51

Unfortunately sounds right to me

MummytoCSJH · 27/02/2019 21:52

Students are fully exempt and although the council potentially could go after her for the bill as it is to the 'household', it is completely unfair to expect her to pay towards it. If your DD hadn't moved in the property would be exempt she wouldn't have had to pay anything at all. The 25% is not the student exemption, its the single person discount as she is classed as the only person in the household that has to pay council tax. It is your DDs bill.

Butterflies13 · 27/02/2019 21:52

I lived with a student when I first moved to London and the same applied- the bill was 75% of the council tax rate and addressed to me alone. The student is exempt. It’s annoying that by living with a student I had to pay 25% more than I would have if I hadn’t lived with a student but that is just the way it is. It isn’t the student’s liability in any way.

radishingravish · 27/02/2019 21:53

I think that is fair. Students are exempt from council tax, so the student does not need to pay. Luckily for your daughter she is living with a student so she gets a reduction in council tax.

Ellisandra · 27/02/2019 21:53

tenbob

www.solent.ac.uk/finance/documents/students-and-council-tax.pdf

This says otherwise - exempt students cannot be held responsible for non payment.

Hwory · 27/02/2019 21:54

I work for a council in the council tax support department and this is the case.

Unfortunate situation but your daughter is the only one liable to pay the council tax.

radishingravish · 27/02/2019 21:55

I was a student living with someone with a job, so I can confirm that 75/25 is roughly correct. It is definitely not 50/50.

MummytoCSJH · 27/02/2019 21:55

By the way I am a student and I live with my partner and 4 year old (who obviously is exempt). My partner pays the whole bill, as he should. It's his bill.

SaucyJack · 27/02/2019 21:55

That sucks big balls for your DD, but sadly yes- she’s entirely liable for the whole (75%) council tax bill.

Holidayshopping · 27/02/2019 21:55

This is hardly something new. Surely your daughter (or you) was aware of this beforehand?

MyDcAreMarvel · 27/02/2019 21:56

Why would your dd expect her housemate to pay her bill? Students are exempt from council tax.

WallisFrizz · 27/02/2019 21:58

www.gov.uk/council-tax/discounts-for-full-time-students

Actually I think I’m doing a complete u-turn. Reading the link, I think it is clear that it is only households that are wholly made up of students that are exempt. Once they choose to live together the household is liable for the tax, but they get the reduction based on the student status. Apologies to whoever I corrected before.