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AIBU?

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:

Report

BonnieBea · 27/02/2019 23:02

I was a full time student and lived with a friend who worked. I think as it was a friend I was happy to pay 50/50 although I was excempt from paying I paid the money into her account.. I guess she can't expect the student to pay unless there was a prior arrangement

Loanhelp · 27/02/2019 23:05

Yeah unfortunately she's totally liable. My ex tried to fight this. He moved to uni with me, then we split and he didn't tell the council that he had left the property, I had moved my exemption cert elsewhere. They chased him only, never me, as I was a student and he wasn't. He even tried to take me to small claims for it, and lost, because I was never liable.

I hope she can get it sorted though!

Loanhelp · 27/02/2019 23:06

Yeah unfortunately she's totally liable. My ex tried to fight this. He moved to uni with me, then we split and he didn't tell the council that he had left the property, I had moved my exemption cert elsewhere. They chased him only, never me, as I was a student and he wasn't. He even tried to take me to small claims for it, and lost, because I was never liable.

I hope she can get it sorted though!

howmanybiscuits · 27/02/2019 23:15

I'm not sure people here are giving correct advice.

I sublet a room when I was a student, about 5 years ago, and looked into this then.

I was surprised to find that all members of the household would be equally liable for the bill if a non-student moved in.

It wasn't what I expected at all. It may be it varies by council, as I think these things are decided locally these days. But - I wonder how many people on this thread have actually asked their local council rather than assuming? I certainly assumed wrong!

Your DD should check this with the local council to establish her position.

ColdCottage · 27/02/2019 23:16

Before she moved in did they discuss splitting all bills?

If so I think she could reasonably ask her co tenant to split this cost (even though they aren't legally required to pay). You daughter may not have chosen to move in if this extra cost has been discussed up front therefore leaving the other tenant without the option to move in.

I'd say ask if it were me.

Poloshot · 27/02/2019 23:18

Sounds perfectly correct.

ivykaty44 · 27/02/2019 23:24

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

You can get a 50% discount if no one classes as an adult - apprenticeship don’t always count as adults - but even this varies

Judystilldreamsofhorses · 27/02/2019 23:29

I’m a lecturer, and weirdly, just had this conversation today. One of my students lives with a student who’s at another university. My student has been offered a job, and decided to take it, meaning he will no longer be a student, and now be responsible for the council tax on the shared flat. He was shocked, but at least warned!

PCohle · 27/02/2019 23:30

I appreciate she has never been in this situation herself before, but it is a very common issue.

Did she not do any research into bills etc before agreeing to the flatshare? If she did she would almost certainly have found this scenario discussed.

Chocolatedeficitdisorder · 27/02/2019 23:42

I will never understand why council tax isn't per person but that's a whole other thread...

I was a 17 yr old growing up in Scotland when we got the poll tax, a whole year ahead of England and Wales. I was earning £40pw and had a poll tax bill of £42pm. I couldn't afford to get to work, pay digs to my Mum and pay over 25% of my wages to poll tax.

It was the most cruel and unpopular tax and caused lots of legal issues for many people who were chased for years for poll tax debt they couldn't afford to pay in the beginning. The tax should come with property ownership/tenancy and not with individuals. - been there and done that.

Dungeondragon15 · 27/02/2019 23:45

It's not fair because the house is bigger as a consequence of 2 people being in it and therefore will be liable for more council tax. She will end up paying a lot more than if she was living on her own in a smaller one bedroom house. It wouldn't be fair on the student if they had to pay either though.
It's a ridiculous system and I moved out of the house I was in when I got my first job because of it. Everyone else was still a student and this meant that I would have had to pay 75% of the tax on a 7 bedroom house which would have been a huge sum.

NotaSpringChicken · 27/02/2019 23:47

ColdCottage

Splitting bills equally was discussed and agreed upon. All that was discussed about council tax was that the student was exempt. DD did not realise this would mean she picked up 75% of this bill. To be fair we did not pick up on this either, lesson learned for all, she will have to pay.

I think if DD had known she would pick up 75% of the council tax bill it would have changed her decision to move in with this girl, but it is too late to change this. DD can move after the 6 month initial tenancy agreement to avoid further liability. This is the best option for her.

We also acted as Guarantors for DD. What we did not know as Guarantors was that the other girl intended to bring her dog which at the time of the agreement was living at her mother's house, 55 miles away. The dog has been moved in and now lives there, yet the tenancy agreement states NO PETS allowed in the property. I guess we can possibly report this to the estate agent as we did not enter into an agreement which included a dog also living there.

OP posts:

Pinkbells · 27/02/2019 23:57

She is exempt so it would be unfair to ask her to pay.

FlagranceDirect · 27/02/2019 23:58

The dog has been moved in and now lives there, yet the tenancy agreement states NO PETS allowed in the property

That would be a dealbreaker for me even if pets were allowed in the property.

Did your dd know about the dog?

TreesoftheField · 28/02/2019 00:09

Again to stress what another poster mentioned earlier:
If they are all on one tenancy agreement they are liable for council tax.
If everyone in a houseshare has their own individual tenancy agreement with the landlord, then the landlord is responsible for council tax. The landlord can build this cost into the rent but can't expect the tenants to sort the bill.

ivykaty44 · 28/02/2019 00:09

If the dd has signed 6 month tenancy - even if she moved out she’d still be liable for council tax. So dog or not the tax will still have to be paid

NotaSpringChicken · 28/02/2019 00:12

FlagranceDirect

According to the tenancy agreement which we signed as guarantors NO PETS were allowed. We did not sign up as guarantors to a pet being allowed and would therefore not agree to pay for any damage caused as a result of this.

OP posts:

ivykaty44 · 28/02/2019 00:16

www.anthonygold.co.uk/latest/blog/i-determine-whether-property-hmo-council-tax-purposes/ Op this may help with what trees said

Knitclubchatter · 28/02/2019 00:19

OP i'm with you on this. if my dd was "sharing" and 50/50 bills discussed to me this would mean all bills.
no different than one claiming to only take cold showers and wash with cold water and refusing to pay for hot water.
but likewise i would expect the home owner to pay this and include such charges with the rent.

NotaSpringChicken · 28/02/2019 00:39

Knitclubchatter

Thank you. DD now knows that she is completely responsible for the council tax bill.

We will inform the letting agency that as guarantors, we did NOT sign up to a dog living in the property and will not be responsible for any damage caused by the dog. The student housemate doesn't have to contribute to the council tax, but we do not have to guarantee any damage caused by the dog either,

OP posts:

NCforthisoneb · 28/02/2019 00:47

You sound very petty TBH.

PCohle · 28/02/2019 00:49

The dog is a completely unrelated issue. Why are you trying to punish the other tenant for your failure to understand the implications of the council tax situation?

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shpoot · 28/02/2019 00:51

Wtf? The student is exempt. They do not have to pay!!

shpoot · 28/02/2019 00:53

And now you're in a huff so you're reporting the dog. Your DD should probs have some say in that?

StrippingTheVelvet · 28/02/2019 00:55

Reporting her about the dog in retaliation to a non issue makes you an arsehole tbh.

Don't forget your dd has to live with this woman. There is nothing more miserable than house sharing with people who can't stand you.

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