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

Rates only non student living in the house

43 replies

bruffin · 15/07/2021 00:18

Dd is graduating this month but decided to stay on in her house as she has her friends are staying as they are doing masters or are medics.
She knew she would have to pay rates and gets a 25% discount. But its a 5 bed house band f house and will have to pay nearly £200 a month. Its the same as we pay for our own house.
Surely it would be farer if the council divided it by 5 and charged her a 5th.
She probably wont start her full time job until september

OP posts:
Megasausagehead · 15/07/2021 01:08

It depends upon the tenancy and tbh it is probably the case that all tenants are equally liable for the full amount.

DeathByWalkies · 15/07/2021 01:11

It's shit, and unfair, and YANBU, but unfortunately those are the rules. I was hit by exactly the same issue when I was a fresh graduate living with friends who had stayed on to do PG.

It's the reason why mixed student / non-student households are relatively rare.

MaintainTheMolehill · 15/07/2021 01:14

If its only students living there they wouldn't have to pay anything though? I think its only fair she should pay then although it is a lot for one person and the system doesn't seem fair but thats not her friends fault.

Becca19962014 · 15/07/2021 01:26

I got caught with this and ended up in court as I couldn't pay on the salary I had, I'd no idea how this worked, nowhere else to go and simply couldn't afford it. I left as soon as I could but built up arrears as I didn't qualify for council tax benefit.

She will be liable for that money from the day her course formally ended as well until she leaves.

Despite knowing the people I lived with it made for a frosty atmosphere in the house. I was paying more than double they were to live there and on a crappy wage which was something like a pound above the limit for financial help.

Becca19962014 · 15/07/2021 01:27

They weren't nasty or anything it just was so much money and do unexpected and essentially for nothing. My issue in hindsight more than theirs.

DragonDoor · 15/07/2021 01:29

On the surface, that would seem fairer, but council tax is calculated per household, not per bedroom/ resident.

It would be incredibly difficult for the council to regulate.

Technically the household will now be liable for council tax. It sounds like because your daughter is not a student but still wants to live with her student friends, she is prepared pay it.

araiwa · 15/07/2021 01:30

She needs to move out

Or it will be very expensive for her. She is responsible for council tax alone

sashh · 15/07/2021 01:40

She should ask for CT relief and UC.

The rules are shit, I was a student with a live in carer, so I was landed with a 50% bill.

BarbaraofSeville · 15/07/2021 02:47

Those are the rules unfortunately. Her choice is to pay council tax based on single occupancy of a large property or find somewhere else to live.

sodthefootball · 15/07/2021 07:41

When it comes to mixed student/non-student households, you never get a setup where no one thinks they've been screwed over.

HelloDulling · 15/07/2021 07:46

So you mean she is staying in a 5 bed house by herself?

LIZS · 15/07/2021 07:46

Ds got caught like this, fortunately for only a few weeks.

bridgetreilly · 15/07/2021 07:48

It might be fairer but that’s irrelevant. They won’t be changing the rules just for her.

Lonecatwithkitten · 15/07/2021 07:50

We had pet head tax -Poll Tax it was hugely unpopular there were demonstrations etc and it was abolished and replaced by council tax.

Whilst I agree it is unfair on your daughter, the general public hate per head taxes.

LIZS · 15/07/2021 07:50

If she has no work can she claim UC ?

CloseYourEyesAndSee · 15/07/2021 07:53

@HelloDulling

So you mean she is staying in a 5 bed house by herself?
She has 4 flatmates who are students
LakieLady · 15/07/2021 07:53

If she's only one in the property that is liable for council tax (students are exempt), she'll be able to get the 25% sole occupier discount.

But council tax is based on the property, not the occupants. Them's the rules. Although I think a local income tax would be fairer.

CloseYourEyesAndSee · 15/07/2021 07:53

@bruffin

Dd is graduating this month but decided to stay on in her house as she has her friends are staying as they are doing masters or are medics. She knew she would have to pay rates and gets a 25% discount. But its a 5 bed house band f house and will have to pay nearly £200 a month. Its the same as we pay for our own house. Surely it would be farer if the council divided it by 5 and charged her a 5th. She probably wont start her full time job until september
She can apply for universal credit and council tax relief if she's not working
Cocomarine · 15/07/2021 08:04

It’s all perfectly transparent, so she can make her plans accordingly.

Otherwise my council will have me on the phone complaining that I pay the same for 2 adults as my neighbour - with 2 working adults sons living at home - pay for 4. And plenty of other combinations complaining too. We could go per capita - but my other neighbours who are 3 adults as they have a parent with dementia living with them wouldn’t be happy.

There is no fair - there’s always winners and losers.

PheasantsNest · 15/07/2021 08:05

It's always worked like that. Rates haven't existed for years it's Council Tax now. She would be better moving out.

KihoBebiluPute · 15/07/2021 08:11

She should move out asap and get a room in a shared house with other young early-career professionals. Student houses need to be 100% students for the finances to work. They will not be changing the rules so she needs to leave asap as this liability is not going away.

HelloDulling · 15/07/2021 08:17

Poll Tax was per capita. Extended families being charged a fortune.

Council Tax is a hybrid property/per capita tax. Not perfect, but it’s what we’ve got.

LIZS · 15/07/2021 08:20

The alternative is that she comes to some sort of financial arrangement to spread cost among the household, although ultimately the CT is her liability alone.

OhNoNoNoNoNo · 15/07/2021 08:21

I think this situation is quite common.

Ellmau · 15/07/2021 08:22

It's not the rates, it's council tax. It hasn't been the rates for 30 years.