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Original poster

Vendor has never paid council tax!

89 replies

sunmorning72 · 14/07/2019 10:56

I'm not sure if I'm being unreasonable. NC for obvious reasons!

We are buying a house and have just figured out that the vendor has avoided council tax for a large number of years by never registering for council tax.

This really bugs me, in part as it's just wrong but also very inconvenient! The house hasn't been graded into a band and this will take ages so can't start paying ourselves yet and we don't even have bins as they didn't officially exist! We will sort all of this out of course but AIBU to be very irritated to the extent that a tiny bit of me hopes they get caught?!

OP posts:
WhenOneFacePalmDoesntCutIt · 14/07/2019 10:59

Not sure how he managed, but he should get caught when you register the house properly.

Original poster
sunmorning72 · 14/07/2019 11:10

Well amusingly they registered themselves the week after we made our offer - as a new build!! A new build 18 years ago!

I know I probably shouldn't care and admit I'm being influenced by how awful they've been over everything else (taking everything they can unscrew, even items they put on the fixtures form that they were leaving, this includes 20+ wall lights which now have bare wires poking through, smoke alarms, curtain poles, white goods, etc). I mean, who takes down run of the mill smoke alarms!!

Still though, it really grates! They keep telling me what an amazing bargain the house was! It wasn't but the location was good so we went for it. It needs. LOT of work but has potential. I just can't get my head around 18 years not having bins collected! We now suspect it might be the same situation with the water! Hmm

OP posts:
WhenOneFacePalmDoesntCutIt · 14/07/2019 11:12

just call the council and ask for advice.

The house should appear on the land registry and it must be pretty obvious it's not a new built.

Herocomplex · 14/07/2019 11:16

I’m amazed at the audacity of people, I wouldn’t be able to sleep! I wonder what else they’ve avoided doing?
Have they been taking their rubbish to the dump then?

wheresmymojo · 14/07/2019 11:22

As soon as the house completes I'd report them.

Not before that as I'd be worried I'd move into a house smeared with dog shit. But definitely the day after (change your locks though just in case they have spare keys lying around).

Sorryisntgoodenough · 14/07/2019 11:23

Wow 18 years back pay the council is going to be a huge amount!

sheshootssheimplores · 14/07/2019 11:26

Yep. Directly you can report their arse.

GrasswillbeGreener · 14/07/2019 11:26

Was it previously part of an adjacent property? I think there could be a LOT of skeletons hiding in the closets of this one, so be careful and make sure everything is checked.

My mother ended up buying a mid-terrace cottage that had been reseparated (for several years) from its neighbour, which was then sold. The owners then tried to get planning permission for extensions; my mother asked a couple of important questions that turned out to open a whole can of worms. It wasn't her fault that when she tried to check something, the answer revealed that XYZ hadn't been done that should have been; but her neighbours treated her as if she'd deliberately set out to make trouble. They had to get retrospective planning permission for the separation, which it turned out would probably have not been granted in the first place. Eventually their extension plans were approved but by that point neither neighbour would have given them rear access for the work, and the property wasn't really saleable either (too small). My mother felt over a barrel though and probably paid over the odds for it.

If some of the problems with your new house are only being discovered after completion, as it sounds like from your post, then I think some questions might need to be asked of your conveyancer, too. Good luck getting it all sorted, hope it doesn't take too long.

CellularBlanket · 14/07/2019 11:28

What stage in the process are you at?
If you haven't exchanged then it might be easier all round if you pulled out. If they have been that dishonest I dread to think what will be waiting to surprise you several years down the line.

Imoan123 · 14/07/2019 11:29

You should speak to your estate agent and or solicitor about the removal of the fixtures and fittings, they are included in the price of sale. The list is there so you know what you are purchasing, the removal could mean you can take them to small claims court. Google is a lovely tool!

Original poster
sunmorning72 · 14/07/2019 11:29

Ok good. I'm glad it's not just me who is outraged! I asked if they had bins and got told they didn't bother with that and did 'dump runs' and had fires!

God knows what they were doing with food waste Envy

Still, they don't realise that we know (unless they are on MN that is). Strange that they thought we wouldn't be able to pretty quickly figure it out.

It has been registered with the land registry since the year it was built!

I was only quietly peeved initially and added it to the mental list of issues but I think their general cheekiness over EVERYTHING has amplified that!

OP posts:
StCharlotte · 14/07/2019 11:30

If it was part of a new estate by a developer it would have been registered by them. Or was it a one-off house?

Mind you, I bought a new flat and never received a water bill in all the eight years I lived there (despite being in touch with the water co.).

Original poster
sunmorning72 · 14/07/2019 11:34

It's a detached house built on land where there used to be a house.

Small claims court pointless as they are bankrupt (which we knew).

Also, unfortunately we didn't know but we are going to be very linked to a member of their close family once we move so being too heavy handed would likely be not only pointless but also have long standing repercussions on our own happiness.

We have already exchanged so we are tied in and will just have to deal with it! There are more issues but I think listing those would probably make this totally identifying!

The main thing is that long term it will be a good home for us and our daughter (I hope).

I just need to seethe quietly and let it out on MN! So thank you all!

OP posts:
Obviouspretzel · 14/07/2019 11:35

I just can't get my head around the hassle it would be to have to sort your own rubbish out all the time.

TheRedBarrows · 14/07/2019 11:36

I would be very cautious about anything else they have done:

Unsafe DIY work to boiler or electrics?
Removal of internal walls or chimney breasts / extension / loft conversion without the proper checks, certification or building control?

Is it properly connected to mains water? ( I know someone who bought a house later found to be connected to a dodgy septic tank that illegally drained into a river).

Any white goods you buy as part of the sale will be years older than reported.

Buyer beware!

Ellmau · 14/07/2019 11:37

Did it have proper planning permission?

How did your solicitor not establish all this sooner?

Usingmyindoorvoice · 14/07/2019 11:40

You can be exempt from council tax if you meet the criteria for severe mental impairment, it’s hard to come by in the main and has to be signed off by Psychiatrist www.mentalhealthandmoneyadvice.org/en/welfare-benefits/can-i-claim-welfare-benefits-if-i-m-living-with-a-mental-illness/council-tax-exemptions-and-support-to-pay/

W0rriedMum · 14/07/2019 11:42

Proceed very carefully.. It's actually hard to have a house that is unregistered - mail from banks can't be delivered, online delivery doesn't work, utility bills don't work.

I'd check carefully if the house shows up on a postcode finder and if the utilities are connected to the main grids properly, i.e. aren't piggy backing off the neighbours or on some agricultural/commercial basis.

Usingmyindoorvoice · 14/07/2019 11:42

Sorry realised I missed the point Blush

W0rriedMum · 14/07/2019 11:43

Sorry I missed the later comments here due to an ad in the way, so apologies for the duplication.

LadyRannaldini · 14/07/2019 11:43

Isn't dealing with things such as this what you're paying your solicitor for? I'd leave it to them, they will have all the details of the vendor and the history of the house, it quite clearly isn't a new build and the authorities may want to chase them up.

Bouledeneige · 14/07/2019 11:44

I'm surprised your solicitors didn't identify this at search stage. If they didnt I'd be wondering if they were negligent.

Original poster
sunmorning72 · 14/07/2019 11:44

Planning permission- yes all in order.

Building regs - not entirely but council expected and we have the list of what needs doing and will get a regularisation certificate.

Currently no hot water or heating so yes that is dodgy but we knew!

I'm making this sound glorious aren't I!

Our full survey surveyor said 'you aren't mad to buy it but it WILL be a project'. Yes most likely understatement of the year.

OP posts:
Original poster
sunmorning72 · 14/07/2019 11:45

Council 'inspected' not 'expected'!

Sorry for typos, holding my daughter with the other arm!

OP posts:
Original poster
sunmorning72 · 14/07/2019 11:46

Oh to answer the question, it wasn't registered with Royal Mail but we registered it!

They did have sky in every room hilariously so that won't be an issue (looks for sad silver lining!).

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