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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:
Original poster
sunmorning72 · 14/07/2019 12:33

@Blueoasis fair enough, harsh but that's your opinion.

We are installing a new boiler the day after completion.

You are right, it's no doubt going to be a lot of medium term hassle.

BUT it's a lovely location, a big house. Once done it has the potential to be quite special.

One of us will be seeing one of their family regularly through work. Not ideal but we couldn't possibly have known about the connection in advance.

Fortunately we kept money back and took a bigger mortgage so can afford to fix most things fairly swiftly.

Granted though, it is going to be a total pain and slightly demoralising till it's done!

OP posts:
MissPhonic · 14/07/2019 12:34

Sounds like an absolute nightmare and something you'd hope your solicitor should have picked up on. I don't know how comfortable I would feel buying this house, what else have they scrimped on?

bingbongnoise · 14/07/2019 12:43

Not really anything for you to worry about, surely?

bellabasset · 14/07/2019 12:53

Another thing you need to do is check and photograph gas, elec and water meters if there are any! A colleague forgot to do this and about 9 months later she had an enormous bill when the meter was read. Previous owners hadn't had the meter read and had underpaid. I can't remember whether it was EDF or EON but she had to pay some of it. She only realised when she went to change suppliers. She did get a discount in the end as the company accepted they hadnt used all the electric. But she was paying a higher rate than she would with another supplier. I would just give details of the solicitor when asked.

Good luck with your project!

Londonmummy66 · 14/07/2019 12:54

I'd speak to your solicitor about the fixtures - he might be able to negotiate a small retention against them being adequately reinstated.

Cherrysoup · 14/07/2019 13:08

Speak to your solicitor about them taking stuff which is on the list as being left. You could threaten to sue (but not actually do so). They MUST at least replace light fittings with a working bulb and make electrics safe. Don’t let them take the (further!) piss!

Yabbers · 14/07/2019 13:10

Was the house not given a certificate of habitation? When this is done at our LA, the info is passed to the JVB who come along and assign a banding. I would check all the relevant permissions are in place.

If the LA have a system where it is possible to build a house and just not tell the council tax department you have done so, then fair play to the previous owner for playing that system. I wouldn’t do it, but can’t blame him for trying.

SusieOwl4 · 14/07/2019 13:12

the buyer wont be chased for the previous owners debts .

they might get letters as they are bankrupt but they can just send them to a forwarding address or their solicitors. Best of luck in your new home .

LauderSyme · 14/07/2019 13:18

@Blueoasis they may just decide to chase you for the back payment.

No they won't. They can't "just decide to" bill any old person, Council Tax is governed by law, they have to bill the person who was actually liable ie owner, tenant, etc. Sometimes taxpayers have a problem if they can't prove the dates they were liable for, but OP can prove it. She just needs to provide her solicitors letter regarding sale completion.

LauderSyme · 14/07/2019 13:24

Bankruptcy does not mean that all their debts get written off as a matter of course. They have to include the details of the debts they want written off in the bankruptcy documentation. If it's not included it is still owed. Any debts incurred after the date that bankruptcy was granted are also still owed.

crimsonlake · 14/07/2019 13:31

I would have run a mile after discovering this, but as you said it was too late by then. Let us hope it is not a continuing saga for you and the bailiffs don't turn up at your door. Good luck and I hope it turns out to be a very happy home.

lljkk · 14/07/2019 13:42

Is it an oil-fired boiler?

What is the waste water situation? I tried to read carefully but can't see that OP mentioned sewage, runoff or septic tank.

Puzzledandpissedoff · 14/07/2019 13:49

One thing I'm not clear on: did these vendors actually build the house (or commission someone else to do it for them)?

Either way, good luck with the indemnity cover for the building reg issues. A pal took this out over a much smaller problem, and when she came to claim they instantly found some trifling detail they "hadn't been told about" and refused to pay

MissEliza · 14/07/2019 13:50

How did this escape whoever handled the conveyancing or even the estate agent? It's normally one of the basic details provided. I'd be having a discussion with my solicitor about all this and thinking about what else they may have done wrong.

Passthecherrycoke · 14/07/2019 13:52

I’m confused by these somewhat dramatic answers. Isn’t it likely to be the case that the solicitors didn’t uncover anything else because the vendors dodged council tax and that’s it? As I mentioned my in laws did the same. Nothing wrong with the build, insurances, postal address, building regs etc etc. They were simply never asked to submit anything, a bill never arrived and they took advantage

justasking111 · 14/07/2019 13:54

We bought a house like this, the electric and gas meter went backwards they had fitted some gadget to it. We had to call in an electrician.

Orangecake123 · 14/07/2019 13:56

I honestly wouldn't bother with a house like that knowing everything.

Original poster
sunmorning72 · 14/07/2019 13:58

@lljkk oil boiler, mains sewage

OP posts:
Original poster
sunmorning72 · 14/07/2019 13:59

@Passthecherrycoke yes exactly as you said, on the optimistic side I thing they just took advantage!

They were very careful with planning and went back to get permission for even minor changes.

OP posts:
Passthecherrycoke · 14/07/2019 14:00

@Orangecake123 OP has exchanged Hmm

Original poster
sunmorning72 · 14/07/2019 14:06

We have indeed exchanged. Didn't find out about council tax till afterwards! But to be honest, I don't think we would have pulled out.

For the price it has a lot going for it once we've done it up. Yes it's a hassle and it bugs me that they didn't pay council tax like everyone else has to (as ultimately it makes it more expensive for the rest of us and is an immediate pain that we might not have guns when we move in!) but a house is for long term.

OP posts:
Original poster
sunmorning72 · 14/07/2019 14:08

Bins not guns! Oops still juggling daughter!

OP posts:
SagAloojah · 14/07/2019 15:39

@Blueoasis

they may just decide to chase you for the back payment. Hopefully not but I wouldnt put it past them.

That’s just not true, please don’t spread misinformation.

starzig · 14/07/2019 16:40

Are you too late to pull out? I might just do that to him in your position.

ProfessorSlocombe · 14/07/2019 16:49

Maybe get this moved to legal ? The OP should certainly take expert legal advice.

Reading the detail;s my first thought was whether the council could seize the house to enforce the debt against the vendor - meaning it's not the vendors to sell anymore ?

Repeating the suggestion for legal advice.