Double council tax..surely this isn’t right?

[Needtorelax1]

Hi everyone,
I have the keys to my new bungalow an am moving in in a couple of weeks. The council have given me a 28 day grace period before I move from this property and move into my new one.
the property was empty before as the lady died and was going through probate etc but all done and so the double council tax applied to the sellers.

however I’ve just had a bill through for myself and the double council tax premium is still included on the bill!! Its got down that I need to be paying £365 per month!! surely this isn’t right and it will be corrected if I give them a call in the morning?!!!
Has anyone got any advice? I opened it and had a heart attack and now panicking as I can’t afford that each month

Give them call in the morning. It's possibly just an oversight unless you have a reason to overpay.

You can check your council tax band here: https://www.gov.uk/council-tax-bands

And your local council should have what each band costs listed on its website.

Do you own another property?

Once a property has been unoccupied long enough to have become liable for double council tax that liability continues until it is reoccupied even if it changes hands. Sorry if that's not what you wanted to hear. It'll revert to the standard rate the day you move in.

I am moving in at the beginning of December so will it revert back to the standard rate then ? I can cope with a month of paying over!

And no I don’t own another property I’m just living in a rented house until I move out in December

Yes that's right. But I'd still call to clarify. The rules do vary between councils

God what a shock 🤦‍♀️

What band is the property end what amount of CT do you expect to be paying when it is finally resolved (will single person discount apply?).

The amount of your bill is only £50 more than we pay anyway so it is all relative.☹️

They will refund you if you've paid double

When my DSF died, my DM was entitled to single person council tax. They refunded the excess council tax that she paid after his death when she was still paying full whack before the death was adminstered etc.

I used to work in Council Tax and the property is billed not the person, although the person pays the bill. So change of ownership doesn't change a long term empty marker.

@LifeBeginsTodaybut once I’ve moved in surely that will cease and I’ll pay the standard rate?

No, because change of ownership doesn't change that the property has been empty X amount of time and the discount has expired.

Sorry I misread that. Yes, when you move in you'll pay the standard rate. Just let them know you've moved in.

Why would it be double council tax? I’ve never heard of that