Council Tax

[lady_p_gold]

If six people are in a house share and four of them are students who do not pay Council tax and the other two are working, do the two who are working have to share the entire council tax bill ?????

[dzug]

Yes.

[Buenchico]

Students are not, per se, exempt from paying Council Tax. It's simply that a building solely occupied by students becomes exempt.

Unlike the old Community Charge (or Poll Tax as it was more commonly known), Council Tax is payable in respect of a building not by individual people. If, say, the property was leased in the name of one of the employed people, it would be perfectly reasonable for that person to expect all the other people, joining in the house-share arrangements, to each contribute one sixth of the Council Tax. (Indeed, if this was not so, many students would find it extremely difficult to find accommodation. Leaseholders would not want to accept students to join in the house-share if their presence meant increased bills for others in the house).

This is one of the things which should have really been sorted out before the people agreed on the house-share arrangement but, in the absence of any such agreement, it seems reasonable that everyone should contribute to the Council Tax.

Chris

[buildersmate]

Buenchico is absolutely right (as usual). The way this usually occurs is when a group of students rent a house but one or more of them drop off the course half-way and starts working. Then the whole Council tax thing kicks in. Worth remembering when you decide to lease a house as a student with your best buddies.

[lady_p_gold]

Thanks for explaining it, it all makes sense now

[stoo_pid]

I can confirm what Chris says. As a student I shared a house with two non-students. As far as the council were concerned we were jointly & severably liable for the council tax. Unfortunately for me, my 2 flat "mates" did a midnight runner leaving me with the entire bill!!! (I had paid my contribution throughout the year - I only found out they hadn't after they'd gone.) Even though I pleaded with the council and proved to them I was a full-time student I had to pay the entire outstanding amount.

[yummymummy]

You basically ignore the students when counting how many people live in the house and this will depend on how much is payable. If there is one person left after ignoring the students, then they will pay 75% of the whole bill. If there are 2 or more left, then they will have to pay 100% of the bill. If there are non left, then there will be nothing to pay and it will be an exempt household.

[buildersmate]

True, but that's due to a different arrangement - the one that says that a single person living in a dwelling gets 25% knocked of their assessment for Council Tax.

[stevie21]

I'm with Chris too. Students are only exempt if they live in a house exclusively with other students.
Once there's a few people from the real world with jobs in there, the house becomes liable for council tax and *anyone* who lives there is liable, student or not.

The only confusion is when someone applies for the 25% discount on account of being in FT employment but sharing a flat with a bunch of students.