Please help - Council Tax

[Edelweiss]

Hi there

I am in the UK on a HSMP visa and am currently temping while I am looking for a permanent position. Initially I lived with my sister and have now moved in with a friend. I am not paying rent at this stage and my friend is a student, so she doesn't pay Council Tax. The house is rented. Do I need to register seperately for Council Tax? Will this affect my friend's or the landlord's position? I am not sure how this works and hope someone out there can help with this. I don't want to get to renewal time for my visa (March) and discover that I have shot myself in the foot through ignorance.

[John]

Council Tax is effectively a tax on occupation, not on ownership of the property. The charge is based upon the number of "counting adults" living in the property. If the answer is that there are no "counting adults" .... and full-time students do not count ... then no Council Tax is payable.

So Edelweiss, if prior to you moving in there were no "counting adults" living in the place .... and now after you move in there is one counting adult ... well yes Council Tax is now payable .... albeit with a 25% discount.

If there was previously one "counting adult" ... getting the 25% discount ... and now there are two "counting adults" ... the 25% discount will now be lost when you move in.

Does that help? The finance office of the local Council will be able to assist you further.

[Edelweiss]

John

Thank you so much, this really does clarify the issue.

Thanks
Edelweiss

[rogerroger]

Hey John

Wha tis a counting adult. when my wife joined me, she was not working for over a year, would that have got me a 25% deposit.

if that is so, is there any way i can get back the money form the council?

[John]

No, merely not working doesn't stop the adult from counting. She would have needed to be a full-time student not to have been counting for Council Tax purposes.

[rogerroger]

thanks for the reply john

do you mean to say that if say my relative, who is a student decides to live with us. this would make our household two countable adults and one non-countable adult, would that qualify us for a 25% council tax rebate?

likewise if there are 4 adults living in a house and one of them is a student, does the rebate still apply?

[ppron747]

...if say my relative, who is a student decides to live with us. this would make our household two countable adults and one non-countable adult, would that qualify us for a 25% council tax rebate?

No - the 25% rebate is for single occupancy - ie households comprising one countable adult

likewise if there are 4 adults living in a house and one of them is a student, does the rebate still apply?

Ditto.
Being a non-countable adult helps in the following circumstances:
(1) where the non-countable adult is the sole occupant of the property (in which case no council tax is payable) OR
(2) where the non-countable adult is the second occupant in a household of two. Then the council tax payer continues to get the 25% single-occupancy discount

I think the thing to bear in mind is that non-countable adults don't count. Everyone else does...