council tax (living with students)

PaulStat · 3 May 2006 at 14:45

Goksly said:
They are paying their share - £0.00.
Im in exactly the same situation - but im one of the three students. No matter what - I dont have to pay council tax, where as he can either pay part of 100% or the whole 75%... was his choice!

Plus the fact that since you are probably jointly and severely (sp?) liable for the property you live in, if he refused to pay or couldn't pay. Someone would have to, and that someone would be more than likely to be you

Cookie-Monster · 3 May 2006 at 14:50

no they will be joint and severably liable on the rent as they will have all contracted together for the property as the only person eligible for council tax they will not be severably liable only the one non-student will be liable and any attempts to gain payment will be solely from that one person.

loopylou · 3 May 2006 at 14:51

PaulStat said:
Yeah but do the maths, total council tax bill £1250, divide that between 5 people in a house and it comes to less than one months rent each.

It's completly unfair to expect one person to pay the whole lot, when I was a student sharing with a non-student, I paid my fair share.

But if the non student wasn't there their council tax bill would be £0, he doesn't have to live with him, he could find a room in a non student house and split the cost, or get his own place and pay it all on his own.

While he could ask them whether they mind chipping in with him, perhaps £50 each I think it's a bit cheeky to ask someone to pay monthly for something they are not liable for, just so it is cheaper on him.

One months rent is quite a lot when your are a student, even more so when you are paying for something you shouldn't have to.

Andelusion · 3 May 2006 at 14:58

I'm shocked people would actually expect others (students) to chip in if they were a non-student living in a student house.

PaulStat · 3 May 2006 at 15:01

loopylou said:
One months rent is quite a lot when your are a student, even more so when you are paying for something you shouldn't have to.

And paying £160 /month (barr one) extra by yourself isn't?

Edit: When I was the non-student I never actually asked the others to chip in, since it wasn't my place to ask. All i'm saying is that as a student if you do have the extra cash available to help out, then it is only fair to do so.

I could have told my mate to get stuffed when he asked if I could share the council tax, but considering he was on more or less the same pay as me it seemed only right.

Andelusion · 3 May 2006 at 15:02

PaulStat said:
And paying £160 /month (barr one) extra by yourself isn't?

Move somewhere else with a few number of people who are non-students?

Goksly · 3 May 2006 at 15:34

PaulStat said:
Plus the fact that since you are probably jointly and severely (sp?) liable for the property you live in, if he refused to pay or couldn't pay. Someone would have to, and that someone would be more than likely to be you

Im a student. Im council tax exempt. If he doesnt pay it then he is in the wrong and they will come after him. They do not come after people who didnt have to pay it in the first place.

I dont understand why people are thinking students should help out.... Would rather give my money to some old folks who cant afford the winter heating that someone who has failed to read up on a situation they are putting themselves into.

Raymond Lin · 3 May 2006 at 15:36

consider it this way..

Live by yourself = Full council tax

Live with students = Discount

What is the problem here? If you want someone you live with to pay a share, live with full time working people. Students are EXEMPT, period and FACT !!!!! You can't make them pay and have ZERO right to ask them to pay, the law doesn't require them to pay so why should they pay? If anyone feels they are hard done by the situation then I am sure you can find suitable accomodation elsewhere.

Goksly · 3 May 2006 at 15:39

I was going to go with that angle raymond, but its actually a bad deal

You only get the 25% discount if there is one non student... as soon as there are 2 you lose the discount (iirc) - so you can either pay 75% living with students, or 50% and less (assuming you live with another non student or more) without living with students.

But er yeah the bottom line is - you should always read up on the situation. If you dont like paying 75%, ignorance is not an excuse...

PaulStat · 3 May 2006 at 15:43

Funny I was always under the impression that J+S liability applied to all household bills? :confused:

Cookie-Monster · 3 May 2006 at 15:45

PaulStat said:
Funny I was always under the impression that J+S liability applied to all household bills?

how can it you cant be liable unless a legal relationship is set up in the first place, if the phone is in someone else's name then it is their responsibility, rent is J&S because the tenancy contract will be in everyone's name.

Goksly · 3 May 2006 at 15:50

PaulStat said:
Funny I was always under the impression that J+S liability applied to all household bills?

I suppose if the contract explicitly said I had to pay the council tax then I would be bound - but as its a student contract it just covers stuff like Leccy and Gas. Our contract is explicit in the fact that if one of the tenants dont pay, their reference (read: parents) have to pay the rent, not us :E

as cookie said, if I wanted to be harsh, I wouldnt pay the NTL bill as its in my mates name...
tis all about the contract...

Cookie-Monster · 3 May 2006 at 15:57

So for example in my current flat me and my flatmate, both working graduates are eligible for council tax, i pay it and recharge him, however as we bouth ought to be paying and it is in both our names if i dont pay we both get a ccj.

The_TailGunner · 3 May 2006 at 16:22

Goksly said:
Also, its up to each person to find out what they will have to pay...

its up to the landlord to declare it etc...

i lived in a student house working full time and paid zero council tax because the landlord told the council we were all students so he didnt have to pay any council tax

i had no idea at the time because he said it was kosher...but as it turns out, its totally illegal.

Goksly · 3 May 2006 at 16:37

I meant before you get to the contract stage.... you should know what you are expecting to be paying per month etc and for what

Going to Cali · 3 May 2006 at 16:56

As a student who doesn't pay council tax I'd say tough luck.

geeza · 3 May 2006 at 16:57

Next year im moving into another house with a mate over the road ive know all through uni and 2 people we met of unipol who are also students in their final year.
If someone wanted to move in who was working and asked us to pay a share of the council tax we'd tell em where to go. All we would do is say 'see ya later' and findsomeone else (another student or whatever)

Likewise however, if I was working in a full time job and moved in with students then I wouldnt expect them to pay up, because they dont have to.

Van Hellseek · 5 May 2006 at 16:39

Raymond Lin said:
consider it this way..

Live by yourself = Full council tax

Live with students = Discount

Not sure how you worked that one out... the only discount for living with studens is that the single person occupancy discount would apply, which you'd get if you living alone anyway.

Van Hellseek · 5 May 2006 at 16:40

Going to Cali said:
As a student who doesn't pay council tax I'd say tough luck.

It's this kind of attitude which really ****** me off.
-If I were to live with students I would be paying the council tax for each and every person in the house, so that they could get a good education. And this is the thanks I get? :rolleyes:

Rich_L · 5 May 2006 at 16:44

I don't of course condone this but one of my mates who lived with 3 students in a 4 bed place just organised it so the flat was in the name of the 3 students and so didn't have to pay anything.

This is of course fraud however, and also you have no rights to tenancy so you would need to trust the guys you lived with