Who is Liable To Pay The Bill
Only one bill is sent to a property regardless of how many people live there.
If several people live in the same property, there may only be one person liable for paying the bill.
To work out who is liable to pay look at the following list. When you reach a description that fits, that person is liable. If the description fits more than one person, then each person is both jointly and severally liable with the others. This means that any, or all of them, can be liable to pay the bill.
- A resident freeholder (e.g. an owner-occupier)
- A resident leaseholder (e.g. an assured tenant)
- A resident statutory or secure tenant
- A resident licensee
- A resident
- The owner (where there are no residents)
A resident is someone aged 18 or over who lives in the property as his/her only or main home.
Joint and several liability is where more than one person is fully liable for the council tax charge on the same property. This applies to husbands and wives, unmarried couples, and civil partnerships, living in the same home.This also applies to people who have the same interest in a property ie joint tenants.
Some people are excluded from joint liability such as students and the severely mentally impaired.
The owner of a property is liable to pay the bill, not the people who live there if it is a:
- Residential care home, nursing home and some hostels
- Residence that is: a house in multiple occupation ie bedsits
- Residence of a minister of religion
- Residence of a religious community
- Residence of a domestic servant
- Residence of an asylum seeker
Contact revenues and benefit services