Page 1 of Council Tax...

If I moved into my sisters house, she`s married with a child, would I alter the amount of council tax she currently pays or effect her child benefits?

Also, if I`m living at a property that is paying council tax (i.e. sisters) do I still have to pay council tax on a property that I own which is empty?

Cheers

Ross

Quote:
do I still have to pay council tax on a property that I own which is empty?

I believe you will still have to pay something.... sure its about 50%

Anyhow...surely the best way forward for you is to call you local council... explain what you are thinking of doing and they will advise.......

Not sure what time your local council are open till but I`m lucky to get someone answering the phone after 3pm never mind 8pm! ;)

Anyway, thanks for the info. :)

"Life is like oral sex, one slip of the tongue and you`re in the s***!" - Roy Chubby Brown

Not sure about the council tax.
Child benefit won`t be affected,as everyone gets that regardless of their income.
If she`s on tax credits though,her income determines how much she gets.
So if you`re paying her rent,and she declares it,her tax credits will suffer.
Up to her whether she declares it or not,but you`d be surprised how many people will report her if they get wind of it.
You`ll also be surprised how determined the tax credits people are about getting overpaments back.
We`re one of those families that had to pay back hundreds,when the mistake wasn`t even through any fault of our own !
God knows what they`d have done if they`ve proven it was us being dishonest !

If you move into your sisters place it should not effect the council tax

Council tax on an unoccupied property I think is nil.

If you have just one person in a house you get 25% discount

Chris

A.C.C. Member
LFC
YNWA

Maybe not quite nil - slightly depends

Taken from C.A.B

Quote:
Properties exempt from council tax


Some property is exempt from council tax altogether. It may be exempt for only a short period, for example, six months, or for a longer time.



Properties which may be exempt are:-


property which is empty. It has to be unoccupied and substantially unfurnished. The exemption applies for a maximum of six months and the property has to be vacant for the whole of this period
property which is vacant because it needs major repairs or alterations to make it habitable. The exemption applies for a maximum of 12 months whether the work is actually finished or not by then
condemned property
property which has been re-possessed by a mortgage lender
property unoccupied because the person who lived there now lives elsewhere because they need to be cared for, for example, in hospital (or with relatives)
property which is unoccupied because the person who lived there has gone to care for someone else
any property that only students live in. This may be a hall of residence, or a house
a caravan or boat which is used as a main residence but which is unoccupied. This exemption lasts for up to six months. A holiday caravan or boat is exempt if it`s on a property where council tax is paid
a property where all the people who live in it are aged under 18
a property where all the people who live in it are either severely mentally impaired or are students or where there is a mixture of both
a self-contained 'granny flat' where the person who lives in it is a dependent relative of the owner of the main property


Taken from a council web site :

Quote:
Reductions in Council Tax for unoccupied properties.
Properties are regarded as being unoccupied for Council Tax purposes where nobody has their main home (sole or main residence) in the property.

Furnished Unoccupied Properties
A discount will be applied to properties which are unoccupied, but remain furnished. For Council Tax charges relating to periods prior to 1 April 2004 the discount will be 50%. However, for Council Tax charges from 1 April 2004 onwards the discount will be reduced to 10%.

Caravans, boats and certain `job-related properties are exempted from the reduction in the discount and will continue to receive a 50% discount. For more information please contact Revenues Services.

Empty Unoccupied Properties
Properties are regarded as being empty for Council Tax purposes where they are `substantially unfurnished`. Empty unoccupied properties are exempt from Council Tax for the first 6 months. Thereafter, where they remain empty and unfurnished` a discounted Council Tax charge becomes payable.

For Council Tax charges relating to periods prior to 1 April 2004 the discount will be 50%. However, for Council Tax charges from 1 April 2004 onwards the discount will be reduced to 10%.

Chris

A.C.C. Member
LFC
YNWA

This item was edited on Tuesday, 28th November 2006, 10:26

You could effect your sister council tax if she is claiming the 25% discount as she would no longer be the only eligible person in the property.

But if she isn`t claiming the discount then no, you will not effect her payments.

Credo!

I assumed by "married with children" she wouldnt be getting that discount so I ignored it. Butyou are spot on Nemesis

Chris

A.C.C. Member
LFC
YNWA

Cheers guys, some sound advice.

I wouldn`t be paying her rent, I basically require a London address as that`s my home office with work so for tax reasons I need an address down there while I`m working "out of Town" up here in my home Town! :D

"Life is like oral sex, one slip of the tongue and you`re in the s***!" - Roy Chubby Brown