Council Tax Address Dispute

[RBlanco]

Please help!

I moved into a flat with my then student girlfriend in Aug '07. We went into the council office to register for council tax and claim student exemption. We did not receive a bill for three months, after which a neighbour brought over a reminder letter from the council with our names on it. The address on the letter was not the address on our tennancy agreement, council polling card or any utility bills. It was for the address next door.

I rang the council to inform them of the error and to notify them of our correct address. They said the address did not exist on their system and that we had to pay the original bill. We subsequently had a Bailiff visit with a copy of the original bill. He was very rude until I pointed to my front door showing him I lived at a different address to the one on the bill.

I arranged to go in for a meeting with the council and brought all relevant paperwork along. They were adamant my address did not exist so I showed them the tennancy agreement, the polling card with the correct address, all my utility bills with the correct address and also a Post Office web search on my postcode showing that my flat did in fact exist. It seems only the council doesn't recognise the address despite their polling card people getting it right. The outcome of the meeting was me with a signed council letter saying they were removing any court/ Bailiff associated costs and would look into the case and send a building enforcement officer round to look at the property. One never showed up.

My girlfriend has now left university and called the council to inform them of her change of circumstances. The council informed her that they still do not recognise our address, that the original bill is with a collection agency and that they would need to contact our landlady for any changes to the address.

I'm frankly dazzled by the incompetance of the council. Can they rightly charge me for tax on a property they have said does not exist? If they contact my land lady and she agrees to have the address changed, am I still liable for the council tax arrears? I have made every possible effort to pay this but to this day have not received a bill with my name on it at my correct address.

Sorry for the essay, any advice would be appreciated.

[ss002d6252]

If the property does not exist on the council systems then it unlikely to have been registered with the Valuations office - they need to band the property before the council can raised a full account.

Check Valuation Office Agency - homepage to see if the property has been banded - if no the Voa need to inspect the property and inform the council.

Council Tax( Local Government finance act 1992 ) is chargeable only when a property is shown on a valuations list - if it has never been banded then council tax is currently not chargeable, although, once it has been banded then council tax does become chargeable.

[randomnick]

I have a similar problem. We moved into our rented new build 16 months ago. We rang the council who said the property was awaiting banding. So i rang the VOA and they confirmed it was in their "to do" list, by referencing the plot number. They also confirmed the correct postal address.

That was 16 months ago. Still no bill and the property is not listed on the VOA website. All other houses on the street are!!

Does anyone know if and when the banding is completed that the council can backdate the tax or is it only from the date of banding.