I moved into my girlfriend's bedsit last year and immediately started wondering how the landlord got planning permission to sub-divide this small terrace house in W London, into four minute bedsits.

I called up the Planning office and discovered, not surprisingly, that there has never been a planning application for this property, to convert to flats.

So it's an illegal conversion, first off.

Then it occurred to me that the landlord could not have declared to the Council that there were four separate units at this address for Council tax purposes.

My gf's tenancy states that CT is payable by the tenant, where applicable.

So who is the most villainous here? Is the landlord committing serious fraud on the Council by forgetting to declare his illegal conversion to four flats? Are the tenants really liable for CT, if the landlord never declared the bedsits in the first place.

I hear the landlord is not the nicest character around and I have a strong inclination to shop him when we leave this place.

He doesn't look after the property, it has cockroaches and vermin.

Thanks for reading.

Have you had a council tax bill? Someone in the building must have had one because if you are all paying then it has been declared. If your not paying then you will become liable for the whole time you have been there.

So far as I know, no one has received a bill from the council. I 'believe' the landlord is paying just one bill for the whole house, because the property has not had planning approval for all the bedsits, therefore, the bedsits are 'invisible' to the local council. There are four individual 'flats' within the house and I know from planning regs that this would never have been approved.

So who is going to get the can? The landlord for not declaring the flats or the tenants?

you will find when you move,the next council will ask you your previous address and then ask you why you dont have a record of paying council tax,your nasty landlord has covered himself by putting it in your tenancy agreement,the council will be wanting their money from you,been there!

not a big problem, I will have been 'living in Europe and have been staying with friends' ergo, no paper trail! Still the landlord is in the wrong for not declaring his illegally converted flats.

But what about your girlfriend.

She can always innocently phone up the Council and speak to Council Tax section stating that she has not had a bill for her flat and was wondering what was happening. She would then have to pay the money but is still shopping the landlord as they'll look it up on the system and see that the flats have not been declared.

If he hasn't got planning permission it has to make you wonder where else he has cut corners.

There are very strict rules and guidelines about houses of multiple occupancy. And I have no doubt that at your property their is a very serious risk of fire, and an inadequate fire system.

Personnally I would a) write a letter to the council planning and environmental health dept. B) stop paying rent c) look for another place to live.

The owner cannot evict you without a court order and that will take weeks. in which time you have saved the rent money you would have paid and use it towards another property.

if you dont like that, then you should at least write to your lanlord and ask for a copy of the council tax bill showing your names on the statement. No name = no payment.