Hello this is my first time posting on here. So I 'd like to say thanks in advance to anybody able to help me.

4 years ago my husband and I lived in a privately rented flat and the rent included bills and council tax. Jump forward to October '10 (and we haven't lived in the flat for 3 years) I receive a letter from Leeds council that the council tax has never been paid and a baliff was coming out. I rang the council and because we lived there it doesn't matter if we have a tenancy agreement saying that the landlady is responible for paying the council tax, it's in our name and we have to pay it. After alot of phone calls to our old letting agents and legal aid services, the landlady agreed to start paying off the debt at £20 month - the council we're fine with this.

Then yesterday I receive a letter from the council saying she's stopped the payments and they are going to the courts again. I'm trying to get help from legal aid again and are on to the letting agents. It's just really slow process. I just wondered if anybody had any pearls of wisdom or point me in any direction where I could do something myself, I haven't got a phone number for the landlady to try and sort it out myself.

Sorry for the essay!

Hello this is my first time posting on here. So I 'd like to say thanks in advance to anybody able to help me.

 

4 years ago my husband and I lived in a privately rented flat and the rent included bills and council tax. Jump forward to October '10 (and we haven't lived in the flat for 3 years) I receive a letter from Leeds council that the council tax has never been paid and a baliff was coming out. I rang the council and because we lived there it doesn't matter if we have a tenancy agreement saying that the landlady is responible for paying the council tax, it's in our name and we have to pay it. After alot of phone calls to our old letting agents and legal aid services, the landlady agreed to start paying off the debt at £20 month - the council we're fine with this.

Then yesterday I receive a letter from the council saying she's stopped the payments and they are going to the courts again. I'm trying to get help from legal aid again and are on to the letting agents. It's just really slow process. I just wondered if anybody had any pearls of wisdom or point me in any direction where I could do something myself, I haven't got a phone number for the landlady to try and sort it out myself.

 

Sorry for the essay!

The council are correct in that the tenancy agreement cannot overrule legislation - unless the the landlord was resident or its was a House in Multiple Occupation then the tenants are liable for the council tax.

Any agreement you had with the landlord was purely a private arrangement and would not affect your council tax liability. You are responsible for any monies not paid to the council.

If it's written on the tenancy agreement and you still have a copy, then you in turn sue the landlord.