Hi everyone, It's that time of year again and electoral roll envelopes have arrived through my current letterbox. So, Here is my problem. And yeah, I'm pretty worried. It turns out I've been a complete green horn since leaving university. I was on a 3 year, full time education course and took another to year 'writing up'. Throughout this time i never completed an electoral form due to common opinion that it was not necessary if i did not want to vote. None of my friends bothered with it, and i had never been a politics person. I graduated, made my family proud, and worked for a year before renting privately (CT included) closer to work. So basically, I have not been on the electoral roll or submitted my details etc to the council / government since i left for uni. For the two 'writing up' years of my course and the year after, i stayed many nights of each month at my grandparents house. They paid full council tax on their property and i was not there for much of the time. In my head, this was my address of residence (my mail and medical going through my mothers address as it always had). Last month i researched moving home. I would need to register myself for council tax on a new property. Speaking to my grandfather, I learned he had never declared me on his electoral roll. I owe a lot to my grandparents! They helped me through my education. But i do not wish to cause them any problems. After seeking citizens advice, i opted to not contact councils until they contacted me. There may be a chance the council didn't follow me up after i gave them my current address as a previous address, and shouldnt have minded me declaring my grandparents as a previous since i was not a liable party. Long story short, I thought things would be okay (They still might be. I'm a pessimist). But there is a box on the form that rightly asks for my previous address for adding my name to this electoral. If i put my grandfather's address as my previous, will anything befall me due to my ignorance? There was no intentional avoidance, but my grandfather should really have declared me on his paperwork, or i should have declared myself. Any information on penalties or criminal record would be greatly appreciated. The scenario is genuine mistake, but I guess this may not be seen that way now, especially if there is 'free' penalty money involved. Thanks for reading everyone, sorry if my situation seems less tragic than most, i'm just really worried this could stun my future.

Thanks for that Andy. Common sense says this should be my case so hopefully there shall not be any liability or cause for complaint against me. If anyone could verify this situation I would still be very grateful. Living looking over one shoulder is never a good situation to be in. Should I and my grandfather attempt to contact the respective council or should I wait until they request details (if they even do)?

Hi everyone, I don't usually use forums anymore, but this seems to be the only place where i may receive some useful feedback. I'll try to keep this accurate as possible, but it is complex. I am a post graduate working man looking to move home. I currently reside in a shared house privately let for £250 / month / person, bills and Council Tax included (paid within the rent). I have resided here for just over one year and have always lived by the book, not requesting any assistance or benefit until recently when I began claiming Working Tax Credit. My course was to last three years but became five when I was accepted for mitigating circumstances or 'writing up' in 2005. The first three years i handed in Council Tax Exemption Forms for each of my dwellings. Throughout the latter years, i sought guidance from piers (university workers, tutors, receptionists but not the NUS *stupid but i did not know*) whom expressed my 'full time course' would exempt me from council tax. There was a link to print a form but one would not issue when I clicked online. again, when queried, I was told "probably a server error". I 'based' with my grandparents, who were paying full Council Tax and continued to work toward my grade. University was quite a distance away from my grandparents house, so I stayed most nights each week with friends, other family and colleagues nearer to the university. In 2006 I began working part time whilst completing my degree. working myself almost into hospital again, I graduated in 2007. That following year, I maintained my awkward lifestyle staying between friends and family. I have recently investigated credit checking, references and council tax so that i can move with a friend to a new home through an estate agency. I would like to begin paying my own Council Tax on that property. HOWEVER, upon discussing said research with my grandfather, It turns out that nobody called the Council to ever declare my residence. Furthermore, due to my grandfather never truly knowing how long i would stay with them, I was apparently not even put down on their electoral. I am truly in fear that I may be seen to have not paid council tax for a period of THREE years. Of course, people would verify my intermittent whereabouts, but that is not exactly hard evidence. I visited my local citizens advice bureau who told me I was 'better off not going to the council because they may not request such history, and I should only worry once something bad actually happens. You can still put down your current address in the "previous address" box.' Now, obviously, all this should have been my responsibility. In my head, the house i stayed in most was fully paid CTax, and everyone involved genuinely believed I was panicking over nothing when I discussed it. I owe my degree to my grandparents. They helped me out when i could not afford another student house year. So i do not want to repay them with trouble. Three years is a very long time to account myself elsewhere. It hurts that other people i know, who were privileged to stay with family, need not ever worry about this sort of history. But I have heard that this could make my life incredibly difficult and maybe even leave me with a criminal record or smudge on my name. Okay, I have typed far too much, but if anyone could lend any knowledge on my circumstances, please, I would very much respect your advice. I can pay fees to fix books or a penalty for not declaring myself. Even pay said fees for each year I repeated the mistake. But to pay a full CT on an imaginary property, that is a frightening concept. I don't know what happens next. The citizens advice cannot seem to uncover much more. Thank you for taking the time to read my thread. I think it is wonderful that this forum can exist for people.