Joint responsibility
Everyone who has an equal interest in a property will be held jointly liable. This also applies to married couples, unmarried couples who live together and joint owners/tenants.
Usually, the person(s) living in the property will be responsible for payment of the Council Tax but sometimes it will be the non-resident owner who will be responsible if the following conditions apply
- the property is in multiple occupation (HMO), for example, a house shared by a number of different households who all pay rent separately
- the people who live in the property are all under 18 years old
- the people who are staying in the property are there temporarily and have their main homes somewhere else
- the property is a care home, hospital, hostel, or women's refuge
If you are a landlord renting out a property, the responsibility for paying the Council Tax bill depends on what sort of letting arrangement you have.
If you think you have been made liable for a charge you are not responsible for, please contact the Council Tax team straightaway.
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Get in touch about Council Tax
The quickest way to contact us is by using our online forms which are available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. If you need to speak to us give us a call during office hours and talk to our Customer Services team who will be happy to help.