In England, who's responsibility is it to inform the council that a property is being rented out to students?

Question

Is it the land lord or the tennants?
I'm asking this because students don't have to pay council tax but I don't know if my future housemates and I have a responsibility to inform the council that we are students.

Answer 1

most landlords will inform the council that a new tennant is living in the home, they will then send you a form and you will have to prove you are a student in order o not pay council tax.
however, some landlords dont and you will have to phone the local council yourself to go through the same process.

Answer 2

I think technically it's the landlords responsibility as they're the one who'll get the council tax bill. Many universities now have an automatic link with the local council and, assuming your address is registered with them, will inform the council students are living in that property.
Otherwise the council will need proof you guys are students which you'll need to get from your university!
Either way you might have a bit of leg work to do, i'd ask your landlord. Being helpful is always a good way to get on their side.

Answer 3

I am currently a student and have lived as a tenant in the same house the last two years. We do not have to pay council tax. It was our responsibility to inform the council that we are students. We initially phoned the relevant department at the council,they then sent us a form that we had to fill in concerning our names,courses,university we are attending and when we will finish. They will then check with your university and make sure you are exempt from paying. Landlords may inform the council however they may have many properties and fail to do so quickly which will mean you may have make a payment and councils are very stingy in giving back the whole sum.

Answer 4

Hi there

The answer is both.

Firstly there is council tax liability, if the property was previously under single occupancy then the tax would have been reduced, you do not want to end up with a shock bill later!

Secondly there is a legal obligation on the landlord for renting a home to multiple occupants, referred to as HMO, "Homes under Multiple Occupancy". HMO does not always apply but is more likely to for student accommodation because the criteria is based on number of occupants and whether they are from different families - which you would expect for Students.

If HMO rules apply then the landlord has to get a licence from the local authority - and there are usually fees for this the landlord has to pay.

You can check out the HMO rules by visiting the odpm.go.uk website. My advice then is to ask the landlord if he has a licence, and for you to see a copy. If not refer to the local council where you are living for advice.

I hope this helps.

Answer 5

This is a two fold answer really. The Landlord (legal owner) has a duty to inform the council that the property is multi occupied, this is regardless of wether the tenants are students or not. The individual occupiers are required by law to register for Council Tax, and I believe on the form you are required to complete, you will be asked your employment status.
Hope that helps.

Answer 6

The landlord should do it, but if the students do it just to make sure the landlord has done it then there won't be problems if the council decide to be stupid (like they usually are) and try getting council tax off the students.

Answer 7

Legally the land lord needs to tell the council

Answer 8

It is the landlord but i tell you what- you should ring the council to check. When i was at university we just got this huge bill for £1500 one day and then received a County Court Judgement (CCJ). Despite the fact that we sorted it out the CCJ stayed on my credit rating for ages. PS just dont trust your landlord. even if they are nice, student land lords are really slippery. Make sure that if there is something wrong you ring them asap and dont pay the full rent until they sort it. sometimes we paid for e.g. rentokill (yeah- gross) and then paid the rest for rent as getting it off them is tricky. the other thing is your deposit. nine out of ten of my mates got theirs taken in full despite leaving the place just fine. do a full inventory- a written list of everything in the house and all the probs (e.g- broken cold tap in bathroom, large stain on carpet in lounge) so that they cant blame you for anything that you didnt do.

Answer 9

landlord then its up to the council however if i was the landlord i would include the tax in the rent cos i dont see that this would be on the students list of prioritys

Answer 10

It is up to the landlord to inform the council but he may be required to send them proof from you that you are students.