FAQ – About council tax

Question

What is council tax and why do I have to pay it?

Answer

Council tax is charged on domestic properties to help pay for services provided by your County Council, District Council, Town or Parish Council and the Police and Fire Authorities.

Normally the person living in a property will have to pay the council tax. But we use a hierarchy to determine who we should send a bill to and it is usually the person who appears first on this list:

• Owner who lives in the property
• Tenant that lives in the property
• Anyone else who lives in the property
• If no-one lives in the property, the owner

If two people have an equal interest in a property, for example a married couple, or a couple living together, we would send a bill with both names on it. Either person would legally be responsible for paying the whole bill. There are some exceptions where the owner of a property is responsible for paying the bill rather than the people who live in it. These are:

• Residential care homes
• Houses of multiple occupation
• Religious communities
• Residential staff accommodation
• Some properties for religious ministers
• Homes for asylum seekers