Landlords paying Council Tax

Landlords pay Council Tax when:

• there are no tenants
• there is more than one household living there, for example bedsits with shared cooking areas
• the person living there is in domestic service to you
• a Minister of Religion lives and works there
• it is a Residential Home
• a Religious Community lives there
• it is accommodation for Asylum Seekers (under Section 95 of the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999).

You can find out more about paying Council Tax on unoccupied and unfurnished homes.

You must tell us:

• tell us the tenant's name/s, the date the tenancy starts and how long it is for
• if you use a letting agent you can ask them to tell us

If a tenant moves out before the end of their tenancy they should still pay Council Tax until end of their agreement, unless the property is re-let before this date.

Letting to students

Full time students are not counted for council tax but we need proof that they are students. Each student should send us a copy of their Certificate Of Student Status. They can get this from their College or University.

You, or the letting agents, must:

• tell the student's names
• the date the tenancy starts
• and how long it is for.

We will contact them to check their status.

Letting to students over the summer

If a student has an agreement with you or the letting agency that the property will be held for them over summer, the property may be exempt from Council Tax.

To claim this you, or the agent, will need to give us a copy of this agreement.

If the property is not let during the summer then you must pay the Council Tax for these months. If it is unfurnished, it will be exempt for the first month.

We need to inspect the property to check this. Contact us at c.tax@welhat.gov.uk to arrange an inspection.