We are currently sending letters to residents, who are getting the 25% Sole Occupier Discount, to check that they are still entitled to the reduction.
If you get a letter, please respond by telling us your current circumstances, so that we can make sure the amount of Council Tax you are being asked to pay is correct.
You can do this by complete the online form:
Alternatively, you can complete and return the paper form provided in your letter.
Even if you have already informed the Council of a change in circumstances, you will still need to complete the form.
If you don't respond
If you don’t respond, we may stop your Sole Occupier Discount from the date it was last checked.
This means you will be asked to pay any outstanding Council Tax which is owed, due to out of date or inncorrect information.
The council are undertaking residency checks, to cross reference Council Tax records, with a specialist validation service.
The council will then be provided with a list of adults potentially living at a property.
Eligibility
The following groups of adults may be disregarded, when counting the number of adults living in a property:
- Patient whose main residence is in hospital
- Person in residential care home, nursing home or hostel
- Youth Training trainee or apprentice
- School leavers
- Young person aged 18 or 19 still in full-time education
- Students and Student Nurse
- Aged 18 or 19 for whom Child Benefit is payable
- Person in detention/prison
- Severely mentally impaired
- Carers
If anyone belonging to these groups normally lives at your address you can apply for the relevant discount:
Additional checks
Residency checks will be performed in collaboration with an external agency who will match our Council Tax records with specialist validation services.
These checks may entail a credit reference search to match other data sources such as the electoral register or credit agreements.
The Council will then be provided with a list of possible adults at a property.
Help
If you are unsure how to complete the form, we can help you
If you need help to complete the form, or need further advice and information, please contact us:
- Phone: 0161 770 0080