ACCOMMODATION – Council Tax/TV Licences
Council Tax is levied by local councils, and covers services such as police, fire, libraries and refuse collections. It is also a contribution towards education. As a general rule, students will not be liable for Council Tax, as a student property is an exempt dwelling. However there are some exceptions to this rule.
Council Tax….
Ø Full time students sharing a house with other full time students will not be liable for Council Tax.
Ø Students sharing with non-students won’t be liable for Council Tax, but the property has a liability, which will be the non student’s responsibility.
Ø Part time students will probably be liable for Council Tax.
Ø Most Halls of Residence will be exempt from Council Tax.
The University notifies the local councils of students living in their area who are not liable for Council Tax, however, you may find that for some reason your name has not been supplied to the council. If this has happened you will need to download a Council Tax exemption certificate from your ‘myUWE’ and then send it to the council. It is your responsibility to do this, and you should do it as soon as you have received a bill; any delays could result in charges being applied to your account which may be hard to challenge. To save any problems it is worth obtaining your own certificate when you move in to the property.
TV Licences….
Whether or not you need to have a TV licence depends on the type of accommodation you are living in. The basic rules are:
· If you have your own individual tenancy agreement for a room in halls or for a room in a shared house and you use a TV in your room, then you will need a licence.
· If you have a flat or bedsit and your own tenancy agreement, you will need your own licence.
· If you live in a shared house and have a joint tenancy agreement, only one TV licence is required to cover all the TV sets in the house.
It is important that you have a TV licence. The TV licensing authorities do check unlicensed properties and you can be fined up to £1,000 if you do not have a valid licence. You can pay for your licence in a number of ways, in one or several installments. Remember to check that you have the correct licence – if you only have a black and white television then you do not need a colour licence. Also, you may be able to claim a refund for the summer months if you move out of your term-time address.
You can find further information about TV licences on the TV Licensing website.
For further information about Council Tax, TV licences or any other accommodation matter then please contact the Students’ Union Advice Centre