gotta love the system...

[Pyro]

Im just going to throw this out here because i know there are plenty of people who will feel the same about 'the system...

I recently purchased a house which was a repossesion, after a month got in touch with council via telephone and told them that the house was completely empty and unhabitable, the lady said no problem i've put that on your file you've got 6month tax free please inform us when you move in. I thought fantastic, until i got a letter demanding money from me, so i went in to the local council office, asked them why they had sent me it and they asked me to fill in a form and that would be the end of it.

Then i got a lovely red letter saying if i didnt pay within 7 days id have a court order, WOOPY!!! So obviously i stormed into the local office again and started kicking off, they got me a supervisor who finally realised that actually i did owe them money, £373 infact. His reasoning was that the 6months tax free had been used up by the previous owner, a bank, who was selling it, and that i had to pay tax from the day of ownership, by this time i had 4 days left to pay it, im 21 and my OH is 20, we had just paid out a grand in building supplies and labour and the council had just completely shafted me.

They wouldnt listen to reason, and i was advised if i contested it nothing would be done. How is it fair that i have to pay tax on a house thats unhabitable, i mean for crying out loud i didnt even have bins, a kitchen, or even a kitchen sink for that matter. The irony is that the neighbours told us that it was the council who ripped the kitchen out along with everything else including light bulbs light fittings door handles, doors, basically anything that wasnt glued down. The previous owners were in quite a bit of debt you see... So the council are charging me for fixing their mess, thanks!


I had no choice, i borrowed money from my parents and paid it. Which has put me a month behind my expected move in date, which i will have to pay tax for, Great! I hate this country. I've worked and paid tax since i was 16, never been on dole, never really cost the council anything over an ordinary tax paying person but its nice to know my £373 of hard earned money wont be spent on anything to do with me, it will be for the herion addict in the queue behind me who changing his flat address and needs his housing benefit information registered there... lovely.

I dont want sympathy i just want other peoples hate for the system, and stories relevant to mine would be appriciated too.

[smac]

Why dont you have a "friend" rent it from you for say 42 days? He will then pay 42 days tax- after this another 6 month period is granted

[Pyro]

by then i'll be in the house, end of april time hopefully

[theaxe]

I'm confused, if you're not living there then how can tax be due? If you are living there then why shouldn't you pay council tax?

[Soovy]

If you're living there you pay it. If you're not, you don't.

How difficult is it? I don't like paying my council tax either (£3,000 a year thank you very much) but suck it up like the rest of us have to. Oh and as for the council dishing out houses to junkies and bandy legged single mums, you know who to vote for in future.



Oh, and what the HELL are you doing buying a house when an unexpected bill for a poxy £300 has "shafted" you? What happens when the boiler packs up, or the roof leaks?


Sorry but you're mad, and you've overstretched yourself.

Edited by Soovy on Tuesday 23 March 11:19

[bazking69]

You best hope squatters don't move in then!

[GTIR]

Soovy said:

How difficult is it? I don't like paying my council tax either (£3,000 a year thank you very much) but suck it up like the rest of us have to.

Edited by Soovy on Tuesday 23 March 11:19

£3000!

To me that means you've worked hard, done well in work/business and you probably got a double garage.

Edited by GTIR on Tuesday 23 March 11:24

[Penny-lope]

I think you were a fool to pay the bill. But then again, I am paying £120 (25% discount already taken off) and I don't even get street lighting, road gritting or the same recycling services as properties 100 yards down the street

[illmonkey]

Soovy said:

If you're living there you pay it. If you're not, you don't.

How difficult is it? I don't like paying my council tax either (£3,000 a year thank you very much) but suck it up like the rest of us have to. Oh and as for the council dishing out houses to junkies and bandy legged single mums, you know who to vote for in future.



Oh, and what the HELL are you doing buying a house when an unexpected bill for a poxy £300 has "shafted" you? What happens when the boiler packs up, or the roof leaks?


Sorry but you're mad, and you've overstretched yourself.

Edited by Soovy on Tuesday 23 March 11:19

At the minute, it seems the only way people can get on the property ladder is to stretch themselves.

[Soovy]

illmonkey said:

Soovy said:

If you're living there you pay it. If you're not, you don't.

How difficult is it? I don't like paying my council tax either (£3,000 a year thank you very much) but suck it up like the rest of us have to. Oh and as for the council dishing out houses to junkies and bandy legged single mums, you know who to vote for in future.



Oh, and what the HELL are you doing buying a house when an unexpected bill for a poxy £300 has "shafted" you? What happens when the boiler packs up, or the roof leaks?


Sorry but you're mad, and you've overstretched yourself.

Edited by Soovy on Tuesday 23 March 11:19

At the minute, it seems the only way people can get on the property ladder is to stretch themselves.

So rent. Why does EVERYONE think that houses are an investment. They're not.

[GTIR]

illmonkey said:

At the minute, it seems the only way people can get on the property ladder is to stretch themselves.

I've been doing that for years and it's just made it sore.

[Pyro]

just to confirm for people calling me a fool, the 6month exemption is apparently on the house, NOT the owner, and as the previous owner used up the 6 months, even though im not living in it i must pay the tax for it,

No need to apologise for calling me an idiot though

[Penny-lope]

Soovy said:

illmonkey said:

Soovy said:

If you're living there you pay it. If you're not, you don't.

How difficult is it? I don't like paying my council tax either (£3,000 a year thank you very much) but suck it up like the rest of us have to. Oh and as for the council dishing out houses to junkies and bandy legged single mums, you know who to vote for in future.



Oh, and what the HELL are you doing buying a house when an unexpected bill for a poxy £300 has "shafted" you? What happens when the boiler packs up, or the roof leaks?


Sorry but you're mad, and you've overstretched yourself.

Edited by Soovy on Tuesday 23 March 11:19

At the minute, it seems the only way people can get on the property ladder is to stretch themselves.

So rent. Why does EVERYONE think that houses are an investment. They're not.

You still have to pay council tax though. I am better off now in my own pad, than I was renting.

[illmonkey]

Soovy said:

illmonkey said:

Soovy said:

If you're living there you pay it. If you're not, you don't.

How difficult is it? I don't like paying my council tax either (£3,000 a year thank you very much) but suck it up like the rest of us have to. Oh and as for the council dishing out houses to junkies and bandy legged single mums, you know who to vote for in future.



Oh, and what the HELL are you doing buying a house when an unexpected bill for a poxy £300 has "shafted" you? What happens when the boiler packs up, or the roof leaks?


Sorry but you're mad, and you've overstretched yourself.

Edited by Soovy on Tuesday 23 March 11:19

At the minute, it seems the only way people can get on the property ladder is to stretch themselves.

So rent. Why does EVERYONE think that houses are an investment. They're not.

Rent is not paying off equity of the property though, you're just giving the landlord money to pay his. It also allows you to do what you want, have pets, not report to someone. I pay less on my mortgage than on I would renting it. I can chose to save more or pay some off the mortgage. Renting gives you no flexibility.

[Pyro]

I am pretty stretched to be honest but if for instance my boiler would break it wouldnt really matter because im not living there yet, i had no choice but to pay the tax right away at a moments notice which unlike something that needs repairing can be put off....

[Penny-lope]

Pyro said:

I am pretty stretched to be honest but if for instance my boiler would break it wouldnt really matter because im not living there yet, i had no choice but to pay the tax right away at a moments notice which unlike something that needs repairing can be put off....

Not true....the council send out red letters all the time...'pay this in blah days, or else' Never once have I had anyone knocking at my door. I will pay when I decide....and more to the point, at least I pay unlike lots out there!

[Pyro]

Penny-lope said:

Pyro said:

I am pretty stretched to be honest but if for instance my boiler would break it wouldnt really matter because im not living there yet, i had no choice but to pay the tax right away at a moments notice which unlike something that needs repairing can be put off....

Not true....the council send out red letters all the time...'pay this in blah days, or else' Never once have I had anyone knocking at my door. I will pay when I decide....and more to the point, at least I pay unlike lots out there!

Well i dont know that do i! I got it and it seemed pretty damn serious lol

[Ginger goblin]

illmonkey said:

Soovy said:

illmonkey said:

Soovy said:

If you're living there you pay it. If you're not, you don't.

How difficult is it? I don't like paying my council tax either (£3,000 a year thank you very much) but suck it up like the rest of us have to. Oh and as for the council dishing out houses to junkies and bandy legged single mums, you know who to vote for in future.



Oh, and what the HELL are you doing buying a house when an unexpected bill for a poxy £300 has "shafted" you? What happens when the boiler packs up, or the roof leaks?


Sorry but you're mad, and you've overstretched yourself.

Edited by Soovy on Tuesday 23 March 11:19

At the minute, it seems the only way people can get on the property ladder is to stretch themselves.

So rent. Why does EVERYONE think that houses are an investment. They're not.

Rent is not paying off equity of the property though, you're just giving the landlord money to pay his. It also allows you to do what you want, have pets, not report to someone. I pay less on my mortgage than on I would renting it. I can chose to save more or pay some off the mortgage. Renting gives you no flexibility.

I'd argue that renting gives you MORE flexibility. You can sign up to a six month contract and extend on from there. Don’t like the area/accommodation? Give notice and move to a better place.

The mortgage payments may be less than the rental equivalent but as a tenant you are not liable for any of the upkeep costs of the property. Boiler breaks? Not my problem. Plumbing issue? Not my problem. Washing machine breaks and floods the place? Not my problem. Overall I’d say rental/mortgage + upkeep payments work out about the same.

I’m in no rush to get on the property ladder. Tying myself down to one property seems counter intuitive at the moment.

[FlashmanChop]

to the people who say renting is better...

do you not see having property and paying the mortgage off as an asset ?

[Soovy]

FlashmanChop said:

to the people who say renting is better...

do you not see having property and paying the mortgage off as an asset ?

Depends. You do know that a £250,000 house actually ends up costing you about £750,000 in payments over 25 years, don't you?!