Frequently asked questions

Most students don't have to pay Council Tax. However some do so please take a few minutes to make sure that this applies to you.

If we grant an exemption for a period of time (which means we do not charge Council Tax) it will be for the property you live in, not the people living there.

If you live in a hall of residence, the property is exempt and you do not have to do anything.

If you live in a privately rented property it may be exempt, but not automatically so.

You have to apply for exemption because we need quite a lot of information to help us decide if the property is exempt or not.

If nobody applies, we will send you a bill.

To make an application see "Student Exemption claim".

We need to know the following:

1. Is everyone living in the property a full time student?

This is most important because if they are not, the property will not be exempt. However, if there is only one person who is not a full time student, we can give you a 25% discount.

What is a student?

This is not such an odd question as it may sound, because Council Tax legislation has its own specific definitions for deciding who is a student.

• Full time students are defined as studying for more than 21 hours a week, and more than 24 weeks a year. The course must be in higher or further education, and last at least one academic or calendar year.

  
  

• Qualifying students are defined as those under the age of 20, studying for more than three months and at least 12 hours per week, for any qualification up to A level, ONC or OND standard.

Important note

1. Correspondence courses, evening classes or courses in connection with a person's job are not included.
   
2. Students writing up their thesis no longer enrolled on a full time course do not qualify.

• Student nurses on a 'Project 2000' course

• Foreign language assistants - registered with the Central Bureau for Educational Visits and Exchanges.

There are also special arrangements where students' husbands and wives are not British citizens and cannot work or claim benefit. For more information please contact customer.services@canterbury.gov.uk or telephone Customer Services on 01227 862 300.

2. Did any of the students live in the property before their course started or after it finished?

Exemptions only apply if all the people living in a property are students. We will charge for any period, even a matter of days, if some or all students live there before their course starts or after it finishes.

If you leave the property when your course finishes and don't let us know, we will charge you and you may receive a bill for a period you were not living there.

3. Who should we send the bills to?

This depends on whether the occupiers are living as one household and on the tenancy arrangements.

We will send joint bills to all the tenants of a property (including any bill which shows a full exemption) if they have a joint tenancy and live as one household.

If they have a joint tenancy but do not live as a single household we will send the bills to the landlord.

If each tenant has an individual tenancy agreement, we will send the bills to the landlord.

From 1st April 2004, changes to Council Tax legislation mean that any students who live with non students or students that dont qualify for a Council Tax exemption will no longer be billed. Instead all bills will be addressed to the non students, although any applicable student discount will still be applied to the account. If you have any questions regarding these changes please telephone the Customer Services section on 01227 862 300.

4. Have we seen your student certificate?

You must send us or bring us the certificate your college or university has given you along with the exemption application.

If you are sharing a property with other students, we will need to see everyone's certificate before we can grant an exemption.

You can take the certificates to the local offices at Harbour Street in Whitstable, William Street in Herne Bay, or the main office in Military Road, Canterbury. They will be copied and returned to you.

We may also need to confirm your course details with your university or college. This is allowed under the Data Protection Act 1998.

5. What happens in holiday periods?

If your tenancy agreement is still in force during the holiday, the situation does not change.

When a tenancy ends, which is usually at the end of the summer term, the owner or landlord of the property will become responsible for paying Council Tax.

We can give a 10% discount if the property is not occupied as anyones sole or main home.

If anyone new moves in we have to review the situation, to find out if we need to charge Council Tax and to work out any entitlement to discounts or exemption.

As a result it is important that you give us all the information if anyone leaves or moves into the property.

If you have received a bill, or get one in the future which you think is a mistake because the property should be exempt, please let us know.

Remember:

The easiest way to avoid hassle about Council Tax is to:

• tell us when you move in;
  
• send us or bring us your student certificate as soon as possible;
  
• give us the details of your tenancy agreement and everyone who lives in the property; and
  
• tell us when you move out.

You can contact us by e-mail at customer.services@canterbury.gov.uk or telephone Customer Services to tell us about your move. The phone number is 01227 862 300.

The information on this page is for guidance only, and is not a full definition of the law.