Council Tax When You Move House: Who Pays, When and How to Register

How Council Tax Works When You Move

Council tax is charged on a property basis, not a person basis. When you move, you're responsible for council tax at your old address up to and including your last day there, and at your new address from the day you complete (or, if you're renting, from the day your tenancy begins).

Getting this right involves notifying two councils — the one you're leaving and the one you're moving to. Failing to do this promptly can result in being billed for periods you weren't resident, or missing a refund from an overpayment.

At Your Old Address

**Notify your current council.** Tell them your moving date (your completion date or the last day of your tenancy). You can do this online via the council's website, or by phone. You'll need your council tax reference number, your current address, your new address, and the date you're moving.

**Request a refund if you pay by direct debit.** If you've paid ahead for the month, the council will calculate what you owe up to your moving date and refund the balance. This typically takes two to four weeks to arrive.

**If you're a landlord.** You become responsible for council tax at the property during void periods between tenancies. Notify the council when a tenancy ends and when a new one begins.

**If the property is empty.** Most councils charge council tax on empty properties, though many offer a short-term discount (typically 25–50%) for a set period. After that, some councils charge a premium of up to 100% on long-term empty properties. Check your local council's policy.

At Your New Address

**Register with your new council immediately.** You are liable for council tax from the day of completion, even if you don't move your belongings in that day. Contact the council for your new address as soon as you have a confirmed completion date — many councils have an online form for this.

You'll need: your full name (and the names of all adults who will live there), your new address, your old address, your moving date, and your National Insurance number.

**Single person discount.** If you live alone, you're entitled to a 25% council tax discount. Notify the council when you register. If you were on a single person discount at your previous address, it doesn't automatically transfer.

**Other discounts and exemptions.** Full-time students are disregarded for council tax purposes (meaning they don't count toward the number of adults). If everyone in a property is a student, the property may be entirely exempt. People with severe mental impairments and live-in carers are also disregarded. Check your council's list of exemptions if these apply to your household.

Council Tax Bands and Challenging Them

Every property in England and Scotland is in a council tax band (A to H), based on an estimate of the property's value in April 1991. Wales uses a different banding system based on April 2003 values.

The band is attached to the property, not the owner. When you buy, you inherit the band. However, a significant number of properties are in the wrong band — estimates suggest around 400,000 properties in England and Wales are incorrectly banded, typically too high.

You can challenge your council tax band through the Valuation Office Agency (VOA) in England and Wales, or the Scottish Assessors Association in Scotland. The easiest way to assess whether your band is correct is to look at comparable properties in your street on the VOA's online database.

Be aware: challenging your band can result in it going up as well as down. Do some research before challenging.

What Happens in a Chain

In a chain, multiple completions often happen on the same day. Each buyer's council tax liability starts on their completion date. There's no special arrangement for chain completions — you simply notify both councils with the actual completion date.

If your completion is delayed by a few days from the originally expected date, council tax continues at the old address until the new date. Make sure you update notifications if dates change.

Keeping Records

Store your council tax notification correspondence — both the cancellation at the old address and the registration at the new one — somewhere accessible. If there's ever a billing dispute, having written evidence of the date you notified each council is important.

Property Passport UK is a useful place to keep moving-related correspondence alongside your completion documents, so that all the records associated with your move are in one place.

Council tax is one of those things that's easy to forget in the chaos of moving day. Sorting both notifications within the first 48 hours of completion keeps you legal, avoids unexpected bills, and secures any refund you're owed as quickly as possible.