Housing and accommodation

Council Tax and Housing Benefit

Council Tax is a tax payable on dwellings (a dwelling being any property which is wholly or partly used as living accommodation), which is collected by Local Authorities. A full Council Tax bill is based on two people living in a property. The majority of full-time students in Higher Education are exempt from paying Council Tax. To claim exemption you must inform Portsmouth City Council and give them the names and student reference numbers of all the students living in the property.

What if one of my housemates leaves their course and gets a job?

Council Tax becomes payable, however the non-student can apply for a 25 per cent discount on the grounds that the other occupants of the house should be disregarded, being full-time students.

What if two housemates get full-time work?

Council Tax becomes payable but no discount is applicable. There may also be a liability for any students living in the property to pay a share of the bill. If a student shares a property with a person liable for Council Tax and this is not paid, the student could still be considered jointly liable and pursued for non-payment.

How much is Council Tax?

Each year, every local authority will set a rate of Council Tax for each valuation band. The bandings are based on the value of the property on 1 April 1991:

Valuation band	Range of values
A	Up to £40,000
B	Over £40,000 and up to £52,000
C	Over £52,000 and up to £68,000
D	Over £68,000 and up to £88,000
E	Over £88,000 and up to £120,000
F	Over £120,000 and up to £160,000
G	Over £160,000 and up to £320,000
H	Over £320,000

Housing Benefit

Most full-time students are not entitled to claim Housing Benefit. Only a limited number of students will be able to apply for benefit. These are:

single parent students
student couples with dependent children
disabled students who qualify for a Disability Premium in a benefit assessment
disabled students who qualify for an LEA Disabled Students Allowance because of deafness

Housing Benefit is paid to people living in rented accommodation. If you are eligible for Housing Benefit your application will be subject to the following conditions:

you cannot claim Housing Benefit if you are living in University owned Halls of Residence
if you are a full-time student you will usually be expected to pay a proportion of your weekly rent yourself
if you are eligible for a student loan it will be assumed for the purposes of calculating your income that you have taken out the maximum loan to which you are entitled

Useful addresses

Student Housing

2nd floor
Nuffield Centre
St Michael's Road
Portsmouth

T: 02392 843 014
W: www.port.ac.uk/studentfinance

Portsmouth City Council

Portsmouth City Council
Revenues and Benefit
Benefits Service
Civic Offices
Portsmouth PO1 2BD

T: 02392 822 251
E: HBSupportTeam@portsmouthcc.gov.uk
W: www.portsmouth.gov.uk/living/benefits-and-council-tax.html

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