A comedian says government officials have been hounding her over a £10,000 council tax bill she actually doesn’t owe.
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During a July episode of her Telling Everybody Everything, Katherine Ryan spoke about how she was paying the council tax bill for the tenants of a London flat she owns. She has been renting out the loft since October 2023.
Ryan explained that she paid the bill voluntarily as a gesture of goodwill for the loft renters. However, the comedian was shocked to find out that the Haringey Council believed she still lived in the flat and classed the property as a second home, and hiked her council tax bill by 200%
“We pay the council tax because we want to make it seamless for everyone,” she explained on the podcast. “But we don’t live there.”
The comedian attempted to resolve the tax bill error but stated no one replied to her four emails. “I called and was on hold for 40 minutes,” she continued. “Then they just sent me back to the switchboard.”
Katherine Ryan Went to the Council Office to Resolve the Tax Bill Issue
She decided to go to the council’s Wood Green office to settle the situation. “I finally spoke to a woman, who said, ‘Oh yeah, we didn’t receive any of your letters.”
The comedian was then told by the office that, legally, landlords are not required to pay the council tax bill as long as the property is rented out. The only issue would be if the property is classed as a House in Multiple Occupation (HMO).
Due to the renter’s agreement not being officially logged, the council mistakenly billed the comedian and added the second-home premium.
“She goes, ‘We can’t go after you for council tax because you don’t live there,'” the comedian recounted the conversation. “And I was like, ‘Well, apparently you can – I’ve paid you ten grand and you’ve sent bailiffs to my house. Twice.”
Although she was able to apply for a refund, the council office said it would send her tenants a backdated bill for the entire paying period.
“I was like, ‘What?! You’re going to send my tenants a bill for ten grand dating back two years?’ Ryan recalled. “She’s like, ‘Yep… Sometimes this causes problems – tell them not to freak out.”
Ryan asked to have the credit be transferred, but was told the tenants were “just going to get a big bill.”
“Luckily, I’m in contact with the tenants,” she noted. “They trust me… But the bureaucracy! What if English wasn’t my first language?”
She went on to add, “Navigating all of this, there’s got to be a better way.”