Council tax
Council tax when moving house
Moving house or moving out? Tell both councils the date you move: the one you’re leaving and the one you’re moving to, or just your council if you’re moving within it. Council tax is charged by the day, so you pay each home only for the days you’re liable for it, and anything you’ve overpaid is refunded or moved to your new account.
England only · Checked against GOV.UK on 23 October 2026 · Independent, not a government service
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Check a property freeHow to tell the council you’re moving
- Find both councils on GOV.UK’s Find your local council if you aren’t sure which one covers each address.
- Tell the council you’re leaving the date you move out, and where you’re going. Most councils have an online change of address form.
- Register with the council for your new home, giving the date you move in and the names of the other adults moving in with you. Renters are usually asked for the tenancy start date and the landlord’s or agent’s details.
- Moving within the same council? One form usually covers both addresses.
- Wait for the final bill for the old home and a new bill, with new instalments, for the new one. Check the dates on both.
There is no single GOV.UK form for this: you tell each council yourself. GOV.UK’s Tell Us Once is only for reporting a death. Councils ask you to tell them straight away; some set a limit, such as 21 days after you move.
When should I tell the council I’m moving?
As soon as you know the date, and before you move if you can. Councils ask you to tell them straight away, and some set a limit, such as 21 days after you move. Tell the council you’re leaving and the council for your new home, or just your own council if you’re moving within it. There’s no single form for both: each council has its own change of address form.
When do I start paying council tax after moving in?
From the day you become liable for the new home. For renters that is usually the tenancy start date, even if you move in a few days later. Once you register, the new council sends a bill for the rest of its year, to 31 March, split over the instalments left. You can ask to pay over 12 months rather than 10.
Do I pay council tax when I move out?
Only for the days you were liable. The law works out council tax on a daily basis, so your old council bills you up to the end of your liability there and your new council bills you from the start of it. You don’t pay a full month or a full year for either home. As a guide, the average Band D bill in England for 2026/27 is £2,392 a year, about £6.55 a day.
Which date counts: the day I move or my tenancy dates?
For renters, usually the tenancy dates. Councils’ own pages say the charge starts from the date your tenancy began and ends on the date it ends, or when you became responsible for the home if that is earlier. If your tenancy starts a week before you carry the boxes in, expect to pay from the tenancy start date.
What if I move out before my tenancy ends?
You may still be billed for the old home. Since 1 May 2026, the Renters’ Rights Act makes a tenant who rents a whole home on an assured tenancy liable while the tenancy is still running, even after they move out. North Northamptonshire Council says that if you give notice and leave before it runs out, you pay until the end of the notice period. If the landlord agrees to end the tenancy early, get that in writing: councils accept the tenancy agreement or a landlord’s letter as proof of the end date.
Will I get a council tax refund when I move?
If you’ve paid for days after your liability ended, yes. Moving within the same council, most councils move the credit to your new account to reduce what you owe there. Moving to a different council, the old council sends a final bill for the old home. GOV.UK says to contact the council if you’ve paid too much and haven’t had an automatic refund.
Who pays council tax between tenancies?
Once one tenancy has properly ended and nobody lives there, the landlord pays until the next tenancy starts. GOV.UK says the owner of an empty home usually pays council tax, and each council decides whether to give any discount, so the rules differ between councils. A home empty for a year or more can be charged extra, the empty homes premium.
Does my single person discount move with me?
No. Discounts are worked out for each home, and GOV.UK says you need to apply for a discount or exemption. If you’ll live alone at the new address, apply to the new council when you register. If you had the discount at the old home and are now sharing, tell the council so they can stop it: GOV.UK says you could be fined for keeping a discount you no longer qualify for.
Do students pay council tax when they move?
A home where everyone is a full-time student doesn’t pay council tax. If you get a bill, apply to the council for an exemption. If one person in the house isn’t a full-time student, the house gets a bill, though it may get a discount: 25% off if only one adult counts.
If you get a bill for the old place
- Check the end date on it. If it runs past your tenancy end date, tell the council the date the tenancy ended.
- Send proof: the tenancy agreement, or a letter or email from the landlord confirming the date it ended.
- If you left before the tenancy ended, the bill may be right. Check the notice you gave and when it ran out.
- Don’t ignore it. Councils can take action to recover unpaid council tax, so ask them to correct it in writing.
If you get Council Tax Reduction for a low income, it is claimed from each council: ask your new council about applying there.
Moving day checklist
- Find the start date of the new tenancy and the end date of the old one, in writing.
- Take meter readings with dated photos on the day you get the keys, and on your last day at the old home.
- Tell the old council the date you leave and your new address.
- Register with the new council, with the tenancy start date and the landlord’s or agent’s details.
- Set up a Direct Debit for the new account, or ask to pay in 12 instalments rather than 10.
- Apply for any discount at the new home, such as the single person discount or a student exemption.
- Check the final bill for the old home and chase any refund.
Work out the new bill before you sign with our council tax calculator, or look up the home’s band and what each band costs. The rest of the move is in our new tenancy checklist and which bills you pay when renting. Whether the bill is yours or the landlord’s is in who pays council tax when renting, and how to claim 25% off is in our single person discount guide.
Moving into a rented home? Before you sign, check the property free: its energy rating, flood risk, crime nearby and whether it needs a licence.
Where this comes from
GOV.UK’s council tax guide: Who has to pay, Discounts for full-time students, Second homes and empty properties and Paying your bill. The daily rule is section 2 of the Local Government Finance Act 1992, and tenants’ liability is section 28 of the Renters’ Rights Act 2025. GOV.UK has no page on moving, so the moving steps, dates and refunds come from councils’ own pages: Reigate and Banstead, Hertsmere, Hastings, Kensington and Chelsea, Elmbridge, North Northamptonshire, Royal Greenwich and Gosport. Your own council’s rules on discounts and empty homes may differ.
General information, not legal advice. RenterCheck is independent and not connected with any council or the government. Different rules apply in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.
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