Yeah it's the same for all councils.

Currently I pay nothing but when my bloke moves in, we will have to pay 75%, around 800 quid I think (maybe more).

I'd rather pay nothing and he can live with his parents.

ours cost a lot too. It is 75% of £1187. Daylight robbery, considering we get appalling service from the council.

Ours is about the same, but I make my boyfriend pay it.

i live with a friend (who is a PhD student) I work, so have to pay the 75% of full amount (about £600) as my wage is considerably more than PhD studentship i don't mind paying this myself, but wish i'd consideredd it when deciding to get a flat with her.... i'd be a lot better off if living with other workers.

The whole system is so flawed, mainly because it's assessed on the value of the property you live in, rather than the annual income you actually generate. I am currently corresponding with my MP about it. Here's a comparison for you..

One of my non student friends (Friend A) earns 19K a year in a call centre job, lives on her own, pays 75% council tax as a single person.

Another friend (Friend B) is a full time research associate at my old uni. She earns roughly 25K p.a. RAs are simulataneously registered for PhDs (their research counts towards a PhD provided their sponsor/department agrees to this) and this is the case for B. Therefore in the eyes of the uni she is concurrently registered as a full time PhD student, despite being a salaried member of research staff. And as she has the full time student status alongside her job, she's exempt from council tax, despite earning 6k more than Friend A.

Slightly unfair, isn't it?

I think paying the council tax bill is still less than paying the fines and backdated council tax... Oh not to mention keeping a clean CRB for anyone requiring one for research purposes...!!

As for there being a minimal chance of being caught, well thats just not the case, as councils work with public funds, not large amounts from the govt. meaning they are stricter at looking and checking information, this means any discrepancies or "odd" looking family circumstances will be checked more thorougly.

As a student with children, with the eldest in work, I have had a visit from the nice council man called Sid, for the past 3 years, just checking my circumstances! So if you are going to be fraudulant do it with one eye over your shoulder, cos chances are your days doing it are numbered!