Do I need to pay council tax when renting privately as a student?

If you are a student, you are normally exempt from paying council tax. However, you should check the eligibility of your household first. 

The amount payable depends on the value of the property, how many people live there and who the people are. For example:

• if you are a full-time student and you live with one other adult (18+) who is not a full-time student then 75% of the council tax is payable
• if you are a full-time student who lives with two or more adults who are not students, the 25% discount will not apply, and the full council tax charge will be made for the property.
• if you and all of the other adults living in the property are full time students no council tax is payable; if the house is not owned by the University you would need to obtain a “Confirmation of Registration” certificate which you can generate yourself from the Surrey Support 'University Letters' page. This can then be used to complete the exemption application on the Guildford County Council website. If you have any problem obtaining this certificate, please contact the MySurrey Hive team via Surrey Support.

If you need any other help, advice or guidance with council tax or your bills, please get in touch by raising an enquiry with our Student Union team via Surrey Support, selecting “Union Advice” as your enquiry topic. Or you can contact them by email.