Council Tax

A question about : Council Tax

I started a new job in Durham some while back and have been renting a property here. The agents advised the council of the change of let and I'd assumed that they had told them that the property was rented as a single occupancy, they say that was communicated. I'd assumed that I was levied a 25% discount, I'd neglected to check until a couple of months back and so contacted the council.

I have a mortgage on a property in Sheffield where I pay council tax (with my partner). That was my primary home until recently, a complete move to the North East is still to be decided. I work full time in Durham so over the course of a month I'll only be absent from Durham 4 to 5 days.

When I contacted the council they asked for some information and I was open and honest (facts as above) to which the response was that I wasn't eligible for any discount as this is a second home. When I explained I spend the vast majority of my time in Durham, it's my place of work, then I was offered the chance to provide some details of my circumstances although it was unlikely to make any difference to the claim.

I've received a couple of forms, separately posted; one relating to second homes & empty furnished properties and another a sole or main residence questionnaire.

Can anyone please advise my best course of action? The options which I don't fully understand or where I fit:
Single person discount - Council say I'm not eligible because this is my 2nd home?
Accommodation provided as part of my job - it isn't, it's chosen and funded personally so pretty sure this isn't eligible
Sole or main residence - I'm not sure how this is relevant but I assume it relates to option 1 in relation to proving to the council that this is a second home. It's actually my main residence
Also I've been asked whether the property is furnished or unfurnished, does anyone know the implications? It was listed as unfurnished which is strictly true; one table and broken washing machine which the landlord is inclined to repair.

Any help and guidance in best saving would be much appreciated.

Best answers:

• 1 & 3)
  That's correct - it's not your 'sole or main residence' if it's only occupied so you can live away from another property for the purposes of employment. At the moment all the evidence would point towards Sheffield being your main home.
  2)
  If it's contractually required for you to live where you do (provided by the company or not) you can look at claiming a discount for a job related dwelling.
• Thanks for the response, much appreciated.
  From reading the sole or main residence questionnaire my situation isn't a complete fit one way or another.
  I'm contractually obliged to work from the Durham Office but it doesn't actually state I need to live in Durham itself. I couldn't reasonably commute from Sheffield and part of the reason for taking the job was with a view to move to the North East.
  I'll complete the forms, I guess I can only fill them in and see what response I get back from the council but any sort of discount sounds unlikely. I wish I'd researched this instead of assuming a 25% discount, renting a room/sharing accommodation seems to be a more sensible/cost effective way forward.
• I would say that you wouldn't qualify for either but always try as some local authorities are occasionally make decisions on the generous side.