A house in London (Greenwich) lived in only by full-time students pays no council tax — but the exemption is not automatic, and it is not backdated indefinitely if you never claim it.
| All-student household | Fully exempt |
| How to claim | Greenwich splits this into separate online routes — one to apply for an exemption if only students live in your property, one for a discount if you are a student in a mixed household, and one for student halls of residence. |
| Evidence they want | The council's student page lists the application routes but does not say on that page what proof each one needs. |
| University sends your data directly | No — you must claim it yourself |
There is also a route for a property left empty because you are studying elsewhere, which is the case most students do not know exists. The page is a menu of forms rather than a description, so the evidence each form asks for could not be read without starting an application. Band D is null because the council's charges page returned 404 on every path tried.
The councils nearest Royal Borough of Greenwich on the Band D charge — what the exemption is worth where you might have gone instead. The full table has every one.
| City | Council | Band D |
|---|---|---|
| Liverpool | Liverpool City Council | £2,674 |
| Oxford | Oxford City Council | £2,676 |
| Bristol | Bristol City Council | £2,714 |
| Nottingham | Nottingham City Council | £2,755 |
| Aberdeen | Aberdeen City Council | — |
| Belfast | Belfast City Council | — |
| Chester | Cheshire West and Chester Council | — |
| London (Greenwich) | Royal Borough of Greenwich | — |
| London (Hillingdon) | London Borough of Hillingdon | — |
| London (Islington) | Islington Council | — |
| London (Tower Hamlets) | Tower Hamlets Council | — |
No, not if every adult in the property is a full-time student — the household is exempt. The exemption has to be claimed; it does not apply itself just because you are a student.
Greenwich splits this into separate online routes — one to apply for an exemption if only students live in your property, one for a discount if you are a student in a mixed household, and one for student halls of residence.
The council's student page lists the application routes but does not say on that page what proof each one needs.
Checked 19 August 2026 against royalgreenwich.gov.uk. Councils change their forms and evidence rules; the council's own page is the authority when you claim.
Processes checked 19 August 2026 against each council's own pages. This is information, not advice, and the council's page is the authority when you claim.