I haven’t done a ‘night out’ in years and am quite happy not doing so, but I keep thinking about all the trampers on here. If you spend 4 or 5 nights out in the truck then do you have to pay Council Tax, are you classed as living at home when you are not there 80% of the week ? Also, if you did live in a truck then how would that work with the DVLA and what address would be on your license ? Surely if it’s illegal to withold the fact that you have changed your address then you have to put something down, how do you go on if you are tramping all over the EU ?!!?!■■! Thanks
Yes, you do have to pay council tax if you are only there for a few days a week.
Some property is exempt from council tax altogether. It may be exempt for only a short period, for example, six months, or indefinitely.
Properties which may be exempt include:
property which is empty. This means it has to be unoccupied. The property also has to be substantially unfurnished. The exemption applies for a maximum of six months and the property has to be vacant for the whole of this period (although up to six weeks of occupation during the period is allowed)
property which is vacant because it needs major repairs or alterations to make it habitable. The exemption applies for a maximum of 12 months whether the work is actually finished or not by then
condemned property
property which has been legally re-possessed by a mortgage lender
property unoccupied because the person who lived there now lives elsewhere because they need to be cared for, for example, in hospital, in a care home or with relatives
property which is unoccupied because the person who lived there has gone to care for someone else
any property that only students or Foreign Language Assistants on the official British Council programme live in. This may be a hall of residence, or a house. If the property is occupied by both students and non-students the property is not exempt but any students in the house are disregarded
a caravan or boat which is used as a main residence but which is unoccupied. This exemption lasts for up to six months. A holiday caravan or boat is exempt if it’s on a property where council tax is paid
a property where all the people who live in it are aged under 18
property which is occupied only by people with severe mental impairment
a self-contained ‘granny flat’ where the person who lives in it is a dependent relative of the owner of the main property.
If you lived in the truck you would still need a bona fide UK address to which mail could be sent, however there would be no requirement to spend a minimum amount of time there just so long as you were contactable there.
do they check to see the house is unlived in or do they know from the electricity and gas bills?
nedflanders:
do they check to see the house is unlived in or do they know from the electricity and gas bills?
They are known to make visits and carry out surveillance on houses where people are claiming Single Occupier Discount so I imagine they would check.
couldn’t i get away with the severe mental bit 
as you have too be slightly bonkers to live in a tin can all week 
wildfire:
couldn’t i get away with the severe mental bit
as you have too be slightly bonkers to live in a tin can all week
To be honest, although this may make me slightly bonkers too, I could quite happily live in a truck permanently, and I may well start doing that next year. When I worked for Kepstowe I was quite often away for a month, then had a day at home before setting off again, and owning a house was an enormous and unnecessary expense that just gave me one more thing to worry about while I was away.
Harry Monk:
wildfire:
couldn’t i get away with the severe mental bit
as you have too be slightly bonkers to live in a tin can all weekTo be honest, although this may make me slightly bonkers too, I could quite happily live in a truck permanently, and I may well start doing that next year. When I worked for Kepstowe I was quite often away for a month, then had a day at home before setting off again, and owning a house was an enormous and unnecessary expense that just gave me one more thing to worry about while I was away.
I have often thought of the benefits of living in a truck again, especially with all these special 19 quid travelodge deals, all you need is a short taxi ride to the launderette and a few spare socks
Living in a lorry? Saying it is one thing, doing it is another altogether, I’ve done it so can speak from experience and I have a much bigger cab than you can dream of facilities over here are also far better, well far more numerous anyway 
Parking isn’t a problem, most truckstops have a laundrette, I can download films and stream TV shows, go and do a bit of tourist stuff, have a few beers. As I said, my cab is big enough for living in, plenty of room to hang a big suitcase worth of clothes, room to store food and to cook, room to stretch out and relax, but it drove me mad, even getting a decent motel for the night or weekend wasn’t enough, you need a place to call home. I lasted two years before I rented a flat and although it was costing me a lot more, it was worth every penny.
I did it through choice, my family were still in the UK, I was sending a chunk of change over, so economics played a big part, I also didn’t want to waste money paying someone else’s mortgage, so I was very focused, but it got to me in the end, fortunately I only rented for 6months, by then the house sold in the UK and the gang came over and we bought a place out here, so ultimately the sacrifice was worth it, but to do it just because that’s where you spend most of your time, that’ll end up sending you bonkers, or more bonkers in Harry’s case
nedflanders:
do they check to see the house is unlived in or do they know from the electricity and gas bills?
Yes people do go to check, we have a house that we rent out and they came to check when we had no tenant in there (I was redecorating it at the time), they also checked on my nan’s house which was in probate after she passed away.
Well nearly 6 years later I’m still living in the truck full time. Newmercman is obviously a bit of a lightweight if he can only hack two in a truck twice the size of mine!
When I first moved into the truck the intention was to stay in a decent hotel every now and again but you know what all these years later I haven’t even done that once.
As for address I just use my parents.
If you are single it does seem a waste having a house or flat that you are only in on weekends or less.
Just be careful Harry 'cos if your away from your house for more than 30 days your insurance may be invalid.
Thats the problem kr specially with london prices
switchlogic:
Well nearly 6 years later I’m still living in the truck full time. Newmercman is obviously a bit of a lightweight if he can only hack two in a truck twice the size of mine!When I first moved into the truck the intention was to stay in a decent hotel every now and again but you know what all these years later I haven’t even done that once.
As for address I just use my parents.
but luke, you are ever so slightly bonkers! my wife is also very concerned that you were actually buy a gun to shoot the pheasants!
I’ll be shooting more than just pheasants…
newmercman:
Living in a lorry? Saying it is one thing, doing it is another altogether, I’ve done it so can speak from experience.So ultimately the sacrifice was worth it, but to do it just because that’s where you spend most of your time, that’ll end up sending you bonkers, or more bonkers in Harry’s case
Me too, how about 11 months in a Mercedes 1213 rigid with a drawbar trailer, no high cabs or creature comforts, in the depot I had a TV and a microwave I did cheat at christmas, I went for lunch at a lesbians house and stayed there for another 12 months when I was “home”
How about 5 years in an MAN 20321 and a stint in a 332? Not totally living in it, I used to go back with a big bag of washing for my mother, my wardrobe came from TTZ or BP Truckstops and when in the UK spent my ill-gotten gains in the pub and generally stayed on a friends sofa or on the pub floor while the lorry was being serviced 
As for Bonkers, well that bit did happen, but the pills are helping. I should be pill free by January 31st
I just don’t know how switchlogic does it, the organisation it must take must be something. Just think of the rent he has saved i bet he is ■■■■■■■ loaded man!
Wheel Nut:
Harry Monk:
wildfire:
couldn’t i get away with the severe mental bit
as you have too be slightly bonkers to live in a tin can all weekTo be honest, although this may make me slightly bonkers too, I could quite happily live in a truck permanently, and I may well start doing that next year. When I worked for Kepstowe I was quite often away for a month, then had a day at home before setting off again, and owning a house was an enormous and unnecessary expense that just gave me one more thing to worry about while I was away.
I have often thought of the benefits of living in a truck again, especially with all these special 19 quid travelodge deals, all you need is a short taxi ride to the launderette and a few spare socks
I think if I got booted out I could quite happily live in my current truck full time.
I would even fix it with work to get weekended at some of our more far flung customers for a change of scene now and again.
One thing I would do is increase my ISA to match what I would of been paying in rent.
All I would need would be a WiFi connection to play battlefield and space in the workshop for my scrambler and tools and I would be sorted…
W
merc0447:
I just don’t know how switchlogic does it, the organisation it must take must be something. Just think of the rent he has saved i bet he is [zb] loaded man!
I have a terrible spending habit so no I have no money, just a big overdraft.
As for organisation I suppose it’s something you get used to. I spent several years before I drive trucks on coaches living out of a suitcase and loved so the decision to live in a lorry wasn’t a hard one. The truck is just a big suitcase!
AlexWignall:
All I would need would be a WiFi connection
You know i love it when you park for a break maybe there is a row of houses boom your wifi comes on the phone one of those houses doesn’t have it password protected, yessss. 