The document summarizes the process for canceling council tax for full-time students in the UK. It notes that households where everyone is a full-time student do not have to pay council tax, but the cancellation process can be complicated for international students unfamiliar with UK regulations. The proposed service would allow international students to log into an app or website using their university credentials to auto-fill exemption forms, reducing complications. Research through questionnaires and interviews found student interest in such a service to simplify council tax cancellation.

1. Research in
Cancel Council Tax

2. process
Star
t
Define
problem
Formulate a
hypothesis
Select a
research
design
Carry out
the
research
Analysis
data
Key
finding
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3. Background
Households where everyone’s a full-time student don’t have to pay Council Tax. If
you do get a bill, you can apply for an exemption.
To count as a full-time student, your course must:
• last at least 1 year
• involve at least 21 hours study per week
If you study for a qualification up to A level and you’re under 20, your course
must:
• last at least 3 months
• involve at least 12 hours study per week
You’ll get a Council Tax bill if there’s someone in your household who’s not a full-
time student, but your household might still qualify for a discount.
Reference: https://www.gov.uk/council-tax/discounts-for-full-time-students

4. According to the UK government, households where everyone’s a full-
time student don’t have to pay Council Tax. But you will still get a council
tax bill and you need to provided certain documents to cancel it , the
cancel process is very complicate and international students are not
familiar with the regulation. Base on the questionnaire we have done
before, most of the landlord are not willing to give them a hand. Lots of the
international students are confused on how to cancel council tax, and
that’s the reason why we would like to provide this service.
Define problem1

5. Idea :Cancel Council Tax
Target Customer: International student
We would like to collaborate with the university in
this service, students just need to use their university
account to log in the app/website to autofill the
information of the council tax exemption
form(students will complete their personal
information when they enroll), they just need to fulfill
the rest of the information such as council account
number, roommates’ information...

6. Questionnaire
Formulate a hypothesis2
• What kind of rogue landlord you have met before?
[Multiple choices]
• If you can choose, which three services you will
choose in this app/ website? [Multiple choices]

7. Interview
• Do you think it is very complicate to cancel council
tax by yourself?
• It took how many days to you in cancel council tax?
• If there have an app/a website to help you cancel
council tax, will you want to try?

8. Select a research
design3
Secondary data
Interview
Primary data
Questionnaire

9. Based on the question 2 in questionnaire,
What kind of rogue landlord you have met before? [Multiple
choices]
Questionnaire

10. We have listed three main situations that international student
would normally met and we found that most of the students think that
the landlord they have met were “low efficiency to fix the broken
equipment”, the other serious issue was the rogue landlord has
deduct the deposit not reasonable. What’s more, their attitude also
bad.
• Based on the above results, we also have the other question to got
further research data.
Q5. If you can choose, which three services you will choose in this
app/website?[multiple choices]
Top 1 Use this app/website as a platform to keep deposit 70
Top2 Cancel council tax 47
Top3 Finding roommates 45
Top4 Second hand recycling centre 31

11. Ref: https://www.gov.uk/tenancy-deposit-protection/overview
Tenancy deposit protection
• Your landlord must put your deposit in a government-backed
tenancy deposit scheme (TDP) if you rent your home on an
assured shorthold tenancy that started after 6 April 2007.
At the end of your tenancy
• Your landlord must return your deposit within 10 days of you
both agreeing how much you’ll get back.
• If you’re in a dispute with your landlord, then your deposit will be
protected in the TDP scheme until the issue is sorted out.
Controversy
Using this app/website as a platform to keep
deposit

12. Holding deposits
Your landlord doesn’t have to protect a holding deposit (money you
pay to ‘hold’ a property before an agreement is signed). Once you
become a tenant, the holding deposit becomes a deposit, which
they must protect.
Deposits made by a third party
Your landlord must use a TDP scheme even if your deposit is paid
by someone else, eg: a rent deposit scheme or your parents.
Ref: https://www.gov.uk/tenancy-deposit-protection/overview
Controversy
Using this app/website as a platform to keep
deposit

13. Information landlords must give tenants
Once your landlord has received your deposit, they have 30 days to
tell you:
• the address of the rented property
• how much deposit you’ve paid
• how the deposit is protected
• the name and contact details of the tenancy deposit protection
(TDP) scheme and its dispute resolution service
• their (or the letting agency’s) name and contact details
• the name and contact details of any third party that’s paid the
deposit
• why they would keep some or all of the deposit
• how to apply to get the deposit back
• what to do if you can’t get hold of the landlord at the end of theRef: https://www.gov.uk/tenancy-deposit-protection/overview
Controversy
Using this app/website as a platform to keep
deposit

14. Solution
This service is conflict to the law because there already have a
platform to keep tenants’ deposit. The core problem is that lots of
the international students are not familiar with the law in the UK
and do not know TDP scheme( normally most of the landlord will
conceal TDP scheme), this made the agency and landlord get a
chance to deduct the deposit. But we can’t have this kind of
service after we had meeting with our client Caitlin from Citizens
UK, she has pointed out that this issue should be taken seriously
and they will focus on this issue later.

15. Focus on Cancel Council Tax
Interviewee 1
Mark Rao, male
He has been study in the UK for 7 years
• He thought that the process of cancel agenda tax is quite
complicate and this may spend him lots f time.
• He tried to ignored the council tax bill but the council keep
sending him letter.
• He was quite interested in this service and he would like to use
this app/website if there have cancel council tax service.

16. Focus on Cancel Council Tax
Interviewee 2
Julia Yang, female
She has been study in the UK for 7 years
• The council was too slow to reply their application, this made
her without patient.
• She was under 18 when she first rent house in the UK but still
receive the council tax bill, she thought this wasn‘t make sense.
• She found that the information given is not the same form
different council from different parts of London, and the
information were ambiguous.
• She thought this service in app/website can help international
students save their money and time.

17. Focus on Cancel Council Tax
Interviewee 3
Han Zheng, male
This is the 1st year he study in the UK
• First time rent a flat in the UK and know nothing about council
tax.
• He has spent one and half month to cancel council tax this year
and thought this was low efficiency.
• The student letter he has provided was missing the home
address, the council has dismiss his application and he must
spent more time to solve this problem.
• He thought that this service should be very useful and he would
like to try it.

18. Carry out the research4
International students in the UK
Ref: http://institutions.ukcisa.org.uk//Info-for-universities-colleges--schools/Policy-
research--statistics/Research--statistics/International-students-in-UK-HE/
According to the data from UKCISA, through 2012-2016
there have more and more international student came to
study in the UK. This service will be able to help more
international students

19. The same type of product
App/website that collaborate with University
Blackboard mobile learn Google

20. The same type of product
Example:
Google - Loughborough University

22. Loughborough University’s students can use their
university username and password to log in
Google, it is very convenient to student especially
in calendar because they can see their lesson
timetable and also can add the events to arrange
their free time, this help them well organize their
schedule.

23. Analysis data5
47%
In the primary data research, we
found that 47% of the interviewees
were interested in the service
Cancel Council Tax
In the secondary data research, I have
interviewed 3 students in
Loughborough University London and
all of them thought this service is
helpful to them and save their time.

24. Feasibility of the service
Base on the research we have done, we think the
service Cancel Council Tax do make sense and it
can effectively help international students.

25. Relation Chart
Collaborate
with the
university
Customer
service team
Council
Key finding6

26. While tenants move into a new house/flat, they will receive
a letter call council tax bill.
Customer Journey Map
Council Tax Bill

27. ✘ Choose university name
✘ Use university username and
password to log in the service account.
✘ This app/website will automatically fill
your personal information which you
provided to the university.
Customer Journey Map
Cancel council
tax
University
Username
Password
Log in

28. Customer Journey Map
Council Tax
Exemption Form
Christy Li
Flat 405
XX Building, London
E00 1XX
ABC123456789
REF9876543
Account no
Reference no
Name and address
Sign
16-03-2017
Date
07480123456
Telephone no
123abc@gail.com
Email address
The qualifying criteria for a full time student are:
a. Undertaking a single course of higher or further education at a prescribed
educational establishment lasting for at least one academic or calendar year.
b. Undertaking study, tuition or work experience for periods of at least 24 weeks
in each academic or calendar year.
c. Undertaking periods of study, tuition or work experience which together
amount in each such academic or calendar year to an average of at eat 21 hours
a week***
✘ After log in their university
account, students can
fulfill some information
that university doesn’t
know then click auto
generate council tax
exemption

29. ✘ Upload this form and this app will apply student letter
automatically, university will send the student letter
directly to customer service team.
Customer
service team
University
Student
letter
Customer Journey Map

30. Customer
service team
✘ The customer service team will double check all
information and send them to the council.
Customer Journey Map
Council
Double check

31. Customer Journey Map
Council
Cancel successful
This service guarantee to
help you cancel council tax
successful in an easy, fast
way. Customers just need to
do it online and it can save
more time.