Revealed: List of Dundee addresses where most council tax is owed

One property in the city is in more than £30,000 of debt.

By Andrew Robson

January 8 2024, 6:00am

Some addresses in Dundee owe tens of thousands of pounds in council tax. Image: DC Thomson/Shutterstock

Some addresses in Dundee owe tens of thousands of pounds in council tax, it has been revealed.

The tenants of one property in the city have racked up council tax debts of more than £30,000 alone.

A Freedom of Information request from The Courier has also revealed the top 20 postcode areas where residents collectively owe the most council tax to the local authority.

Only the first five digits of each postcode are revealed in the data to protect the identities of individuals.

Five individual Dundee addresses in most council tax debt

The highest amount owed by tenants of a single property in the city is £30,879.05.

The property is in the DD1 3D* postcode area, which includes parts of the city centre and City Quay.

The top five amounts owed by individual addresses in Dundee are:

DD1 3D* (city centre/City Quay) – £30,879.05
DD4 0L* (Whitfield) – £25,838.31
DD4 7G* (West Ferry/Gardyne/Mayfield Grove) – £25,146.00
DD5 3B* (Broughty Ferry) – £24,368.88
DD4 7H* (Baxter Park/Craigiebank) – £23,388.08

List of top 20 postcodes where most council tax collectively owed

Meanwhile, residents in the DD2 3E* postcode area – which covers parts of west Lochee and Dryburgh – owe the most council tax collectively, at £174,402.25

The full list of postcode areas that collectively owe the most council tax is as follows:

DD2 3E* (Lochee/Dryburgh) – £174,402.25
DD4 9Q* (Fintry) – £146,932.74
DD4 0H* (Whitfield) – £141,588.52
DD4 8P* (Douglas) – £126,441.29
DD4 9E* (Fintry) – £123,487.50
DD2 3E* (Lochee/Dryburgh) – £111,300.61

Dunbar Park, Whitfield in Dundee — Dunbar Park in the Whitfield area of the city. Image: Google Street View

DD2 3G* (Beechwood/Ardler) – £107,769.43
DD4 9Q* (Fintry) – £102,557.67
DD4 7G* (West Ferry/Gardyne/Mayfield Grove) – £101,369.73
DD3 6H* (Dudhope/Law) – £101,077.80
DD2 3S* (Ardler) – £99,840.49
DD2 3H* (Lochee/Dryburgh/Ardler) – £99,040.17
DD3 6Q* (Coldside/Law) – £98,294.44
DD4 8Q* (Douglas) – £96,689.58

Balunie Avenue falls under the DD4 8Q* postcode area. Image: Mhairi Edwards/DCThomson

DD4 0X* (Whitfield) – £95,968.86
DD3 0E* (Kirkton) – £94,075.20
DD4 8J* (Mid Craigie) – £92,950.53
DD3 6P* (Hilltown/Coldside) – £92,696.84
DD2 3G* (Beechwood/Ardler) – £92,162.54
DD3 8A* (Hilltown/Clepington) – £92,154.27

Council tax makes up nearly a fifth of the local authority’s income and is used to help run various services.

Some residents are entitled to discounts on what they pay.

It was revealed during December’s Scottish Government budget that councils will be given cash to allow them to put a council tax freeze in place for 2024/25.

What happens if you end up in council tax debt?

Dundee City Council says it offers a range of ways to catch up on council tax debt, such as repayment plans, maximisation of income and independent money advice.

However, the local authority can take the following steps if the money is not paid:

If a person misses an instalment, a reminder is issued. A reminder may also be issued if payment is made later than the date detailed on that person’s bill.
If payment is brought up to date after the first reminder, but subsequent instalments are defaulted upon, then a second reminder is issued.
If payments are not brought up to date after the first or second reminder, or when an account falls into arrears for the third time, the council will apply to the sheriff court for a summary warrant. This move – which incurs a cost of 10% of the outstanding balance – allows the council to take certain methods of recovering the cash, such as arresting wages or bank accounts. Sheriff officers may also be used to collect the money.