Council Tax on empty property

mchale

Check, but if you remove toilet house is classed as uninhabitable and you can get a 12 month exemption in some areas, dont know if they have all closed that loophole.

Wyndham

chipmunk wrote: »

Thanks for your replies.

Wyndham, there didn't used to be but the councils got wise to the loss of revenue so they do now !

Milliemoodle, thanks we are paying monthly. I was just having a rant about the amount we have to pay for nothing in return :mad:

ETA, it's even more of a sting 'cos when Mum was alive, she only paid 75% council tax under single occupancy

Ah! I didn't know that. See how much you learn on these boards

poppysarah

chipmunk wrote: »

Started what? I just made a post about how I felt about council tax, I didn't post just to start an argument with you.

Perhaps you don't intend to sound belligerent but that's how your replies come across to me. Perhaps you're just having a bad day;)

Apologies if that's not your intention.

Nah it's almost certainly my intention to be as bad tempered and grumpy as I can today.

Oh wait, no, I just am having a bad week.

:beer:


Empty property issues
- council tax
- any energy bills. assume you have drained down the heating system though so it won't burst pipes this winter.
- alarm going off
- garden needs looking after
- harder to sell house not lived in.
- ubend drains dry out and start to smell
- burglary
- burglary of boiler/pipes
- squatters
- are neighbours happy with them having an empty house next door?
- relying on agent locking up properly after viewings (ok might not be a problem if no one is viewing)
- state of housing market generally imo prices going down.
- insurance - costs more on empty property.
- property drained down might put buyers off if they can't check services.

Unless you keep the place aired and maintained your propery will be harder to sell. The longer it's empty the worst it'll get.

poppysarah

mchale wrote: »

Check, but if you remove toilet house is classed as uninhabitable and you can get a 12 month exemption in some areas, dont know if they have all closed that loophole.

If you're trying to sell a house then removing the loo probably isn't a good idea.

mchale

poppysarah wrote: »

If you're trying to sell a house then removing the loo probably isn't a good idea.

You explain to prospective purchaser's the reason why its removed and it will be reinstated before completion, its not that hard to explain things to people

chipmunk

poppysarah wrote: »

Nah it's almost certainly my intention to be as bad tempered and grumpy as I can today./QUOTE]



Well good for you, I suppose some people are just like that

poppysarah wrote: »

Empty property issues
- council tax
- any energy bills. assume you have drained down the heating system though so it won't burst pipes this winter
- alarm going off
- garden needs looking after
- harder to sell house not lived in.
- ubend drains dry out and start to smell
- burglary
- burglary of boiler/pipes
- squatters
- are neighbours happy with them having an empty house next door?
- relying on agent locking up properly after viewings (ok might not be a problem if no one is viewing)
- state of housing market generally imo prices going down.
- insurance - costs more on empty property.
- property drained down might put buyers off if they can't check services.

Unless you keep the place aired and maintained your propery will be harder to sell. The longer it's empty the worst it'll get.[/QUOTE



Can't quite understand why you felt the need to make these points and not really sure why I feel the need to respond but we're not stupid and have not just left the house to fend for itself. I go around every day as I pass it on my way to work, the gardens are tended on a weekly basis, if not by one of us then by one of the neighbours. The house is aired, there are no energy bills, heating system not been drained but will be should the need arise (i.e. winter) no sewer smells as facilities are being used regularly, neighbours are a kindly bunch who can't do enough to help because they thought the world of my Mum as she did them.

The only points I think are relevant to our situation are the insurance cost and house prices although it was reported only yesterday that the average house price has risen by 0.2% in July (although still down on an annual basis) so fingers crossed.

China2

I believe you can get a discount on 2nd homes/holiday homes so you may be able to apply to the council that way to get the bill reduced?

JimmyTheWig

mchale wrote: »

Check, but if you remove toilet house is classed as uninhabitable and you can get a 12 month exemption in some areas, dont know if they have all closed that loophole.

This will knock more than £1k off any offers you receive, even if you tell them it will be reinstated.

bifold

poppysarah wrote: »

If you're trying to sell a house then removing the loo probably isn't a good idea.

But it would stop 'squatters':D

chipmunk

bifold wrote: »

But it would stop 'squatters':D

Ha ha:D That's good!