Paying Council Tax on a pile of bricks.

rizla01

At what stage is a building NOT liable for council tax?

I own a dilapidated property, uninhabitable and empty for the last 35 years.

Purchased from the Highways dept 15 Mths ago.

TWICE put in proposals for development of the site and TWICE local council deny having recieved them/lost them. :mad: :mad:

Finally, by hand AND recorded delivery plans now submitted to rebuild on the site and demolish existing. (awaiting decision)

Can't demolish yet as the new prop volume is reliant on existing prop dimensions.

Recieved a demand from the local council to pay approx £1,000 par annum for Council Tax.:mad: :mad: (I have apparantly enjoyed 12 Mths exemption)

...I bet the Highways Authority never paid CT on it!!!!

And, of course, the longer the Council take to give me permissions to go ahead the more CT I have to pay them.

The existing has NO roof, NO windows, Rotten floors, Huge cracks in walls and NO services. And I am being asked to pay the same as a householder that has a fully functioning house, with all mod cons.

silvercar

once you knock it down it will be removed from the register. On rebuild it will be revalued and added to the register. Between times there will be no tax to pay.

rizla01

So there is no other way that this wreck can be exempt from CT?

clutton_2

i think you get some free months if it is uninhabitable - it used to be a year, whether it still is i am not sure. Why not take extensive photographs and then knock it down whilst waiting for permissions. someone local to me has done exactly that.

Doozergirl

If the house is totally uninhabitable you can get exemption on these grounds too, not just the fact the it is empty.

It is likely in these circumstances that a council officer might want to come out and view the property, but they basically give you a review date ie. 1 year from the day they see it. I think you can then extend it further, but I've not needed to. From the sound of it, I can't see how they can even begin to contemplate it being habitable, unless small wild animals need to pay council tax?!

rizla01

Recieved a demand from the local council to pay approx £1,000 par annum for Council Tax.:mad: :mad: (I have apparantly enjoyed 12 Mths exemption)

Nope. 12 months exemption (Total) AFAIK is all they give for each owner.

That has already expired!

Knocking it down and relying on photos is a chancy option with a Council like mine.

anniecave

So you owe some money as it's more than 12 months.
But if say next month they decide you can knock it down and start again, and you immediately start on that process does that then mean you wouldnt have to pay for the tax for the period while it's being rebuilt?
In other words, does the 12 months apply per property or per owner per piece of land ?

rizla01

AFAIK no CT is payable on the new build till it is 'Signed off'.

My only consolation is that, going back a few years, you paid tax(Rates) on the land and that this situation would'nt be an issue.

clutton_2

you can also apply for "single person discount" - so you would only have to pay 75% - small consolation i know

prudryden

Perhaps you can have the property condemmed. Then it would be against the law to live in it which would then qualify for:

Class G Exemption of Council Tax
"Properties that are left empty because it is against the law to live in them."

Make for an interesting legal case. The council might actually lose that one.

prudryden

Accidently, while cleaning out some old papers that were beyond the 6 yr holding period, I ran across an old Council Tax Bill and Instalment Booklet dated 2001-2002. Under the heading of EXEMPT PROPERTY CLASSES, Class G reads as follows: "properties unfit for living in where occupation is prohibited by law."
It looks as though they have changed the wording in order to close the loophole somewhat.