Overlap between houses - double Council Tax?

Rafynglas

Hi,

My husband and I bought a house which is legally ours from 26/11/12. We are also in a rental contract on another house until 31/01/13, for which we have always paid the council tax.

I just wanted to check whether we do have to pay full council tax for both properties during the overlap?

We have completely vacated the rental house and are only living in the new house.

Any advice would be much appreciated.

Thanks

Red_dog_Sam

You will still be responsible for any council tax on the rental until the end of the tenancy.
But if the rental is now unoccupied you can claim an empty discount - somwhere between 10% and 50% depending on the empty discount rates set by the local authority.
If it is both unoccupied and unfurnished you can claim a class C exemption - which can last for up to 6 months covering you until the tenancy ends. Either way, contact the local authority and let them know when you moved out of the rented property and the tenancy end date to make sure your liability only runs up to that date.