Leaving property empty and moving abroad...what is council tax position?

de1amo

İ am contemplating moving abroad on a perm basis and leaving my home here empty...i know it makes no economical sense but i don't want to sell it and letting is fraught with pitfalls it seems...how do i approach the council tax exposure??(the mortgage will be cleared before people advise i can't)

Mojisola

Factor in the cost of trying to evict squatters as well!

de1amo

if they got into it they would have forced entry because it has a door man and 2 security doors between it and the street level.....i worry more about giving potential squatters the keys to my home with a rental agreement...

noh

You will be liable to pay council tax at a rate set by your particular council.
Look at their website or phone them to determine what you will need to pay.
There is no way out of it, it needs to be paid.
The most sensible thing to do is let your house out or sell but you already know that.

de1amo

thanks i got the details from the site you suggested......a reduction for the 1st 3 months...every bit helps then goes to full rate ....i go home in summer and wonder if that triggers another --1st 3 months for the following year??

PasturesNew

Investigate letting it out for holiday rentals, through an agency that'll do all the work for you.

Look on it more as a way of keeping it available to you, but watched and fixed.

I know somebody who went abroad and rents out their house like that - knowing it'll at least be covering its own bills and be in perfect nick when he wants to return to it.

elmer

The joy of a holday let as far as council tax is concerned is that its classed as non domestic rates, they are much cheaper than CT and if you own no other commercial properties are often given a 100% rebate under the Small Business Bonus scheme.

elmer

de1amo

İ let a property years ago as a holiday let and it was a good earner with few problems...thanks for reminding me... now to investigate whether for tax reasons i would be wise to clear the mortgage or convert to buy to let .......thanks