Selling unoccupied flat - 90% council tax

chrisll

Hi Me and my ex partner are selling out house and flat. We both live in the house (Cambridge) and our flat (Bristol) is unoccupied whilst trying to sell.

We contacted Bristol council and they tell us we have to pay 90% of the tax, is this right?

If we lived in 1 property each then we would save 25% on each properties council tax. I assume saying we are doing that when we aren't is not allowed?

Just seems unfair that you have to pay more tax if no one is in the property than if there is someone there

Hedgehog99

Evil, isn't it. Cash-strapped councils are changing the CT Ts&Cs. It should only be used to stop investors sitting on empty properties while their value rises, but instead, its clobbering innocent people in your situation who are waiting to sell (i.e. doing the right thing by not leaving it empty).

One of you would have to be on the electoral roll & have it as your registered address for receiving mail in order to claim the single person discount.

Even that is mean because half of CT is for the property itself, so the single person only saves 25% instead of 50%.

chrisll

Hedgehog99 wrote: »

Evil, isn't it. Cash-strapped councils are changing the CT Ts&Cs. It should only be used to stop investors sitting on empty properties while their value rises, but instead, its clobbering innocent people in your situation who are waiting to sell (i.e. doing the right thing by not leaving it empty).

One of you would have to be on the electoral roll & have it as your registered address for receiving mail in order to claim the single person discount.

Even that is mean because half of CT is for the property itself, so the single person only saves 25% instead of 50%.

Thanks for the reply. Yea it seems really unfair as we only rented the property for a year because we couldn't afford to sell whilst moving.

So if I changed my electoral address to the flat and had all my mail sent there would that be sufficient or would I be taking "advantage" of the system.

I'm guessing I'll just have to deal with it.

Yorkie1

chrisll wrote: »

Thanks for the reply. Yea it seems really unfair as we only rented the property for a year because we couldn't afford to sell whilst moving.

So if I changed my electoral address to the flat and had all my mail sent there would that be sufficient or would I be taking "advantage" of the system.

I'm guessing I'll just have to deal with it.

No, you'd actually have to be living there.

agrinnall

You can put the blame on Mr Pickles (and possibly his predecessors), it used to be that you could get a much bigger discount for an unoccupied property, even if it was only for a limited time, but due to the cuts in council funding from central government they have to squeeze more from CT payers, and this is one of the ways they do it.

Hasbeen

chrisll wrote: »

Hi Me and my ex partner are selling out house and flat. We both live in the house (Cambridge) and our flat (Bristol) is unoccupied whilst trying to sell.

We contacted Bristol council and they tell us we have to pay 90% of the tax, is this right?

If we lived in 1 property each then we would save 25% on each properties council tax. I assume saying we are doing that when we aren't is not allowed?

Just seems unfair that you have to pay more tax if no one is in the property than if there is someone there

You both have to stay somewhere, one in one place one in the other. Some people in similar situations notify both councils as single occupant.:)


It is wide spread The councils and government appear to be happy as it cuts down criticism of empty houses etc


Where we are council tax for empty houses is 200%


Solution is no empty houses!!! Not as all appear to have single person staying there behind the closed blinds!!!LOL!!!

CIS

Where we are council tax for empty houses is 200%

The charge can only be a maximum of 150% under the revised legislation.

cc120

Could you rent it out?

getmore4less

Why not go one stage further and "move" student in.