empty property

kandg

I have also posted this in the insurance section please move it if necessary

I have been letting my property out for 3 years and we have decided to sell it as we are now living overseas. The EA say I will still need to pay c/tax - is this standard or should I contact the Council - there is no furniture in it at all

I also want to buy insurance. It is an apartment within an old mill complex, building insurance is included in my maintenance payment but I think I will need cover just in case anything goes wrong in my apartment even though it is very secure - can anyone recommend a company?

I don't think my property will sell quickly, I am thinking a year plus so any advice is welcome

ellie27

You should be able to find out from the council website the exemptions from Council tax.

In Glasgow you are exempt from council tax for up to 6 months if the property is unfurnished.

Ours is that at the moment and we are exempt.

agrinnall

You need to contact the council to see if they offer any discount for empty properties, although it's unlikely that they will these days.

https://www.gov.uk/council-tax/second-homes-and-empty-properties

If the property is empty I don't see why you would need any more than the buildings insurance you are already paying for, although I would check that it does provide cover when it's unoccupied.

m_13

In some areas you get three or six months exemption or discount for council tax. After that you pay the standard rate. In Shepway where we live there's no period of exemption and once a property has been empty for 24 months they add a premium of 50% on top to encourage it back into use.

AlexMac

kandg wrote: »

...we are now living overseas. The EA say I will still need to pay c/tax - is this standard or should I contact the Council - there is no furniture in it at all

I also want to buy insurance.... even though it is very secure - can anyone recommend a company?

I don't think my property will sell quickly, I am thinking a year plus so any advice is welcome

As others say, CT exemption varies; my council gives only 3 months off for 'vacant unfurnished' (the magic phrase), although 25% discount for single occupancy seems common nation-wide...

but... if your point is that you are not presently paying, and as presumably the Council don't know who you are or they's be chasing you through the Courts, are you leading with your chin in terms of past years ....??? (not that I support tax evasion for non-doms!)

And given that Insurers aklways ask me questions about whether a property is vacant for more than 30 days (and will presumably load premiums if its is) why waste cash insuring the contents of an unfurnished flat? From what I was reading over the weekend, insyrance companies will wriggle out of any claim if (as seems likely) you give keys to agents, cleaners, etc, and the wallpaper (or fitted kitchen) goes absent on their watch?

benjus

agrinnall wrote: »

If the property is empty I don't see why you would need any more than the buildings insurance you are already paying for, although I would check that it does provide cover when it's unoccupied.

AFAIK most insurance policies don't cover unoccupied properties, with the exception of properties that are normally occupied but left unoccupied temporarily (e.g. while the occupants are on holiday).

When I was in a similar situation I used http://www.insuremyproperty.co.uk/ . Towergate is another option, or try a broker. Be prepared to pay a fair bit more than a standard policy, and check the T&C carefully. You (or someone else on your behalf) will probably have to inspect the property every couple of weeks, and you may even have to drain the water/heating systems. It varies between policies.

agrinnall

benjus wrote: »

AFAIK most insurance policies don't cover unoccupied properties, with the exception of properties that are normally occupied but left unoccupied temporarily (e.g. while the occupants are on holiday).

I agree, I just wasn't sure whether the type of policy covering an apartment block might contain different terms to one for a single dwelling.

benjus

agrinnall wrote: »

I agree, I just wasn't sure whether the type of policy covering an apartment block might contain different terms to one for a single dwelling.

Sorry, you're right... I misread the OP. I would have thought the same.

agrinnall

benjus wrote: »

Sorry, you're right... I misread the OP. I would have thought the same.

The OP has also posted on the insurance board and InsideInsurance has raised the same questions there.

Argghhh

my council said if it was unhabitable - ie no toilet facilities - it was exempt until there was as long as it was unfurnished. My brother just removed the toilet

m_13

Not sure when that was but lots of councils have removed this exemption too as they are now allow to set their own rules. In Shepway where I live all exemptions have been removed from 1st April 2014 and that includes uninhabitable properties (previously had 100% discount), empty properties (previously 100% discount for three months) and even second homes and holiday homes. Now everybody pays all of the time and if it's empty for 24 months, you pay more.