Can't afford council tax on inherited house

Sexyscorp66

I inherited my dad's house and after 6 months probate the council are now billing me £90 a month even though the house is empty-I don't live there.
I don't work due to illness and on benefits.Would I be able to claim a discount or exemption from council tax or because he left me the house woulld I not be eligible for any?-on the council website it states you aren't eligible if you have £16,000 or more in CAPITAL.Does that mean capital in the bank or does it include a house?

tomtontom

It includes the house. It is unlikely you'll get a discount on a property you do not live in but your local authority can verify - they all have different schemes.

Is the property up for sale? Have you declared it to the DWP (and the LA if you are receiving housing benefits)?

You mention probate, has the property been signed over to you yet?

CIS

If the property has been signed over to you then you have the property as Capital and you need to check it out for receipt of your benefits.

Once the property has been signed over then there's no a lot in the way of council tax discounts or exemptions but it depends on the exact situation.

You can ask the council tax for a discretionary write off under Section 13A of the Local Government Finance Act 1992 but they can refuse that (they only have to consider your application).

Sexyscorp66

Well I got the grant of probate..and yes I informed the benefits agency.Im still waiting on their decision.The irony and paradox is that if my benefits are stopped I won't be able to pay any of the council tax in any event.How ridiculous!-a house doesn't give you ability to pay bills unless you sell it!Arrangements should have been put on place for this scenario.

Kim_13

There is an unoccupied discount of 10-50% (depends on the council.) This was the case a few years back, anyway. May have changed with austerity measures.

It is insane that the majority charge more to an empty property (using no services) than one occupied by a single person, but the council say that this is to discourage empty properties and help with the housing shortage (how it's meant to do that these days is something of a mystery.)

My father and Auntie inherited their mother's house during the financial crisis, so weren't able to sell it. Council didn't care and they ended up with a repayment plan for the arrears.

CIS

Sexyscorp66 wrote: »

I inherited my dad's house and after 6 months probate the council are now billing me £90 a month even though the house is empty-I don't live there.
I don't work due to illness and on benefits.Would I be able to claim a discount or exemption from council tax or because he left me the house woulld I not be eligible for any?-on the council website it states you aren't eligible if you have £16,000 or more in CAPITAL.Does that mean capital in the bank or does it include a house?

Unfortunately it could get worse for you depending on how long it's stood empty !. Is the property in England, Scotland or Wales ?. I've dealt with a few similar queries recently.

Craig

Mojisola

Sexyscorp66 wrote: »

Well I got the grant of probate..and yes I informed the benefits agency.Im still waiting on their decision.

The irony and paradox is that if my benefits are stopped I won't be able to pay any of the council tax in any event.How ridiculous!-a house doesn't give you ability to pay bills unless you sell it!

Arrangements should have been put on place for this scenario.

You can usually continue to claim means tested benefits for a time (six months?) while a property is being sold.