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council tax during overlap

I am moving to a new flat (in the same council). I will have 2 weeks of overlap in the leases, giving me time to move. I can't live in 2 places at the same time. On some day in that 2 weeks, i will move from A to B. Each day, one of the 2 will be vacant. Do i have to pay council tax on 2 places for 2 weeks? I hope not! But is there a council tax due on the vacant flat?

Comments

  • mije1983
    mije1983 Posts: 3,665 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 1,000 Posts Combo Breaker Name Dropper
    Most probably you will yes.

    But check the council website to see if they do a reduction for unfurnished, unoccupied properties. A lot of councils have stopped this now, at least around me, but yours may still do it.

    How much is it going to be for those 2 weeks? Unless it's a very large flat, I wouldn't have thought it was a significant amount in the grand scheme of house buying.
  • crisprbread
    crisprbread Posts: 6 Forumite
    edited 7 February 2017 at 12:04AM
    Just pick an official moving date and tell the council that's when you're moving.

    Maybe I'm in the wrong, but I'm the type who worries about these details more than most, and to me it wouldn't have occurred to me to consider this, and now you've pointed out the issue in your question, it seems to fall into the 'beyond the call of duty' category for a few days of "I haven't moved all my stuff yet"...
  • booksurr
    booksurr Posts: 3,700 Forumite
    you are liable for council tax on both places since you are the occupant (or tenant/owner?) of both places

    which discount/exemption you try to claim utterly depends on the rules of your specific council as to which is worth seeking- look up your council...
    https://www.gov.uk/apply-for-council-tax-discount

    empty property: you inform the council you have vacated the old place and it is now unoccupied and substantially unfurnished . The amount of discount they give you, and the period they give it for, is entirely down to their own local policy. The periods vary enormously from a few days to a few months

    second home - you declare one of the properties to still be furnished but is no longer your main home. It will thus be classed as a second home. Few councils still give discounts in that case but you won't know til you look and if it qualifies as such it is not time limited. If you go for that it saves having to physically de-furnish so as to qualify for the "empty" property rate
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