when a house is empty (with no furniture)

Deals_2

but it is your main abode at present (waiting to be sold) do you pay full council tax or do you get exempt of it or pay a reduced amount?

Badger_Lady

Local authorities vary, but most drop it by 50-100% if it is unfurnished AND unoccupied. If you're still living there, you can be stick-free but still have to pay.

However, if you're renting / living with friends or family elsewhere then yes, you should qualify for the discount. You will have to speak to your Local Authority to check.

corsagirl_2

If you have been living at the property and vacate then for the first 6 months when the property becomes unoccupied and unfurnished you can claim an exemption, after that a charge will be payable, anything from 50% to 100% will be payable, depending what discount if any your local council grants on long term empty properties.

Your council will want confirmation of your new main residence.

SquatNow

Can you give me the address?

:A

pcwilkins

Why should the council reduce your council tax just because you have no furniture? It makes no sense.

D'you think they'll give me a discount if I get rid of a chair or two?

Peter

SquatNow

I can arrange for someone else to pay the council tax for you...

telfordwhite

pcwilkins wrote: »

Why should the council reduce your council tax just because you have no furniture? It makes no sense.

D'you think they'll give me a discount if I get rid of a chair or two?

Peter

If your house is unoccupied and you are living elsewhere it saves you paying 2 lots of council tax.

I presume the no furniture bit is to reduce the chances of fraudulant evasion of the tax.

SquatNow

Why should people get away with having 2 properties and not having to pay tax on one of them?

Surely if youare preventing someone else from using it you should pay tax on it.

There are far too many houses around which are paying little/no council tax.

If the property is empty and no tax is being payed, other residents in the town must make up the difference or services must be cut.

clutton_2

if a house is empty there are no people to use any services ..........

Sammy85_2

Hi,

We got stung for 6 months council tax while our house was unoccupied as one of our family members moved some boxes from her house to the new house to clear space in her loft. The coucil came spying through the windows one day and saw them.

The house was unoccupied for 6 months as we both work abroad. We provided proof to the council that we were both out of the country.
This made no difference, the minute those boxes were moved in it became taxable according to them.

They threatened us with court action and wouldnt let us pay our council tax til the outstanding 6months was cleared.

Its absolutely disgusting to have to pay for services you werent even in the country to use!

We joke about doubling what we put out for the bin men to make up for what we've paid for that six months! But joking aside we lost out on £600 for the sake of a couple of boxes in the middle of the living room.

LandyAndy

SquatNow wrote: »

Why should people get away with having 2 properties and not having to pay tax on one of them?

Surely if youare preventing someone else from using it you should pay tax on it.

There are far too many houses around which are paying little/no council tax.

If the property is empty and no tax is being payed, other residents in the town must make up the difference or services must be cut.

We were renting a fully furnished property up to 31 May 2006. On 9 May we bought a property on the same road in need of immediate redecoration etc. We continued to live in the rented property until 29 May while we decorated. We then had our furniture delivered from storage to our new house. I explained this to New Forest Council and they accepted it without question to give us a rebate for the period when the property was unfurnished.