COUNCIL TAX - vacant property

marliepanda

MrXYZ wrote: »

Not really because we could have staged it so that she moved before me, then it would have been single occupancy for the time period between when she left and before I moved. Surely the lower single occupancy rate would have continued afterwards when I left the property. I'm not looking to get one over the system, I just find it interesting that different councils approach this differently.

I have continued to pay the amount requested for multiple occupancy even though no one was in the house. As I said, I correctly pay tax in two countries, some people pay none in one... :-)

The way you describe in your first paragraph is now how it works.

You get a discount for a property having one occupant. That NEVER continues when it is empty. No council does it like that, it’s not interesting.

As someone has already said it’s not a service charge, but you say you’re not using any services. Okay, so if the house sets on fire would you like the fire bridges to attend? If it is being vandalised would you like the police to attend? Would you like the roads maintained so that prospective buyers can drive to your home?

Council tax isn’t for getting your bins emptied.

MrXYZ

The council only know it's empty because I have told them I'm not there. On paper, the electric, water, council tax, house insurance etc etc etc are all still paid. As I said, I've been up front. I bet most people wouldn't be.

I say it's vacant, however I will be in it this weekend for a flying visit, my family are now living in Ireland. I believe it still stands if I had of wanted to work the system for the single occupancy rate I could have...

I may have moved to Dublin, but don't worry, I'm not Apple, Intel, Ebay, Facebook, Google, linkedin who all have European HQ's here, if you know what I mean :-)

TamsinC

is it just vacant - in which case from the places I've read up on you get no discount - if it is vacant and unfurnished as well - some places give a discount - I just got a 50% discount for the one month our house was empty before it sold for Suffolk CC

CIS

MrXYZ wrote: »

So some people do get a discount when the property is vacant and it just depends on the council area you live in?

Every council in England has to have a discount which is available for a property which is unoccupied and substantially unfurnished. They however have delegated powers to determine how much this discount is and for how long - one council may set it at 0%, another may set it at 50% for three months.

CIS

TamsinC wrote: »

is it just vacant - in which case from the places I've read up on you get no discount - if it is vacant and unfurnished as well - some places give a discount - I just got a 50% discount for the one month our house was empty before it sold for Suffolk CC

Both unoccupied/furnished and unoccupied/substantially unfurnished properties in England fall within a class of properties subject to a discount - the issue comes that it is a delegated power so it can be set at 0% for unoccupied/substantially unfurnished property and a minimum of 10% for unoccupied/furnished property.

Slithery

MrXYZ wrote: »

Not really because we could have staged it so that she moved before me, then it would have been single occupancy for the time period between when she left and before I moved. Surely the lower single occupancy rate would have continued afterwards when I left the property.

Not at all. You can't get single occupancy discount if there are zero occupants, the clue is in the name.

MiserlyMartin

marliepanda wrote: »

The way you describe in your first paragraph is now how it works.

You get a discount for a property having one occupant. That NEVER continues when it is empty. No council does it like that, it!!!8217;s not interesting.

As someone has already said it!!!8217;s not a service charge, but you say you!!!8217;re not using any services. Okay, so if the house sets on fire would you like the fire bridges to attend? If it is being vandalised would you like the police to attend? Would you like the roads maintained so that prospective buyers can drive to your home?

Council tax isn!!!8217;t for getting your bins emptied.

The roads are full of potholes in most areas of England, the roads are NOT being maintained, so we pay money for nothing.

The Police stations are being shut down, you cannot call them as the operation has been moved to a call centre in another county, who have no knowledge of the local area. There are no police on the beat anymore, and good luck getting the police to attend to most things unless you tell them there is a murder about to take place. Even then don't hold your breath.

We have never before paid so much council tax and never before got so little in the way of service back for it. It is a really terrible tax that is applied out of your already taxed income!

It is unfair as you can have one pensioner alone in a band D property using virtually no services yet in a band A property you can have 10 people to a house using a multitude of services and creating loads of rubbish paying less money than the pensioner.

The poll tax was a much better fairer and cheaper system.

martindow

MiserlyMartin wrote: »

The roads are full of potholes in most areas of England, the roads are NOT being maintained, so we pay money for nothing.

The Police stations are being shut down, you cannot call them as the operation has been moved to a call centre in another county, who have no knowledge of the local area. There are no police on the beat anymore, and good luck getting the police to attend to most things unless you tell them there is a murder about to take place. Even then don't hold your breath.

We have never before paid so much council tax and never before got so little in the way of service back for it. It is a really terrible tax that is applied out of your already taxed income!

It is unfair as you can have one pensioner alone in a band D property using virtually no services yet in a band A property you can have 10 people to a house using a multitude of services and creating loads of rubbish paying less money than the pensioner.

The poll tax was a much better fairer and cheaper system.

You need to ask your MP, as the increase in CT is driven by the reduction in money from central government. CT is rising and non-statutory services are being cut back as councils are between a rock and a hard place.

MiserlyMartin

martindow wrote: »

You need to ask your MP, as the increase in CT is driven by the reduction in money from central government. CT is rising and non-statutory services are being cut back as councils are between a rock and a hard place.

For sure, as the council tax is a central government policy. Governments may promise no tax rises in their manifestos, but underfunding councils causing CT to rise is a sneaky way of raising taxes by stealth. This leads to other stealth taxes, eg parking charges going up in council car parks etc, charges for green waste bins etc....

theartfullodger

Bleedin' ex-pats, going over there, whinging about our valid taxes....