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Council Tax on empty property
lebowski1980
Posts: 100 Forumite
We're relocating to Somerset away from Sussex.
Will be renting until our place is sold and the place will remain empty.
Called our local council who said there is no discount for an empty property.
Why is it a single occupancy gets a discount but a zero occupancy gets none?
I get that some people just leave their properties empty but I'm not a rich man and don't do this out of choice.
Beggars belief!
Will be renting until our place is sold and the place will remain empty.
Called our local council who said there is no discount for an empty property.
Why is it a single occupancy gets a discount but a zero occupancy gets none?
I get that some people just leave their properties empty but I'm not a rich man and don't do this out of choice.
Beggars belief!
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Comments
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No it doesn't. There are two reasons: they want to discourage people from owning but not living in a property, and because councils are cash strapped and will take any income stream they are legally able to. Be thankful that your council is not one of the ones that will surcharge empty properties.0
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check for a discount for it being marketed...
or apply for a discount and say you are renovating0 -
Yes, you are doing it out of choice. You could reduce the price for a quicker sale.
They're doing it because a house with one occupant is not empty, at a time when there's a housing shortage, and because they're been very tightly squeezed in terms of their income and expenditure for nearly a decade now in the name of "austertity". Oh, yes - and they have every legal right to do it... In fact, if it's still empty after two years, they can charge a 50% premium...0 -
Yes, you are doing it out of choice. You could reduce the price for a quicker sale.
They're doing it because a house with one occupant is not empty, at a time when there's a housing shortage, and because they're been very tightly squeezed in terms of their income and expenditure for nearly a decade now in the name of "austertity". Oh, yes - and they have every legal right to do it... In fact, if it's still empty after two years, they can charge a 50% premium...
In some Scottish regions its 100%!!! Bang out of order.0 -
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My house has a one bed annexe that is rated separately for council tax and so I pay two lots at my address. Only the main property is discounted for single occupancy, even though the annexe is also in my name and vacant, they wouldn't apply two single occupancy discounts.
In the end I ripped out the kitchen and bathroom and they delisted it. But then they moved my main house up a band as it now included the annexe for ratable value and charged me extra for that!Signature on holiday for two weeks0 -
why ever not? You have a single large house, patently that could indeed be in a higher band. You get the SPD on the property now anyway so hardly a great loss.Mutton_Geoff wrote: »In the end I ripped out the kitchen and bathroom and they delisted it. But then they moved my main house up a band as it now included the annexe for ratable value and charged me extra for that!
and yes, SPD applies only to the main residence you physically occupy. It does not apply to a second home that or you occupy part time or, in your case, an annex. All perfectly fair and logical if you think about it.0 -
No it doesn't. There are two reasons: they want to discourage people from owning but not living in a property, and because councils are cash strapped and will take any income stream they are legally able to. Be thankful that your council is not one of the ones that will surcharge empty properties.
Agrinnall, so just because they want to discourage people and increase revenue makes it okay? Does that mean you don't take issue with any local or country wide policy?
Sometimes you would hope that in a society, people can look beyond a balance sheet and use common sense.
They is no discouragement taking place since i am relocating and trying to sell. Trust me, i wish i could ever afford the luxury of just having a place lie empty.
I'm not saying it should be nil as i still own the place and there are still road services, emergency services etc...
It's easy to be indifferent when it doesn't affect you i guess
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Yes, imho, it does.lebowski1980 wrote: »so just because they want to discourage people and increase revenue makes it okay?
Absolutely.Does that mean you don't take issue with any local or country wide policy?
But not this one.
Yep. And leaving homes sat empty is anti-social, in the true meaning of the term.Sometimes you would hope that in a society, people can look beyond a balance sheet and use common sense.
It is a discouragement, because it gives you a stronger incentive to sell quickly, rather than hang on for the market to improve or a better offer or whatever.They is no discouragement taking place since i am relocating and trying to sell. Trust me, i wish i could ever afford the luxury of just having a place lie empty.
It's even easier to not see the bigger picture when you ARE affected directly.It's easy to be indifferent when it doesn't affect you i guess0 -
I agree that it's only fair for CT to be payable on empty property.
I've just done a quick comparison between my home county and the county I live in now - and been shocked to see there is a difference (and quite a large one at that) between what the two charge.
One will soon start charging regardless and goes on to charge a premium at some point. Present county has circumstances where it will charge nothing (seriously!:eek::eek:). Anyone would think it isn't a poor county....:cool:0
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