Council tax for unoccupied property

slow_loris000

I have bought a property which was a corporate sale and the agency had literally no details about it and our solicitor found it difficult to get any info from the seller. It now turned out its been unoccupied for a number of years which I didnt know about and council is charging me double tax rate because of it whilst we are redoing it whilst its unoccupied (its unsafe to move in because of dodgy electrics). Are they right to do that? I complained but they said its not their problem.

brettcta

Yes they are and they’re right in stating it’s not their problem.

lincroft1710

"Dodgy electrics" is subjective. It is your choice not to move in, so council is correct in charging double CT.

Hasbeen

Get the electrics fixed and move in. Most councils give an exemption period as per example:

If the property is unfurnished, an exemption may be awarded for up to 6 months from the date it was last occupied. After this, you may be awarded a 50% discount for 6 months. After 12 months, the discount will end and the charge will increase to 200%.

If the property is undergoing major repair work and no-one is living there, you may get a renovation exemption for up to 12 months from the date the property was last occupied.

A 50% discount can be considered for the following:

• New owner of a property may get 6 months discount from the date of purchase of a property if major repair work required to make it habitable and has failed to qualify for the renovation exemption

Indigo_and_Violet

To answer definitively we'd need to know your council. Some have policies like Hasbeen quoted where a new owner can either reset the clock or get an additional exemption. Others it's just done on the property with no leeway for new owners. That your council have told you it's not their problem suggests they are one of the latter, but always worth checking their website to make sure.
Another thing to check is what the criteria for residency is. If allowed, it might make financial sense for you to 'move in' for council tax purposes quite soon and then your old property would become vacant for council tax purposes and you'd be able to claim an exemption. This would kick the problem down to your buyers if they wanted to do renovations on yours before moving in. Check the rules carefully to make sure you're legal. I think ours was that you had to have moved furniture including a bed in in order to count as resident. Also bear in mind if you do this you'll lose any other 'empty home' discounts you get e.g. on water rates. 

CIS

slow_loris000 said:

I have bought a property which was a corporate sale and the agency had literally no details about it and our solicitor found it difficult to get any info from the seller. It now turned out its been unoccupied for a number of years which I didnt know about and council is charging me double tax rate because of it whilst we are redoing it whilst its unoccupied (its unsafe to move in because of dodgy electrics). Are they right to do that? I complained but they said its not their problem.

On the face of it, yes, but we'd need more details.
Which council area is it in ?