Empty house - what costs are we liable for?

felinefancy

Hello,
We currently rent.  If we go ahead and purchase a property but, due to my husband's job we can't move into it for a few months, what costs on the empty property would we have to pay.  We know we would have to pay the mortgage (which will be very low), but what about utilities etc, council tax, insurance etc?  
Anything else we need to think about?
Many thanks!

laurey0301

If you are buying it'll take more than a few months to buy the property anyway. When will you be able to move in? 
Yes you will have to pay all utilities, council tax and insurance. Most mortgage companies require valid buildings insurance to be in place before completion. Council tax you may be able to get a discount with the property being empty but thats down to each individual LA to decide.

MaryNB

You will have to get insurance that is specific to an unoccupied property. Regular home insurance won't allow you to leave it empty for months.

You'll still have to pay standing change on utilities (20-30p per day for each of gas, elec and water).

You need to check your local council for tax on empty properties. My local council changes full council tax for unoccupied properties, doubling if unoccupied for 2 years. 

ETA: some utility suppliers may waive standing changes if you can prove you didn't use any energy while the property was unoccupied but you'll need to check with suppliers. 

user1977

MaryNB said:

You will have to get insurance that is specific to an unoccupied property. Regular home insurance won't allow you to leave it empty for months.

And in addition, your mortgage is likely to have specific conditions about leaving the property empty. Standard residential mortgages expect you to actually occupy the property as your main residence, not leave it empty for significant periods.

felinefancy

Thank you - very helpful.. we don't anticipate it staying empty that long, just 1 or 2 months.

AlexMac

Re Utilities; energy won't cost much more than the standing charge as you'll use little gas or lekky, and if you're on a water meter that too will be peanuts (we pay £20 per month for metered water in a 4-bedroom house). 

Council tax at £100 -£200 per month (depending on the house's banding) might even be reduceable with luck; we discovered that Councils in some areas we've lived in waived or significantly reduced the tax if the house was "unfurnished & Unoccupied" or in other areas, undergoing significant renovation (we even had the Council Tax guy round to confirm we'd stripped and replaced the kitchen in one place before moving in; albeit after the event)   Check your local Council

Insurance is essential and unavoidable; but as you'll get home and contents cover for £300 pa or less if you shop around that's only £25-odd a month.  And you can probably find an insurer who won't get too tricky; after all, lots of people round here renovate or decorate before moving in, and you can always camp there for a few nights (or say you will) to get round the clause that asks you to confirm the place ain't gonna be empty for more than 30 days.  We once helped a mate who was on a 2-month Cruise that way by staying in her house from a weekend; quite fun as she lived near the Peak District and we treated it like a holiday

AlexMac

Oh and as an afterthought, if you have a garden you might want to tend that occasionally or pay a gardener £20-40 occasionally, especially if it's vacant over the summer.  You don't want the neighbours thinking you're idle!  I drove past a flat we sold in 2019 for the 1st time the other day; the front garden was a disgrace! Like the Matto Grosso...

MaryNB

If you don't end up completing on a property until later in the year don't forget to leave the heating on low to prevent pipes freezing and bursting. Also get a timer for a socket so you can set a lamp to come on in the evening to make it look like you're home. 

newsgroupmonkey_

felinefancy said:

Hello,
We currently rent.  If we go ahead and purchase a property but, due to my husband's job we can't move into it for a few months, what costs on the empty property would we have to pay.  We know we would have to pay the mortgage (which will be very low), but what about utilities etc, council tax, insurance etc?  
Anything else we need to think about?
Many thanks!

As someone else said, what do you mean by a few months? Many properties are taking 5+ months. If someone in your chain is looking to buy a new-build, there are chances you may not be in this year!

ic

A lot of councils no longer offer a discount for empty properties so as to discourage houses sitting empty when there is a shortage on the market.  You'd only get a discount if the house is empty for a specific reason - such as the homeowner has died or moved into a care home - but not because the house is being renovated.