Council Tax advice needed please

UKMP

I’ve got a property that’s been empty for nearly 2 years - was being renovated then the pandemic struck - I was out of work after being furloughed so ran out of money for the kitchen, bathroom etc - so property was 100% uninhabitable for all this time.

I’m not wealthy I just work away a lot so took long term rental and was intending to either rent out the house or sell.

Despite my protestations - all genuine and documented - the local council have been ripping me right off Charging me double council tax for an empty uninhabitable property.

I’m back in work but have thousands in credit cards to pay and am having ti add to these debts by paying this rip off ‘bill’.

Kitchen and inside still needs doing as I’m paying a bit every now and then to have works done when I can afford.

Do I have any course of action at all??

The extremely smug and unprofessional, unsympathetic person at the council more or less laughed in her tone when happily telling me I’m stuffed - this could possibly bankrupt me - I’m stuck - can anyone please advise?

Thank you

lincroft1710

Your only course of action would be to have the house removed from the Valuation List as being no longer capable of being used as a dwelling. However if the old kitchen and bathroom fittings have been removed, this will not suffice, it has to be much more major than that.


Your local councillor could ask the council if they could show some leniency, but as the council are acting within the law, they can simply refuse.

theoretica

If you want to rent out the house your council may have an empty home scheme where they give assistance to get the house back into a habitable state in return for it being rented to council tenants.