Buying property but states liable to 300% council TAX due to being empty.

3card

This happened to my Daughter and her Boyfriend.
They wasnt aware of this situation until they received their first CT bill. The property had been empty for 3 years and was subject to CT of 200%
They were decorating the property before they moved in so they rang the council and told them they were living at the property. The council sent someone round while they were at work and wrote to them saying that looking through the window it looked like the house wasnt 'lived in'
They suggested that the next person they send round should have some ladders so they can look through the bedroom window so they can see there double bed where they sleep.

The council amended the bill and they started paying the standard CT for the property

Sarahspangles

taichi4me said:

Thank you all so much ... speedy responses all round and clears things up. House wouldn't immediately be occupied as it's in need of gutting and refurb'd ... But, if the kitchen / bathroom taken out and shown to be uninhabitable then an exemption may apply. Worst case scenario, pay the extra and motivate to move in.!

I’d just be a bit careful about assuming that is ‘enough’ to claim it isn’t habitable. Some of these things are urban myths - at one time ‘man in the pub’ would say that taking out a toilet was enough.  There’s someone in this forum who has worked in a valuation office, maybe they’ll come along and confirm.  

lincroft1710

taichi4me said:

Thank you all so much ... speedy responses all round and clears things up. House wouldn't immediately be occupied as it's in need of gutting and refurb'd ... But, if the kitchen / bathroom taken out and shown to be uninhabitable then an exemption may apply. Worst case scenario, pay the extra and motivate to move in.!

Removing the kitchen and bathroom fitments will not be enough for the property to be deleted from the CT Valuation List.