Council Tax - Unoccupied. Liable person providing care elsewhere.

icedms

Does anyone know the exact rule on the above? I care 5 days/nights a week at the home of the person I care for. I stay at home 2 nights a week for security reasons and to air/heat up the house a bit.

Newcad

If you are at home for 2 nights a week then it is not 'unoccupied'.

Although even it it was unoccupied there is still a CT liability.
Depending on your council there may be a discount available for an 'empty' property, ie. no furniture. (and they will want proof that there is no furniture, been there done that for the 2-weeks when I first got my tenancy here).

However the CT for a long term empty property can be higher than normal, and can be as much as 4x the normal occupied rate.

https://www.gov.uk/council-tax/second-homes-and-empty-properties

Empty properties

You’ll usually have to pay Council Tax on an empty home, but your council can decide to give you a discount - the amount is up to them. Contact your council to ask about a discount.

If your home has been empty for at least 1 year

You can be charged additional Council Tax (a ‘premium’) if your home has been empty for at least 1 year.

How much you pay will depend on how long the property has been empty. You can be charged up to 4 times your normal Council Tax bill if your home has been empty for at least 10 years.

FlorayG

No, you still live there even though you work 'away' five nights a week. Even if you did not live there someone would have to pay the CT

born_again

icedms said:

Does anyone know the exact rule on the above? I care 5 days/nights a week at the home of the person I care for. I stay at home 2 nights a week for security reasons and to air/heat up the house a bit.

Depends on different councils.
Best to ask your local one. As many charge extra CT for unoccupied properties.

fatbelly

What is it that makes you say you are the liable person? Are you the owner or do you have a tenancy at the property? Or something else?

You are not giving us the full picture.

You say it is unoccupied but that you live there. On the face of it you are liable to pay council tax there, could have a single adult discount and also, dependent on means, could get some council tax support

But I might change that answer if l had all the facts

icedms

Hi just to clarify - it is my home which I own and which I pay council tax, less the 25% single person discount.  I work and so wouldn’t get council tax discount.

For over a year I have been living with the person I care for 5 days/nights a week.
i have just applied for the ‘Unoccupied. Liable person providing care elsewhere’ exemption. 

I just wondered if anyone knew what the actual rules are.

FlorayG

It's not unoccupied though is it if you are there two nights a week

elmer

I wouldnt award it as you are there every week, i only award for people who have moved away to care for someone, and their home is unoccupied all the time

icedms

Well that’s interesting to know how some people would judge it! But I wondered if anyone knew what the rules are. 

I did speak to someone in the council tax team and after speaking to their manager I was told to could apply and a link sent to claim it. But that was following a telephone conversation and I don’t want to get 12 months down the line and be told I wasn’t entitled it and they want it all back. I think I will follow up my application with an email just to set everything out.
As I am not trying to get something I’m not entitled to!

icedms

@FlorayG I don’t work away from home, I live with a family member to provide care that family member. I return home for those two nights because if it was clear my house was empty it wouldn’t be long before I got burgled.

FlorayG

Do you live with the family member - that's your legal address and all your bank accounts, NHS registration, electoral roll are from that address?
If that's not the case then you don't, officially, live there. You live in the house you call your home here. People who work away from HOME pay council tax on their home