Council tax bill for newly purchased property

ReadySteadyPop

elmer said:

We require to see evidence of an increase in utility bills before we cancel the 200% charge

Doesn`t mean much, some people never switch on heating and take showers at work or the gym, councils don`t have the resources to check out all the potential false claims, it seems that they are just hoping people will give them money?

sheramber

https://www.gov.uk/guidance/removing-a-property-from-the-council-tax-list

This guidance explains when we can remove (delete) domestic properties from the Council Tax list, including when a property is derelict, undergoing major renovations, demolished or is now being used as a business. It also explains why we cannot delete properties that are undergoing normal levels of repair.

FlorayG

Gosh this has gone a bit nasty. OP, if your son has an address elsewhere and is paying CT there then this is essentially a second home and subject to double tax. Even if the previous owner had been living there until the day contracts were completed, it's still empty NOW and therefore a second home. Get the central heating fixed ASAP and get moved in!

WhiteRabbit6

Thanks everyone. Not a second home, first time buyers still living at home. Consensus from those in the know seems to be property not owner and they need to move in asap. Still think the local authority are being harsh and its a hard lesson to learn.

Bigphil1474

OP, if you could get out of paying council tax on an empty property by just changing owner, then people would just do that. Some houses are deliberately left empty.

Their council tax is going forward, so as soon as they move in, it will come down to normal level and they'll only pay double between when they became owners of the property and when they move in. I would absolutely double check with your local council though, as it's clearly not a second property, it's just their only property that they haven't moved into yet. Make sure the council know that. Each council has different rules, but my council says -

"Uninhabitable properties and council tax

Even if you think your property is uninhabitable while you make repairs or replace the kitchen or bathroom, you will still have to pay the full amount of council tax."

Which seems fine, but it's not double council tax.

RAS

The OP's children are not the only people who have been hit by the double council tax the minute they owned a home. There was an instance reported here fairly recently where someone renovating a house that they'd bought from probate was hit by empty home charges back dated to day one of their ownership.

The empty home relief had been used up by the estate before they purchased and there was an issue with administration, so the new owner thought they'd got relief until a huge bill arrived. 

And another which at least resulted in an early bill, allowing the owner to move in before renovations were complete. 

Think people buying from probate, or even houses that have been on the market a long time now need to be aware that they may need to move in immediately, advise CT promptly and evidence occupation before renovating. 

FlorayG

WhiteRabbit6 said:

Thanks everyone. Not a second home, first time buyers still living at home. Consensus from those in the know seems to be property not owner and they need to move in asap. Still think the local authority are being harsh and its a hard lesson to learn.

That makes it a second home
You may be the owners of the place they live in now, but it's still currently their home

FlorayG

RAS said:

The empty home relief had been used up by the estate before they purchased and there was an issue with administration, so the new owner thought they'd got relief until a huge bill arrived. 


Think people buying from probate, or even houses that have been on the market a long time now need to be aware that they may need to move in immediately, advise CT promptly and evidence occupation before renovating. 

Yes this happened with my purchase. It had been empty for over 12 months, council tax relief gone, vendors became desperate to sell so I got it cheap. Luckily for me I was happy to move into it as it was and work on it as my council tax as normal is over £200 a month!

Yorkie1

FlorayG said:

WhiteRabbit6 said:

Thanks everyone. Not a second home, first time buyers still living at home. Consensus from those in the know seems to be property not owner and they need to move in asap. Still think the local authority are being harsh and its a hard lesson to learn.

That makes it a second home
You may be the owners of the place they live in now, but it's still currently their home

I interpreted that as though the FTBs a) don't have a currently owned home, and b) are still living with parents.

sheramber

It is not 'a second hime', it is an empty property.

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.

You will not have to pay the empty home premium if either:

• the empty property is an annex
• you’re in the armed forces and you have to move into armed forces accommodation as part of your work