The District Council Executive – the “Cabinet” meets next Wednesday. One of the items they are discussing is removing the council tax discounts that homeowners get for having unoccupied or uninhabitable properties.
At the moment you pay no council tax for the first month you have a property unoccupied and unfurnished. This free month is going to be abolished.
You also get a 50 percent discount for the first year you have a property that isnt occupied because it needs , or is undergoing, major repairs or structural works. This discount is also going to be abolished.
The reasons? Partly to get extra income – about ?46000 per year for the district and more for the County. But also to discourage homes from being empty and help them be available for people to live in.
What we want to highlight here is that if your home is uninhabitable due to a crisis that wasn’t your fault – flooding being the most likely cause- you can apply to the council to be considered for a special exemption. This was agreed by the council earlier this year.
Will it be possible (likely?) for Landlords to pass on these additional costs to them in increased rental costs?