At a meeting of the full Council on 15 December 2004, the Council decided to use its discretion and remove the council tax discount it gives on long term empty homes from 1 April 2006. Read the full report here.
The main reason for this decision is because the Council wants to encourage owners of empty homes to bring them back into use. In turn this will have a positive impact on the Council's housing strategy and affordable housing policy. The Council also considered that long term empty homes can cause considerable blight to local communities and can encourage crime or anti-social behaviour. Furthermore, they can be a drain on local services and deny homes to those in housing need. Such properties also remove the demand on local services (for example buses, shops and pubs). By making its decision, the Council is ensuring that people who keep long term empty homes make a greater contribution to the cost of providing local services.
The phrase 'long term empty home' refers to two categories of property anywhere in the South Holland area. These are:
- Properties that have been unoccupied and unfurnished for more than 6 months, and
- Any property that has been exempt from council tax for up to 12 months because it is unoccupied and unfurnished and is/was in need of, or having, major repair works to make it fit to live in, or is/has been undergoing structural alteration which is not yet complete.
By giving council tax payers plenty of notice of the change, we expect this will allow them time to at least budget for a higher council tax bill or, to avoid the extra council tax burden, allow them time to make arrangements to sell the property, find a tenant or carry out repair works so that the property can be lived in again.
Alternatively, if a property is in such a poor state of repair that it can't really be regarded as a dwelling anymore, it may be possible to have it taken out of the valuation list which would end the liability to pay council tax. To pursue this line, please contact the Listing Officer at the Valuation Office an executive agency of HM Revenues and Customs without delay. Their contact details are:
District Valuer & Valuation Officer
Queensgate House
12 Silver Street
Lincoln
LN2 1EW
Telephone: 01522 340300
Website: www.voa.gov.uk (opens in new window)
If you contact the Valuation Office Agency you should quote the valuation list number for your property (shown on the front of your council tax bill). Please note that if you ask the Valuation Office Agency to do this, you will have to continue to pay your council tax bill until they make a decision to remove your property from the valuation list and notify the Council. If your property is removed from the list, we will refund any overpayment you have made.
If your property is in a reasonable state of repair and you would like to rent it out, the Council may be able to help you.
The Council often assists people in need of housing to find a home in the private sector. We also offer financial assistance to some households for rent in advance and deposit payments. If we offer such assistance, we maintain contact with the tenant to ensure they are repaying the loan and abiding by their tenancy conditions. Some landlords find these services helpful when letting their properties.
Also, the Council occasionally leases properties from private property owners to provide temporary accommodation to homeless households. We are not currently seeking further properties, however from time to time we need to add to our stock. If you would be interested in making your property available to let to a private individual, or leasing it to the Council please phone us on 01775 761161 and ask for the Homelessness Team for further information.
If you have any questions about the intended future changes please contact us on 01775 761161 and ask for Council Tax Billing.
