From 1 April 2006, a full council tax is payable on long term empty properties. This was decided at a meeting of the Full Council - Read the full report here (PDF , 50KB).
The Council wants to encourage owners of empty homes to bring them back into use. This will have a positive impact on the Council's housing strategy and affordable housing policy. The Council also considers 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). Consequently, 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.
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, 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.
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.
If you have any questions please contact us on 01775 761161 and ask for Council Tax Billing.
