Property owners, landlords and tenants

Even if your property is empty, you will still be eligible for the full Council Tax rate. This includes: 

• second homes 
• unoccupied and unfurnished properties 
• Properties where major repairs or structural changes are taking place

Council Tax premium on long-term empty homes

We charge a Council Tax premium if your property remains empty for over 2 years. The longer the property remains empty, the more Council Tax you will pay. If a property has been empty for: 

• 2 to 5 years, there is a 100% premium, so you will pay twice as much as the Council Tax band charge
• 5 to 10 years, there is a 200% premium, you will pay three times as much as the Council Tax band charge
• more than 10 years, there is a 300% premium, you will pay four times as much as the Council Tax band charge

The premium is attached to the property, so if you buy a property that was empty for 2 or more years and continues to be empty while you own it, the premium will still apply. 

Help to rent out your property

If you need help to get your property in a livable state or support to rent it, we can help to: 

• find a tenant 
• lease your property to us
• apply for an empty property grant

Find more help for landlords.

When a property is exempt from Council Tax

There is no discount for most empty properties, but some exceptions exist. The property may be unoccupied because:

• occupation is prohibited  
• It is for a minister or a religion
• the person living has left to get personal care 
• the person living has gone to provide personal care for someone else
• it is unoccupied by a student owner
• it a mortgage company has repossessed the property
• the person is a trustee in bankruptcy 
• no one is living on the caravan pitch or boat mooring
• it is an unoccupied annexe

Read more about discounts and exemptions.