Unoccupied Property Discounts
You may be entitled to a discount if your property is unoccupied. Discounts are available for unoccupied properties that are both furnished and unfurnished.
Unoccupied property discounts relate to the property and not the person liable to pay Council Tax. A previous owner or occupiers use of the property will affect how much discount you can get and for how long.
For example, if you purchase a property that has been unoccupied for a long period of time, you may not be entitled to any discount.
If a property remains unoccupied for a continuous period of more than 12 months it will be classed as a long term unoccupied property and Council Tax will be charged at twice the full charge for the band the property is in.
There are long term unoccupied property discounts available in specific circumstances.
What does furnished mean?
A property will be classed as furnished if there is any single piece of removable furniture present in the property apart from those items listed below:
- carpets
- curtains or blinds
- items that are built into the property such as some cookers, gas fires and fitted wardrobes or cupboards
- white goods such as fridge, freezer, dishwasher.
