Second home, 200% council tax

[borrowdale]

I received the annual council tax bill this morning with a letter attached explaining that from next April, council tax will double on second homes.

It describes this as "properties which are furnished and are used as a second home". Currently there is a 10% discount which makes sense given the reduced use of council "services" I guess.

I don't actually have one, but if I did, how would the council actually know it's a second home without me telling them?

Clearly if it's on AirBnB or set up as a holiday let etc. it'd be easy, but how do they know if you're not living there all the time?

[Burrow01]

Presumably you are not on the electoral roll at the second address?

[DKL]

Where are you? I believe Wales have done this and the likes of Devon, Cornwall and Dorset are considering it.

[rustyuk]

It's being considered here in Derbyshire, though it won't make any difference as most holiday lets don't pay council tax as they opt to pay business rates instead.

[The Gauge]

10yrs ago a relative built a lovely house on her land and never got around to letting it out or selling it. It must be worth £500k. It instead became a place to store stuff!
She's just started to pay 200% council tax, rising an additional 100% every year.

[Bobtherallyfan]

Another balls up by the current Government. The idea was to allow councils to increase tax up to 200% on second homes in areas where there is a shortage of housing, but every council has simply increased it the full amount everywhere. Of course many will think so what, but where does it end? How about doubling tax on a second car in a family. It’s like the old days where you were taxed on the number of windows. And yes, I have a second home because I worked damn hard to afford it….I saved, I invested carefully and it formed part of my pension planning. And now I’ll pay double so that the local council to can afford to pay feckless lazy arsed chain-smoking, tat buying, unemployable idiots social care bill.

Mr Angry.

[ridds]

So MPs can claim expenses for their second homes but the rest of us have to pay double council tax....

Do you have to have the 2 homes in the same Tax Ward?

What if your second home is in your partners name?

[Dingu]

Bobtherallyfan said:

Another balls up by the current Government. The idea was to allow councils to increase tax up to 200% on second homes in areas where there is a shortage of housing, but every council has simply increased it the full amount everywhere. Of course many will think so what, but where does it end? How about doubling tax on a second car in a family. It’s like the old days where you were taxed on the number of windows. And yes, I have a second home because I worked damn hard to afford it….I saved, I invested carefully and it formed part of my pension planning. And now I’ll pay double so that the local council to can afford to pay feckless lazy arsed chain-smoking, tat buying, unemployable idiots social care bill.

Mr Angry.

My heart bleeds.


Probably forgot the part where housing was fking cheap when you got on the ladder and government policy has been geared to you your entire life.

Also a lot of that social care bill is old farts like you anyway.

Edited by Dingu on Saturday 16th March 22:51

[DKL]

The Gauge said:

10yrs ago a relative built a lovely house on her land and never got around to letting it out or selling it. It must be worth £500k. It instead became a place to store stuff!
She's just started to pay 200% council tax, rising an additional 100% every year.

Empty houses and second homes are very different and rightly or wrongly, treated differently. The council tax bill depends on the time empty

"If your home has been empty for 2 years or more

You can be charged an extra amount of Council Tax (a ‘premium’) if your home has been empty for 2 years or more.

How much you pay will depend on how long the property has been empty. You can be charged up to 4 times your normal Council Tax bill if your home has been empty for 10 years or more."

[The Gauge]

DKL said:

Empty houses and second homes are very different and rightly or wrongly, treated differently.

It's just a house she had built in her garden to let out, but she never got around to letting it out and over the years it's just got filled with stuff.

[Sir Bagalot]

I know someone who this is going to affect.

They already have a plan of action in that one of them will "move" to the second home. So instead of local council getting 100% council tax and holiday home council getting 100% council tax they will simply claim the single persons discount on both so each council will now lose 25% of the council tax.

[akirk]

Sir Bagalot said:

I know someone who this is going to affect.

They already have a plan of action in that one of them will "move" to the second home. So instead of local council getting 100% council tax and holiday home council getting 100% council tax they will simply claim the single persons discount on both so each council will now lose 25% of the council tax.

Not sure how well that will work…
Will one of them physically move there?
Otherwise, something like the Electoral roll - easy but eg moving the doctor’s practice at which you are registered will be more tricky and is one of the indicators used to decide where you are resident…

Will be interesting to see how much councils choose to pursue people…

[jimmyjimjim]

Sir Bagalot said:

I know someone who this is going to affect.

They already have a plan of action in that one of them will "move" to the second home. So instead of local council getting 100% council tax and holiday home council getting 100% council tax they will simply claim the single persons discount on both so each council will now lose 25% of the council tax.

I love this kind of solution. I hope it works out for them.

[fourstardan]

DKL said:

Where are you? I believe Wales have done this and the likes of Devon, Cornwall and Dorset are considering it.

Im in Dorset and our first home is unbearable let alone if it was double tax.

[lonny]

Sir Bagalot said:

I know someone who this is going to affect.

They already have a plan of action in that one of them will "move" to the second home. So instead of local council getting 100% council tax and holiday home council getting 100% council tax they will simply claim the single persons discount on both so each council will now lose 25% of the council tax.

Won’t that be a fraudulent claim of single person discount on the house where 2 people are actually living in though? And I’d expect the council to look out for this.
A very annoying policy but not worth getting a criminal record for fraud though if caught.

[NikBartlett]

The Gauge said:

10yrs ago a relative built a lovely house on her land and never got around to letting it out or selling it. It must be worth £500k. It instead became a place to store stuff!
She's just started to pay 200% council tax, rising an additional 100% every year.

An additional 100% every year should concentrate minds a bit, £10K a year tax in a few years for a glorified garden shed

[Bobtherallyfan]

Dingu said:

My heart bleeds.


Probably forgot the part where housing was fking cheap when you got on the ladder and government policy has been geared to you your entire life.

Also a lot of that social care bill is old farts like you anyway.

Edited by Dingu on Saturday 16th March 22:51

I’ve never claimed a penny from the state ever and l’m not even at retirement age. I paid £250K for an old decrepit bungalow that had been on the market for a year, in an area that had potential, six years ago. Saved for years to afford it, paid cash. It’s called a work and saving ethic, something some, but obviously not all, of the younger generation simply don’t have.

[Essarell]

Bobtherallyfan said:

Dingu said:

My heart bleeds.


Probably forgot the part where housing was fking cheap when you got on the ladder and government policy has been geared to you your entire life.

Also a lot of that social care bill is old farts like you anyway.

Edited by Dingu on Saturday 16th March 22:51

I’ve never claimed a penny from the state ever and l’m not even at retirement age. I paid £250K for an old decrepit bungalow that had been on the market for a year, in an area that had potential, six years ago. Saved for years to afford it, paid cash. It’s called a work and saving ethic, something some, but obviously not all, of the younger generation simply don’t have.

Years of inept, plastic socialist government has created a generation who would rather sit at home on the Nat King or other job dodging benefits blaming others for their lack of riches and expecting anyone else but themselves to pay for their life journey. It’s frustrating and incredibly depressing just how anti-aspirational the UK is becoming.

We are in a similar situation to yourself, worked damn hard and just last night had a discussion around finding another property, something with potential, we have the finances in place and a builder who’ll take the keys and hand us back a fully completed home. Councils using punitive measures to increase funds (which they will of course waste) just harm growth and aspiration. Very disappointing.

[standards]

What mechanism, if any exists to 'catch' a couple who have 2 houses-one in one name, one in the other.
Wouldn't they then both receive the single householder discount?

(Mrs. Standards and I just live in the one house BTW).

[Essarell]

standards said:

What mechanism, if any exists to 'catch' a couple who have 2 houses-one in one name, one in the other.
Wouldn't they then both receive the single householder discount?

(Mrs. Standards and I just live in the one house BTW).

Champagne socialist and soon to govern (god help us) Angela Raynor may be able help answer that one