Question
To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the number of private rented properties left vacant since councils were allowed to levy council tax on such properties compared to previously; and what assessment they have made of the impact any increase in the amount councils may levy will have on the number of such properties.
Answered on
3 December 2018
Since 2013, local authorities have had the discretion to charge up to 100 per cent Council Tax on any empty property and to levy a council tax premium of up to 50 per cent on properties that have been empty for two years or more. The Government has recently introduced legislation which will allow local authorities to increase the Council Tax premium; to 100 per cent on homes empty for 2 years or more from April 2019; to 200 per cent on homes empty for more than five years from April 2020 and up to 300 per cent on homes empty for more than 10 years from April 2021. The Government does not collect data that identifies vacant private rented properties and has not undertaken an assessment of the impact any changes in Council Tax levels might have on such properties.