‘HOUSES should be lived in’ – that is the thinking behind new council tax premiums which will be charged on hundreds of empty homes in Rugby.
Rugby Borough Council will increase council tax on properties which have been empty for a year, to incentivise owners to bring them back into use.
New government legislation allows councils to increase the premium the longer a property stands empty.
From next April, council tax will increase by 100 per cent on properties which have been empty for one to five years, with the premium doubling after five and ten years.
A property must be unoccupied and substantially unfurnished for a period of a year or more to qualify as a long-term empty property.
Properties excluded from the council tax premium include homes being actively marketed for sale or rent, and homes which have recent or ongoing major structural repairs for a maximum period of 12 months.
Coun Ish Mistry, Rugby Borough Council’s deputy leader and spokesperson for finance and performance, legal and governance, said the council was determined to use all the powers at its disposal to bring long-term empty properties back into use.
He said: “Our latest data suggests we have 324 properties in the borough classified as long-term empty homes and we want the council tax premium to incentivise property owners to bring these much-needed homes back to the housing market.
“We plan to introduce the new premiums from April 1, but the message goes out today – owners of empty homes in the borough must prepare now for the new premium charges or, ideally, start the process of bringing the empty homes back into use.”
His Liberal Democrat counterpart Coun Bill Lewis said: “Houses should be lived in and empty properties are a disgrace when so many people are desperate to rent or buy a home.
“By increasing council tax rates on empty homes, we are incentivising these homeowners to either sell or rent their properties and bring them back into use.”
The council also plans to introduce a single council tax premium on ‘second’ homes – defined as furnished properties which are not the sole or main residence of any person.
A premium of 100 per cent (double the standard council tax charge) looks set to be introduced from April 1 for properties which have met the definition of a second home for a minimum of one year.
Current data suggests the borough has 187 properties which meet the ‘second home’ definition.
The introduction of council tax premiums on long-term empty homes and second homes looks set to be considered at a meeting of full council next Wednesday (10 December).
