Plans to charge landlords higher council tax bills on empty homes

Published by Ross Macmillan for 24dash.com in Housing and also in Communities, Local Government

Communities minister Andrew Stunell has outlined plans that could see councils enforce higher council tax rates on homes that have been empty for more than two years.

Addressing the Liberal Democrat Party Conference today, Mr Stunell said the Government would soon be consulting on the measure.

He said: "We will shortly be consulting on whether councils should be given the power to charge extra council tax on homes in their area that have been empty for more than two years, through an Empty Homes Premium.

"Discretionary, naturally. Localist, certainly. With essential safeguards and exemptions, of course. But a nudge to owners to bring abandoned homes back into use.

He described the measure as an "extra weapon" in a council’s armoury in the battle to make better use of the country's housing stock.

He said: "The premium will act as a spur for landlords to bring their properties back into use quickly. And where they don’t, it will provide an extra revenue stream for Local Authorities to plough back into bringing more homes back into use."

There are around 700,000 empty homes in England.

More than 300,000 of these are long-term 'empties' and have been vacant for more than six months. Mr Stunell added: "That’s two years’ new housing supply. It’s a scandal, in fact it’s a crime when thousands of families cannot get a decent home."

As part of the Comprehensive Spending Review in October 2010, the Government announced a £100m fund to bring more empty homes back into use.