Council tax on 2nd homes - looks good on paper but affects the minority

[startingfresh65]

I'll start off by saying I'm not a 2nd home owner.
I'm not a landlord, I don't own multiple properties or earn loads of money.

I've been renting for the last 14 years, worked full time, scrimped and saved and finally managed to get my foot on the property ladder. Completed last Friday (hooray!)

The new house doesn't have a working boiler so I'm in the process of having a new one fitted. The engineer should be coming in the next couple of weeks. There's a couple of other things that need fixing too but I should hopefully be in by the beginning of next month.

It was difficult arranging tradesmen in advance as the completion date wasn't set it stone and we ended up doing a simultaneous exchange/completion so it was all very last minute.

I sorted all the bills out today and spoke to the council tax office who informed me that the standard rate would apply straight away, plus a premium as the previous owner already claimed the exemption for 6 months before she sold the house to me. This will be over £350 a month until I officially move in. I will also continue to pay the council tax at my current place so all in all around £500 for both properties. I explained that I wasn't a 2nd home owner but it made no difference.

AIBU to think this is unfair and that this rule looks good on paper but doesn't really work in the real world?

I sympathise, but it's part of the cost of moving surely? We had similar when we moved from rented into a home that needed work to make it habitable, we knew we couldn't afford to buy somewhere in great condition, and budgeting for the cost of running two properties for a month or so had to be part of the plan. We were running two properties, therefore had two sets of bills, not really sure why there would/should be a discount!
It's a bit annoying that the previous owner had left the place empty without you being aware of them claiming a discount though (ours was a little different, we knew it would be the case as it had been empty for some time due to probate complications)

So the previous owner claimed all of the exemption for an empty property? Which means you now can't? Could you state that your new owned property is your sole and main residence from the sale completion date and claim an empty exemption on your rented property for the remainder of your liability there?

Are your instalments on your new property calculated up to March or do they end in January? If the latter you can request the former to spread them out a bit more and reduce the monthly burden.

I feel for you as it sounds expensive but many second home owners are in a totally different (and much more comfortable) position. Given how we hear that second home ownership is hollowing out many UK places economically, I think it's fair to ask those who can habitually afford two homes to pay a premium.

oops, sorry, @LauderSyme got there first

Can you move some basics to your new home, start changing your official address, tell the Council you’ve moved in, and claim the exemption period on your old home?

It’s shit.

Similar thing happened to us. We bought a complete wreck of a house that wasn’t habitable for a year. We were whacked with double council tax. What’s worse is we paid the standard amount for the year while renovating, then when I went in to the council tax office in person to say we were moving in, was told we should have been paying double since the house was empty for a year.

Previous owner was in a care home. After she died, the house was left to the son and he claimed 6 months exemption before selling it to me.

I don’t understand why the 6 month exemption applies to the property and not the owner. Like you say, it’s a good idea in principle, but doesn’t always work out that way.

Should add that it was during Covid, and we were let down by workmen, which is why it took so long.

Some good advice here re. claiming exemption on your rented property (if that’s possible).

But this is pretty standard when you are occupying two properties due to moving house

Its like how you often get a boost financially because rent is in advance and mortgage isn't due till the end of the month so you feel like you get a free month.

@MereDintofPandiculation to be honest the thought did cross my mind, but I wasn't sure if the council did any checks. I don't want to get into trouble because of it.

I understand the reasoning behind it and I agree it makes sense for landlords but I do think it's unfair on people like myself who are literally just moving from 1 place to another but need a bit of time to get repairs done before they can live in the property.

@startingfresh65 Based on years of employment collecting Council Tax (and unfortunately massive strain on local authority budgets) I think it's vanishingly unlikely they will do any checks. After all, you won't be disappearing off the radar altogether, you will still be liable for and paying for a property. But do move a mattress, a chair, a table and some belongings in.