to have little sympathy for this landlady facing a £20,000 tax bill

[cakeorwine]

You need to listen to the story

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/p0l91m83

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c4gegkxxlg3o

It sounds like she had 8 holiday lets in Blackpool. If a holiday let is not let for more than 70 nights a year, then it becomes classed as a second home.

Under a second home, she is liable for Council tax.
6 of these now seem liable for backdated council tax and she faces a £20,000 backdated tax bill.

Apparently landlords have been given a year to prepare.

She is worried about the tax bill and says that if she goes to the hospital, she hopes its bad news.

She also talks about famiiles who have come regularly to the lets.

But if the properties aren't being let for more than 70 nights a year, then they aren't very popular holiday lets - and should be occupied by people who need a home.

Maybe she should rent out some of the other properties to people who need a place to live in to pay the tax bill.

As an aside, it's also interesting to read the BBC article which does not mention the details of why a let might become liable for Council Tax payments.

Yep, tough shit eh

Aww but look at her sad sad face 😞

Pure vermin! Hope they sting her for every single penny she owes, and then some.

As you say if they were being used an holiday lets she'd be fine the fact they're idle suggests she should get rid she must have other costs to contend with
No sympathy for her house hoarding ways

70 days is barely over 2 months a year, why doesn’t she long term let? I’m sure there’s families who need homes. No sympathy there. I’d make it 100 nights or more myself

No sympathy whatsoever. Every one of those flats could have provided a home for someone in need.

The rules are here.
It is longer for Wales

And no sneaky letting to family

https://www.gov.uk/government/news/changes-to-business-rates-rules-for-self-catering-properties

Sounds like she was letting them out for cash in hand on the side as well. No way she'd only be letting them out 70 days a year if she had 8 to let out.

I have a bit of sympathy because they obviously are not second homes. So basically she is owning 8 properties which are unoccupied for most of the year.

I'm sorry but she isn't facing bankruptcy she can sell them or let them to a family.

It's astounding you can be this unintelligent and have this many assets.... the benefits to being born at a specific point in time.

The 70-night requirement is very low - if you're not meeting it there's something odd about your business model.

This is a non-story surely. She owes £20,000 but owns numerous properties. She just needs to sell one property for at least £20,000 and she's sorted. Why involve the press?

And that's a problem because...? She can sell at any point -_-

It looks like they are self catering apartments within a block of apartments.

Whether they are fully self contained or if there are shared facilities might complicate things - but the picture seems to say that they are fully self contained apartments.

Which could then be potentially rented out long term to someone.

I'm not sure why the interviewer didn't challenge this woman or her grandson on anything that they were saying.

As PP have said, if a holiday flat isn't occuped by holiday makers for 70 nights a year which is only 10 weeks, it's not a viable business model. She has eight of these flats but she would rather be diagnosed with a terminal illness than either market these flats properly or sell one of them to raise the money to pay the taxes.

Second homes is house-hoarding. This woman is sitting on 8 homes and nobody is staying in them for more than two months a year, so how is it different from second homes and why does it deserve sympathy?

Absolutely 💯!

Lots of people who want to go on holiday need a place to stay.

what a plum.
“housing crisis nothing to do with me guv. Just bought up a few homes that would have made good starter homes”

x100 in every seaside town

I bet she’s renting them out for more than 70 nights a year and for cash in hand to avoid income tax.

No sympathy.

Oh for god's sake, get over yourself. There are lots of shite landlords and other entitled individuals who bend and beak the rules to suit themselves. It's got fuck all to do with "born at a specific point in time".

Puerile post.

Difficult to believe she’s not managing to rent them out for more than 70 nights a year in a holiday seaside resort.

Dodgy AF. Glad they've caught up with her, it's not possible to feel sorry for someone who owns 8 homes.

That language is a bit extreme.

Probably getting cash in hand from some guests which has come back to bite her on the bum.

The solution to her 20k tax bill is obvious- sell some property!