Council tax on deceased father’s house

[AlexaAmbidextra]

Does anyone know what the situation is regarding council tax on properties that are empty following bereavement? I am currently selling my late father’s house. When I first notified the council of his death I was told that the house was exempt from council tax. I then received a demand for CT for the remainder of this year. When I queried this I was told that a mistake had been made and that I was liable for CT at the full rate as I was the sole beneficiary of my father’s estate. Is this correct?

You can only have an exemption for 6 months.

You might then get a 25% discount but that is all.

I am in this situation at the moment. House is exempt from council tax until probate is granted. If the will specifies the house (named) must be sold then it is exempt for 6months. If not specified in will then beneficiaries are liable at full rate from date of probate.

It's exempt until probate is granted then exempt for a further six months.

Have you been made personally liable or is bill addressed to executors of deceased person?

It's only exempt for 6 months if the will states the house must be sold. The property must be named in the will. That's what I was told this week. There is no discount either.

Often if the house is empty you can get a discount- many councillors voted to stop discounts on empty properties as there is a shortage and they need them to be sold or rented out.

A single person discount of 25% won’t count as there isn’t a single/solo person living there

Sorry about your father

Check the relevant Local Authority's policy online. From recent research I've done in a couple of areas, it generally seems to be nil rate until probate is granted and for 6 months following this (as long as the house is unoccupied). Full rate after that usually as LA's are trying to discourage long-term empty properties.
Sorry for your loss. xx

It varies between authorities, so I'd check the policy on their website. It is very unlikely to be free for any significant length of time, you'll have to pay.

If you are the sole beneficiary of the estate, I assume that the house has been transferred to you and therefore you are the one selling it, not as an executor?

Thanks all for your input. House hasn’t yet been transferred into my name so I assume I’m selling it as the executor. Tbh if I have to pay, I have to pay. Just confused as the council didn’t seem to know what they were doing.

When you don’t pay Council Tax

If you’re selling an empty property on behalf of an owner who’s died, you only start paying Council Tax 6 months after you get probate.

The above is from the Gov.UK website. There is an exemption from date of death until probate is granted, and then for 6 months post probate. Until you get grant of probate there is no liability, as the estate is in limbo and the liable person is dead. You then have six months post probate to dispose of the property.

I think it varies by local authorities. I think we were allowed longer because we stated the house was not habitable. However, we are paying now.