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soupfiend · 16/03/2024 15:17

Im not an expert either but I thought for anything over about 50k probate was required? Not sure, but in any case until the property passed into your name (if you didnt choose to sell it before the estate was settled) you personally wasnt responsible for the CTAX

I would have thought it more effective to sell it before the estate gets settled, then all the monies just go direct to the beneficiaries.

Mossstitch · 19/03/2024 00:52

@soupfiend the house instantly passed into my name, there was no probate (got 200k for it when sold). Only thing i can think of is it was because owned as tenants in common with my step father. As soon as he died the solicitor changed name on title deeds with land registry to my sole name and I was liable for the council tax along with all the utilities. Was fun getting virgin to cancel as they insisted they could only speak with the account holder👻(sorry dark sense of humour😉) I then paid capital gains tax but that was after the property was sold. All done legally through solicitor and accountants🤷‍♀️

caringcarer · 19/03/2024 01:17

worriedftb · 15/03/2024 13:47

haha, love the april fool comment.

i think it comes into force this year 2024. and yep, second homes that are empty for more than a year. i think it's forcing people to either rent them or sell up, which is fair.

why do people have empty second homes anyway? isn't that a security risk?

Edited

I've got an empty btl and I already pay double council tax on it. It's been empty for over a year. I'm not complaining about it. Since it was purchased at the end of 2022 DH was diagnosed with a brain tumour in March 2023 so my focus was on him and his big operation in October 2023 not sorting out an empty property. It needs extensive work and renovation including sitting room floor up and all floor joists replacing, then new floor boards and carpets. It needs a new bathroom and kitchen including additional electrical sockets, painting throughout, some new skirting boards and new carpets throughout. Then once it's up to scratch it will be let out. I wouldn't let it out without the work being done first. I don't mind paying the additional council tax until it's ready to rent out. The upstairs has now been painted all old carpets disposed of, old kitchen disposed of, and I have a plumber booked to install the new bathroom at the end of April. It will be completed and ready to rent out by the beginning of June. People usually have very good reasons why they have an empty property not let out.

caringcarer · 19/03/2024 01:25

worriedftb · 15/03/2024 13:47

haha, love the april fool comment.

i think it comes into force this year 2024. and yep, second homes that are empty for more than a year. i think it's forcing people to either rent them or sell up, which is fair.

why do people have empty second homes anyway? isn't that a security risk?

Edited

I've had a second home in France for years. I don't rent it because you never know who you rent to. I just let family and friends borrow it when I am not using it. They clean up after themselves and might kindly pull up a few weeds for me from the garden. We've never had any security concerns.

caringcarer · 19/03/2024 01:28

Tryingtokeepgoing · 15/03/2024 22:26

Interesting…I didn’t know that. I will amend that with them :)

My question remains though…if I don’t claim the single person discount at either, how will they know one’s a second home and charge double? And it’s not that I want to or am trying to avoid it, I’m just interested to know how they’d determine it was a second home, or even empty?

Edited
Show quote history

Because when you ring to tell them you own the property you tell them. They send you a form to ask who will be living there and one of the questions is 'Is this property your main residence'? If the house is empty you state it is currently empty.

oiltrader · 19/03/2024 09:45

Tryingtokeepgoing · 15/03/2024 16:15

Sounds like your Dad might be the dim one...and possibley not as sucessful as he could have been... UK property has perfomed in line with equities if you look at the return over the last 20 years. And in reality many people's actual returns will have been far higher, as property is a often a leveraged investment. Put a £50k deposit on a £250k house that doubles in value in 10 years means that your £50k has turned into £300k. The rent pays the interest on the capital.

Try turning £50k into £300k on the stock market with a similar level of risk as equities. You can't. Unless you borrowed to invest in equities. In which case, find try and find a bank that will lend you £200k to dabble in the stock market ;)

And without landlords, where would people who need to to rent a property live...? There'd be no temporary homes.

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what equities?

definitely not the USA x

fluffykittens208 · 19/03/2024 09:56

worriedftb · 15/03/2024 13:37

@BranchGold what annoys me the most more recently is JEREMY hunt's bullocks about us being double taxed (income and nI) when infact we are TRIPLE taxed when you add council tax. Council tax is worse imo because it's tax after you've been income and NI taxed. This country is so ridiculous, no wonder we are losing talent left right and centre.

apologies for use of caps, just very passionate atm! thanks for your comment too

Most countries charge property tax. It's strange that this country chooses to charge what is effectively an occupation tax and charges renters as well. But its the one thing that is closest to a property tax other than stamp duty and majority of properties in the UK don't pay significant amounts of stamp duty anyway plus it's a one off even for those who do.

Mac1234567 · 03/09/2024 19:07

Personally I think it’s appalling I bought a small flat for my son who was having mental difficulties at the time. He moved out of the flat and I immediately put it up for sale. I am struggling to sell it and despite it being a tiny one room bed sit I am now having to pay over £300 per month council tax despite my best efforts to sell the property!!!!
with hindsight I’d have been much better to force the council to house him!!!
This isn’t punishing rich people with secon homes it’s also punishing people like myself who have worked and saved all my life and now nearing retirement am really struggling to pay this and desperately trying to sell the flat.
shame on the council and exorbitant rates!

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