On 28 October 2026, the government announced that people in Council Tax Bands A to D will receive a £100 payment in their bank accounts. We will provide this in January 2027 with the details we have in the Council Tax system. We currently have no more detail than this and there may be exceptions, which we will outline when we receive the detailed guidance. As soon as we have more detail, we will provide an update.
Long term empty properties
A long-term empty property is a property that has been unoccupied and substantially unfurnished for six months or more and we charge full Council Tax for.
A Long-term Empty Premium is an additional Council Tax charge for properties that remain empty for an extended amount of time.
From 1 April 2024 for properties that have been continuously empty for more than one year we charge a premium:
Between 1 and 5 years
- Time property has been empty
- Between 1 and 5 years
- Additional charge from April 2024
- 100%
Between 5 and 10 years
- Time property has been empty
- Between 5 and 10 years
- Additional charge from April 2024
- 200%
Over 10 years
- Time property has been empty
- Over 10 years
- Additional charge from April 2024
- 300%
| Time property has been empty | Additional charge from April 2024 |
|---|---|
| Between 1 and 5 years | 100% |
| Between 5 and 10 years | 200% |
| Over 10 years | 300% |
Certain categories of empty property do not have to pay the premium charge as they qualify for an exception. You can find more details and an application form on our exceptions for long-term empty properties and second homes page.
If you own an empty property
If you are an owner of an empty property, you can also find out how we can help and support you to bring it back into use.