Consultation about Empty Properties and Council Tax

Council Tax is money paid to the Council that helps pay for local services like:

• Schools.
• Emptying bins.
• Keeping the streets clean.
• Street Lighting.

Long Term Empty Properties.

This consultation is about properties that have no furniture or only a small amount of furniture in them.

We call these empty properties.

And homes that are furnished but not lived in.

We call these second homes.

The Council already charges more Council Tax for empty properties.

Now if a property has been left empty for 2 years or more, the Council Tax charged is doubled.

We are asking if the Council Tax should be doubled if the property has been left empty for 1 year.

This is instead of the 2 years as it is now.

We are also asking should the Council Tax be doubled for homes that are not lived in all the time?

There are about 1371 homes in Sefton that have been empty for one year or more.

This number only includes homes where people must pay Council Tax.

Sometimes people do not have to pay Council Tax. This is called being exempt. For example, the house is empty because:

• The owner has gone to live somewhere else to be cared for.
• The owner has left to give care to someone else.
• The owner works in the armed forces.
• When the owner has died, and probate is still to be given.

Probate is a decision by a court about who should look after a person’s financial affairs.

There are about 525 homes in Sefton that are furnished but are not lived in all the time. This could be because:

• It is a 2^nd home.
• It is only used for Holidays.

The Council could double the Council Tax for owners of empty but furnished homes after 1 year.

This is because:

• More homes are needed for people to live in
• The Council will raise more money to spend on local services.