Increasing the Council Tax on empty properties

Cheshire West and Chester Council has this week launched a consultation seeking views on proposed changes to the Council Tax premium charged to the owners of empty properties that have been vacant for over two years.

The consultation is open until 24 October.

Council Tax empty homes premium consultation

The Council is proposing to increase the Council Tax premium charged to properties that have been empty and largely unfurnished for more than two years from 50 per cent to 100 per cent with effect from 1 April 2019. We believe this will help to increase the amount of available housing stock in the borough and help us meet the target set out in our Empty Homes Strategy to bring 900 empty homes back into use over a five year period to 2021.

We would like to know what you think about the proposal to double the Council Tax empty homes premium, as well as your views on other potential changes that could be made in the future.

How to share your views

The consultation is open from 1 August 2018 to 24 October 2018. You can respond to the consultation using the link to the online survey by clicking here