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Council warns landlords of higher tax if homes remain empty

Landlords across North Lincolnshire are being urged to get their properties back on the market or face inevitable council tax rises.

It comes as a report revealed almost 2,000 homes across North Lincolnshire remain empty – and the council believes many of them are owned by landlords, yet not let out.

Of the 1,808 properties in North Lincolnshire listed as empty, 149 are currently charged a 100 per cent council tax premium for being empty for more than two years. 

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Additionally, 64 of the 149 properties have been empty for more than five years and 20 have sat empty for more than a decade.

The council says it already works with landlords to support them to get empty properties back into use but is now considering the option of increasing council tax premiums as part of the budget setting process for 2022/23.

 

 

Councillor Rob Waltham, the council leader, says: “The impact on communities of empty properties it significant, it is one of the things which we receive the most complaints about.

“Not only that there are many people who would benefit from these homes being brought back into use, not least their owners.

“People seeking rental properties or people looking to take their first step onto the property ladder would certainly benefit – a house stood empty is no use to anyone, it could become a home.

“There is lots of help and support available, we can work with landlords to bring the properties back into use or dispose of them and we would welcome any conversation with people to see where we can assist.

“However, if people choose to keep these properties empty for significant periods of time then the only option we have available is to increase the amount of council tax that must be paid – it is not a decision we take lightly but where we need to intervene to help our communities flourish we will.”

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  • George Dawes

    " it is not a decision we take lightly but where we need to intervene to help our communities flourish we will"

    So it's not a money grab , ok

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    Council constant interference is probably the biggest cause of Communities not flourishing. I believe many properties are empty exactly because of this reason too many unnecessary rules & regulations making it too difficult to comply otherwise properly wouldn’t be vacant, they have made many scared to let do they not know in many cases they are the problem. This is another money grab how many have we had.
    Bank Base rates should never have come below 5% the root cause of housing problems abolishing savers forcing everyone to put their money into Residential property as no where left to put their hard earned cash, (main reason to why young don’t save). Coupled this with the internet making it easy to make rules, control , fine, bully and take money from people willy-nilly with no input or effort, then when they have you on your knees they want to give you a grant,

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    Legalised theft. Plain and simple. And they wonder why people hate councils . We really should pay more attention to the people who are elected to local governments. The turn out to vote and the candidates elected are generally very poor

    George Dawes

    Layers and layers of pointless red tape , in my experience the council is there to employ the unemployable. None of them would last 5 minutes in the real world of business . Total and utter incompetence

     
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    There should be an allowance of at least a month free, I have one empty at present, first time in 4 yrs so there is a month's work to do before re letting, I have another one coming empty in August, first time in 6 yrs there, so there will be another month's work to do there, but Norwich council are always quick to get their bill in from day one.

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    Councils actually penalise good landlords who want to bring damaged properties back to a high standard.

    They then complain about sub standard properties being let out despite their policies being a root cause of this problem!

     
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    If I have two cars and leave one on my drive I don't get bullied into selling it or to put it back on the road. Nor do I get enforcement letters telling me to sell one of my jumpers because I own three or more. A house is owned in the same way, I decide what I want to do with it. As long as the property is in good condition and all taxes and bills are paid and if I decide not to have anyone live there then that is my choice. We don't live in a communist state do we?

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    David

    The real reason we are penalised is petty jealousy.

    Since many lefties own two cars and many jerseys you won't hear them campaigning for these to be shared more fairly. They only want fairness to apply to those things that won't affect them or where they can benefit from it.

     
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    2 Jags Prescot for example

     
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    He got one of them free, paid for by the taxpayer.

    He could have set an example to other so called socialists and given away his spare Jag!

     
  • George Dawes

    Not yet Dave , but in a few years time …

    Mr Schwarb and his you’ll have nothing but be happy brigade get their way - crazy times ahead methinx

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    most empty properties are due to govt/councils

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