Higher council tax bills considered in push to bring empty homes back into use
Plans are being considered to make owners of empty homes in Huntingdonshire pay higher council tax bills earlier in a push to bring the homes back into use. Councillors at Huntingdonshire District Council have shared support for the idea stating that they did not want homes sitting empty in a “housing crisis”.
Currently the district council doubles the council tax bill for homes that had sat empty for two years. A 200 per cent council tax premium is added after a home has sat empty for five years and a 300 per cent premium is added after a home has been empty for 10 years.
The district council is considering bringing forward the point at which the council tax bill doubles for empty homes to one year. It is also considering doubling the council tax bill for second homes in the area as well. If approved these changes could come into effect from April 2026.
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At a scrutiny panel meeting this week (November 7) Councillor Stephen Ferguson, executive councillor for resident services and corporate performance, said empty homes had “negative consequences” on communities. He said the proposal to increase council tax could allow the district council to be “more punitive” to people who want to keep homes empty for a long time. Cllr Ferguson said the authority believed there are around 670 empty homes across Huntingdonshire.
Councillors at the scrutiny meeting shared their support for the change in the hope it would help bring more empty homes back into use. Councillor Martin Hassell said no one wanted homes to be sitting empty “in this housing crisis”. Councillor Dave Shaw said there were a number of empty homes in his area and said he hoped the premiums would incentivise people to bring the homes back into use.
Councillor Simon Bywater said he did not want to see empty homes, but asked whether there would be any exemptions for particular circumstances. He gave the example of a case where someone passes away without any next of kin and the house is in probate. Officers said exemptions were proposed, including for probate and for people trying to sell a home.
Cllr Ferguson said while they wanted to bring unused homes back into use, the authority should also be “compassionate” in doing so. The proposals will be taken to cabinet for consideration later this month, before it will be presented to full council for a decision next month.