Council tax for second homes and empty properties could DOUBLE in Neath Port Talbot

The council wants to know what residents think of the proposals.

Due to a change in legislation, councils are now able to charge a premium of up to 300% on second homes and long-term empty properties.

Each Council can choose how it acts when considering the level of charge to apply to empty properties.

Neath Port Talbot Council is proposing a 100% premium on second homes and long-term empty properties, which would double the current council tax payable from April 2025.

Neath Port Talbot Council’s Cabinet Member for Finance, Performance and Social Justice, Cllr Simon Knoyle, said: “We want to hear your views on how we should respond to the change in legislation that increases the premium we can apply on second homes or long-term empty properties in Neath Port Talbot.”

A second home is defined as a dwelling which is not a person’s sole or main home and is substantially furnished. The 1992 Act refers to these dwellings as those which are occupied periodically, but are commonly referred to as ‘second homes’. This can include properties used for short term holiday lets which are subject to Council Tax and don’t qualify for any statutory exemptions.

A long-term empty property is defined as a dwelling that is unoccupied and substantially unfurnished for a continuous period of at least one year.

By law, some long-term empty properties and second homes are exempt from paying a Council Tax premium. These include dwellings being marketed for sale and/or let for up to a year, annexes forming part of a main dwelling, a dwelling which would be someone’s sole or main residence if they were not residing in armed forces accommodation, occupied caravan pitches and boat moorings, seasonal homes where year-round occupation is prohibited and job related dwellings.

The council’s consultation runs until 31 October 2023.

(Lead Image: Steve Hill / Wikimedia / Creative Commons 3.0)