A council has agreed a council tax rise of an additional 100% on second home and long-term empty homes, despite widespread public opposition.
No fewer than 44% of respondents to a consultation by Neath Port Talbot council said they ‘strongly disagreed’ with the idea - but the council has now backed the initiative.
The latest charge means owners of second homes or long-term empty properties will now be charged a premium of 200% on their council tax bill following an initial 100% increase that was first put in place by the local authority back in 2020.
A report to the council read: “The charging of a 100% premium on long-term empty dwellings and second homes would raise additional revenue through council tax collection. This is estimated at a maximum of £2,389,858.21, based on the full year impact of a 100% premium, once both premiums are implemented (April 2025), and based on the current 98% collection rate at average Band D council tax rates.”
And councillor Simon Knoyle told a meeting: “As members we have all experienced the problems caused by long-term empty properties in our communities. The introduction of a council tax premium should incentivise homeowners to return their properties to good use.”
Any long term empty property purchased by a new owner would have a six month grace period before the additional tax was applied.
Last year the Welsh Government introduced legation allowing all local authorities to charge premiums of up to 300% on long term empty properties and some second homes.
A long-term empty dwelling is defined as one which is both “unoccupied and substantially unfurnished for a continuous period of at least one year” while a second home is defined as a dwelling that is not a person’s “sole or main residence and is substantially furnished”.
Neath Port Talbot council claims it has 1,153 long-term empty homes plus 555 properties classed as second homes that pay the 100% charge.
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It is appalling that council houses that are rented are being sold by successive governments leaving Councils with little or no rentable stock and waiting lists where immigrants and the poor have NO chance to rent a home leave alone own a home.
Since the start of the Right to Buy scheme in 1980, until 31 March 2023, there have been over 2,017,590 sales to tenants through the Right to Buy scheme. (as a right to buy surveyor in Westminster in the 1980s I have seen tenants make staggering profits from this obscene policy) - did they remain as owners? No! Many stayed a few years and then sold up and rented or bought elsewhere (like Angela Raynor) - gleening profits for doing didly squid.
In 2022-23, local authorities reported 10,896 eligible sales, similar to last year. This situation is a major reason for the housing crisis and why local authorities are bankrupt but still have the legal obligation to house the homeless! Their budgets are being decimated! So you may ask why are successive governments selling millions of their rentable council homes? Well, it has nothing to do with the false flag of providing more home ownership and everything to do with making a staggering £47 billion pounds. This would have been fine had it gone back into housing but only a fraction of it did.
The political parties, using the media to blame increased rents on the private rental sector, is the biggest red herring since the Ministry of War was renamed the Ministry of Defence! The private rental sector is a massive contribution to avoiding millions of English citizens becoming homeless. However, the government is happy to promote 750,000 migrants into the country every year without providing any homes for the poor souls! This is now compounded by government legislation that taxes the private rental sector into oblivion that in turn is seeing a tipping point and mass exodus of Landlords - estimated at 1M additional rental homes being sold as the PRS sector is no longer a viable investment. The average Private Landlord now earns more by simply selling his rented property and leaving his money in a bank! Ironically both the Conservatives and Labour want the private rental sector houses to remain, for all intents and purposes, to be 'owned' by tenant under the guise of being rented - the private rental becoming a new government sector providing welfare and social council homes with all the baggage that entails.
And so the Ministry of Propaganda continues building a few hundred new homes here and a few hundred there under the guise of understanding and taking action on the housing crisis.
Well Laurel and Hardy are staring at Mr Gove and saying, "Hey Mickey Mouse, another fine mess you've got us into!"
Great post 👍🏻 I have been against the RTB from the get go, it’s selling off public assets at a knock down price, then for a private individual to then go and make a fortune from it 🆘😱🆘😱. Utter criminal incompetence.
Brilliant summation by you Robin. I have written to Angela Rayner, the Labour Party, BBC and my local Conservative MP regarding Angela Rayner avoiding CGT on her first home bought under Right to Buy and I believe subsequently rented out to her brother. On getting married I understand she moved into her husband’s home and was exempt from GCT. I have recently sold a property in similar circumstances but my accountant says I am liable.
Right to Buy has been an absolute disaster and as you say the PRS now has to pick up the pieces. When Labour are elected I am sure they will give PRS tenants right to buy in all but name. In Sweden with similar lifetime tenancies the tenants then sublet and make a profit.
I have started to sell off properties while I can and of course pay GCT on my so called profits not taking inflation on long held property into account.
Extortionate council tax is a very unfair policy. I am surprised that Welsh Labour would allow this. Their rental reform legislation was much more balanced than that formulated by the English Conservatives. Welsh Labour wanted to improve the lot of the tenants, but the Conservative Party wanted to drive out small landlords and have caused tenants harm, not good, in the process.
The clue is in their name. The Welsh arm of UK Labour governments has always been towards the extreme left along with Merseyside and Clydeside.
It's been the constituencies which have flipped between Tory and Labour that have kept both main parties towards the centre - until now.
We'll soon be adopting the Northern Ireland system of two extremes which can and do get support from moderate voters who would be more comfortable with a centre path but are forced down one or other extreme to avoid the opposite extreme.
Charging more for using less services? How does that work? Charging the standard council tax I can sort of get my head around but again this is paying for something you do not use.
This will result in short term lets being over priced and tourism in those areas being decimated, local cafes and shops closing and workers kicked onto the Rock n Roll...
Second home owners are now paying three times the Council Tax paid by a single home owner and often don't use anything other than roads or bins. Many don't even use the state education system and are to be fined a further 20% on top of £16000 fees once Comrade Starmer cons his way into No. 10.
Socialist Republic of Wales. Coming to your area, if Sir Kneeler's Labour party win.
So you use less of the local services 🤷♂️ But pay 3 times what others do 🤔 ok, I get it 🫣🫣
Some people can't afford a first home so Labour think it's OK to charge double for a second home.
Some can't afford a drink or even a coat.
Why not charge double for a second drink, a second coat, a second pair of shoes etc ?
Is it because most Labour voters like to have several drinks and own several coats?
Surely it's nothing to do with envy?
Hit it in one Robert. Politics of Envy. This immoral law needs challenging and all those affected need to get together and resist paying above the usual council tax rates as the changes should not have been retrospective, especially if when these 2nd homes were purchased the extra stamp duty had been paid.
I see you comments on "Gift Vouchers for union members discussing with Generation Rent" have been removed along with all other comments. Long live the censorship of Kim Jon Norwood. Is he preparing to suck up to hiw new overlords after the election?
I cannot remember this happening with Rosalind.
Governments seem very keen to introduce new regulations that allow Councils to charge Property Owners more. We are all aware that without going to Court councils can impose fines of £30000 per offence on Private Landlords . The Council being Judge Jury and Benefactor. Then 300% Council Tax on empty Properties. Why can people not have an Holiday Home .
The Housing Shortage has not been made by Private Landlords , But by Governments not controlling our immigration .
The Auction Houses are booming created by forcing out landlords but they take this to mean a plus and housing market going very well, morons.
Savills Auction up 40% on this time last year directly caused by Rogue Housing Secretary.
Are people aware that the councils classify furnished long term let's as second homes. Despite the fact they are not anyone's second home. From April 2025 many councils have included on their council websites (they need to give a years notice) that from April 2025 they will charge a 100% premium for second homes. This means furnished properties between tenants (I make clear this is normal assured tenancies) will be charged double the council tax between tenants if the landlord needs to decorate or carry out maintenance or improvements. The only way to avoid the double charge is to prove you are actively marketing the property. But I am sure everyone is aware that it is impossible to market a property for let when you don't know the end date of the works. This fact needs to be broadcasted to all landlords with furnished properties. I have contacted my MP but quite honestly they don't seem to grasp the point and keep coming back to me saying that an exception will apply if the property is being marketed
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