Apply for a council tax discount for houses undergoing repairs
If your property needs or is undergoing structural alterations or major repair to make it liveable you might get a 100% discount on your council tax for up to 12 months. The property must be empty before any work starts.
If the property is still empty and unfurnished after 12 months, you might have to pay a long-term empty premium charge.
Properties that can get a discount
The property must be unfurnished and unoccupied and:
- be undergoing major repair works or structural work, or
- it had major repair or structural work done and less than six months have passed since it was completed and the property is still empty.
Unfurnished means it must have no furniture that would make it liveable, including beds, chairs and tables, wardrobes and cabinets, TVs and other personal items.
Structural alterations are work that would change the fabric of the property and make it unliveable - for example, removing a load-bearing wall.
Examples of work that qualifies
- Structural repairs to the main structure of the property, like major roof repairs, replacing defective solid floor or ceiling joists, rebuilding internal or external walls
- Major electrical rewiring
- Major replumbing
- Walls being removed
- Underpinning because of subsidence
- Replacement of kitchen or bathroom together with other works
- A considerable amount of work to make the property liveable with substantial repairs costs
Examples of work that does not qualify
- General refurbishment and modernisation, like replacing just a kitchen and bathroom
- New heating including repairs and renewals of services
- Replacement or repairs of bathroom and kitchen or any other fittings or fixtures
- Timber or damp proof treatments
- Replastering and redecoration in between tenancies
- Repointing or window or door replacement
- Minor alterations to the structure, like roof windows
If the work involves more than one of the above, it might still be considered for a discount as 'a considerable amount of work'.