Thousands of London homeowners to face double council tax payments in crackdown on empty properties

Thousands of London homeowners are set to face a huge council tax hike if their properties are left empty for more than a year.

Toughened rules allowing councils to double council tax for long-term empty homes come into force on 1 April.

They will now apply when a property has been unoccupied for 12 months, rather than the current two years.

Local authorities will be able to “reinvest” the extra money into public services, the Government said.

Research by the charity Crisis found last year that the number of long-term empty properties had increased in every English region since 2017.

In London there was a 73 percent increase. At the same time, rents have reached record levels. There are around 34,327 properties classified as “long-term vacant” in the capital, according to government figures, with an estimated value of more than £20 billion.

Southwark was the borough with the highest number of empty homes, with more than 2,400, followed by Newham and Barnet.

Many London councils already have rules in place for second home owners who keep their properties unoccupied for long periods.

Hackney has signed off on plans to double council tax premiums for owners of empty properties and second homes from April.

The borough’s mayor, Caroline Woodley, said the council had 8,000 families on its housing waiting list and the new measures would “encourage landlords to use residential properties as much-needed homes, rather than them being left empty or used as financial investments”. .

Westminster Council applies a premium of 200% for properties that have not been lived in for more than five years and 300% for homes that have been empty for a decade.

The Department for Uplift confirmed on Monday that empty properties that are uninhabitable due to extensive renovation, second homes that are not available for year-round use due to planning restrictions and homes that have been recently inherited will be exempt from the new charges.

Local Government Minister Simon Hoare said: “Long-term empty properties are locking local families and young people out of the housing market as they are denied the opportunity to rent or buy in their own community.

“So we are taking action as part of our long-term plan for housing. That means providing more of the right homes in the right places and giving councils more powers to help local people get the homes they need.”