Owners of empty homes could pay 300% more tax
Motion to increase rates likely to be put before full council in new year
OWNERS of empty homes could face a surge in their council tax of as much as 300 per cent as councillors look to crack down on the number of vacant properties across their borough.
The rates, which could roll out in Havant, would see owners of homes left empty for two to five years pay 100 per cent extra tax from April 2020.
It would apply to each vacant home separately, with properties empty for more than five years hit with a bill for 200 per cent more council tax.
If the changes are introduced, the premium would rise to 300 per cent more tax on homes that have been empty for more than a decade in 2021.
Tim Pike, Havant Borough Council’s deputy leader and cabinet lead for planning, regeneration and communities, said: ‘We don’t want to see homes sat empty when we’ve got people sitting waiting for homes of their own.
‘This is part of the mixture of carrots and sticks available to try and ensure that all the homes in the borough are put to good use.’
As of August, 2019, 101 properties across the borough had been empty for between two and five years.
Twenty-two others were vacant for between five and 10 years, while six had been unused and substantially unfurnished for more than a decade.
Councillor Lulu Bowerman, Havant’s cabinet boss for people and communications, also backed the motion as it appeared at a meeting on Wednesday.
She said: ‘I have no problem with it. I think it’s a great way forward to try and bring back into use some of the empty homes.’
A 50 per cent empty homes premium was introduced in Havant in April 2013. Homes empty for two years or more have fallen by 198 since.
Council leader Michael Wilson was the only cabinet member to vote against the new hikes.
He said: ‘I’m not convinced. We rely on evidence for our policy and I have not seen any evidence here this would make any difference.’
The motion is expected to be put before Havant’s full council in the new year.