my 71 year old mother in law rennovated and moved into a bungalow just over 12 months ago. on new years eve whilst on holiday due to the cold weather she had a pipe burst in the attic and the property has been flooded ceilings down etc . She is currently in accomodation as the property is uninhabitable ,in fact work hasn't even started as it is still being dried out .

She was advised to contact the council tax department to see if she qualified for exemption from council tax which she did . However the report has arrived saying that because the saved furniture is piled up in the one room that has no damage she is not eligible and not only this because she has contacted them to inform them that the house is uninhabitable and she has had to move out that she now loses her 25% single persons discount !!!

Does anyone have any advice that i can give her please as it seems so unfair that whilst having to go through the trauma of the flood and seeing her beautiful home ruined after only having lived their for such a short time she now has to pay extra for not being able to live there.

Thank you

She is exempt so get back at them:

unoccupied dwellings undergoing major repair

work to render them habitable or undergoing

structural alteration, for up to twelve months. The

exemption will continue for up to six months from

the date the work is substantially completed,

provided that this does not take the total period of

exemption to more than twelve months;

i am going to see her today i will copy the letter that we recieved from them re what it classed as uninhabitable thanks coniff

this is a copy of the letter after the inspection .

It sounds like it doesn't meet the criteria for Class A ( unoccupied and undergoing major repair work to qualify) and was assessed as a Class C (empty and substantially unfurnished) under which furniture in the property can disqualify it.

Uninhabitable may be open to interpretation. If you type "Council Tax Excempt Uninhabitable" into Google you get a list of local authorities and the way each sees uninhabitable is slightly different.

What could be considered as inhabitable to a young person living on there own may not be inhabitable to a "frail?" elderly lady.

regards

Mike

thanks mike will have a look now .

Last year lots of people in Hull were forced out of their homes by flood water. Sadly some have been living in caravans for more than a year. Their homes would not have been considered uninhabitable by the "normal rules" ( roof missing or major structural alterations). They needed the sort of repairs your mothers home is requiring. It would be interesting to find out if they have still been receiving Council tax demands for their flooded homes whilst they are living in the caravan in the garden.

Mike

update on this she has been granted exempt after we emptied the house of furniture Work is almost complete after the flood and she should be back in her home within 2 or 3 weeks ...