Am I liable for Council Tax?

[welshcakes]

Hi peeps

 

Hopefully this will be a simple one to answer.

 

I am trying to ascertain whether or not I am actually liable to pay council tax on a second property.

 

The facts are that I have a second property which is unoccupioed and on the market for sale. I am a f/t Carer for my disabled husband and as such I gave up work last year as he needs care 24/7. I thereby (reluctantly) receive only Carer's Allowance, a benefit of approx £48 a week.

 

My husband is on Disability and we no longer have any savings or private or earned income.

 

We are exempt from COuncil Tax on the property which we occupy (privately rented).

 

The other property which I am desperately trying to sell (the mortgage is killing us), is unoccupied.

 

Am I also exempt from paying Council Tax on this other property or simply the discount for it being unoccupied? It seems crazy that we pay no CT for our home but have to pay 50% of it for a property that has remained unoccupied for over a year.

[powelll]

You are usually only eligible for council tax benefit in relation to your 'sole or main residence'. However, if your 2nd property is unoccupied and unfurnished it may have been exempt from council tax for up to 6 months. After 6 months the 50% figure is payable. So may be worth checking if you had any period of exemption ( won't apply if furnished though ).

 

Hope this helps as a starting point

[sequenci]

I think you are liable for 50%, i'll know for sure when I get into the office at about mid-day and can check for you. I want to check if you are entitled to a discount due to your partner's disability, i'm not sure off the top of my head if it would be applicable in this circumstance, it's probably not but i will double check. in the meantime, someone else might be able to answer your query for you!

 

Does your landlord pay the council tax on your current place?

 

Hi peeps

 

Hopefully this will be a simple one to answer.

 

I am trying to ascertain whether or not I am actually liable to pay council tax on a second property.

 

The facts are that I have a second property which is unoccupioed and on the market for sale. I am a f/t Carer for my disabled husband and as such I gave up work last year as he needs care 24/7. I thereby (reluctantly) receive only Carer's Allowance, a benefit of approx £48 a week.

 

My husband is on Disability and we no longer have any savings or private or earned income.

 

We are exempt from COuncil Tax on the property which we occupy (privately rented).

 

The other property which I am desperately trying to sell (the mortgage is killing us), is unoccupied.

 

Am I also exempt from paying Council Tax on this other property or simply the discount for it being unoccupied? It seems crazy that we pay no CT for our home but have to pay 50% of it for a property that has remained unoccupied for over a year.

[welshcakes]

Thank you powelll and sequenci for your fast responses.

 

On the basis of them I rang the council on question and was extremely pleasantly suprised to learn that even though I had already been granted the 6-months free (ie 50% off annual bill) that simply by reapplying for exemption, it can be granted for a further 6 months. That is to say, I am actually receiving a zero bill for the entire year.

 

When I spoe to the young lady from the CT department I did explain how I am a Carer etc so perhaps sequenci you're correct that my partner's disability etc is the factor that permits a full exemption.

 

Whatever the reason, thank you so much for the replies as they have 'chain reacted' in a huge saving that makes all the difference to us