Babergh and Mid Suffolk district councils will be discussing a proposal to increase tax premiums for owners of second homes and empty properties. The councils hope that the change will encourage owners to bring their unoccupied homes back into use. Owners who leave their properties empty and unfurnished for one year could have their tax bill doubled and could face a four-fold increase if the property is empty for 10 years.
There are currently almost 600 empty properties in Babergh, and more than 680 in Mid Suffolk. Councillor Jessie Carter, the cabinet member for housing at Babergh District Council, said, “Each empty property is a potential home, and we must encourage owners to bring them back into use to help relieve the pressure on existing housing stock”. Richard Winch, Green councillor and cabinet member for housing and property at Mid Suffolk District Council, added, “empty homes blight neighbourhoods and can attract antisocial behaviour and crime.”
The councils already impose a tax premium for properties left empty and unfurnished for two years or longer, but local authorities can reduce that deadline from April 2024 onward under new government legislation. If the proposals are accepted, the owners of 576 second homes in Babergh and 542 in Mid Suffolk would see their council tax bill double from April 2025. The councils have stated that the plan could raise up to £2m.
However, there would be exceptions to the doubling and quadrupling of council tax bills. For example, if the owner has served in the military, or if the owner is genuinely trying to sell the property. “The idea really is to give people a bit of a nudge who’ve got empty homes to work with us proactively to get them back onto the rental market,” explained Mr Winch.
Green councillor Jessie Carter said that the council wants to “ensure that those who choose to own second homes make a higher contribution to local services at a time when they are under pressure.” Mid Suffolk and Babergh district councils are set to discuss the proposals on 9 January
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