Council becomes latest to hike levy for empty homes

North Tyneside Council has agreed that from April this year, owners of homes that have been empty for more than two years will be charged double on their council tax, it said.

Homes that have stood empty for five years or more will be charged a 200% premium, and from April 2021, properties that have been empty for 10 years or more will be hit with a 300% premium.

The local authority currently has 460 empty properties, it said. Of these, 305 have been empty between two to five years, 104 for between five and 10 years, and 51 for more than 10 years.

Most of the long-term empty properties are in the lowest council tax band and are often, the local authority said, in more “deprived areas of the borough”.

Ray Glindon, cabinet member for finance and resources at North Tyneside Council, said: “We already do a lot of work to try and tackle empty homes and the introduction of council tax premiums will support this.

“The new premium will also prove beneficial in our efforts to tackle homelessness and help those struggling to find somewhere to live by encouraging owners of long-term empty properties to bring them back into use.”

The council pointed to a consultation which it said showed 67% of respondents backed the move.

However, the authority said that owners who can demonstrate the property is actively being marketed for sale or rent at a “reasonable level” will be exempt from the premium.