Many people have a second or holiday home. They do not use these dwellings for living purposes or do not feel like renting out them. Landlords in the United Kingdom are aware of the issues that come together with owning a property, including paying council tax. While every homeowner needs to pay council tax every month, it is often challenging for those who have an inhabited or empty house.

You might think of how to avoid paying council tax on an empty property, especially if you have a low monthly budget. Although you will usually need to pay council tax on your unoccupied property, you can contact your local council to determine if you are eligible for a discount or exemption for the same.

Depending on the band of your inhabited property, your local council authorities can decide to send you a discounted amount to pay as tax. You cannot guess the amount payable for the tax since it is totally up to the local council. In some cases, this amount can be double the council tax. If there have been no residents in your property for the last two years or more, you are more likely to pay the double council tax amount.

However, the local council will not charge you double the tax amount if you are in the armed forces or own an annex. Likewise, there are several exemptions to the two-year empty rule. If your inhabited property falls under any of the following circumstances, you won’t have to pay any council tax.

• It is a derelict house.
• It is an empty or inhabited annexe.
• The owner of the property is now in a hospital or home care.
• The owner of the property is in prison. This exemption will not apply to the owners who are in jail for no payment of the council tax.