UK Landlord Forum / Life

Hello everyone this is my first post but we have had properties for a few years so know a fair bit about renting, so hopefully will be of some value in the future. We recently completed on a property that has been empty for some time.
So we applied to the council for empty rates, knowing that things have changed recently, to a maximum of 3 months per year, it seems that if the previous owner uses that 3 month exception in a 12 month period, the new owner has to pay full rates from day one! This doesn't seem right to me but the local authority wont budge! Can anyone clarify for me please?

The rules have changed as you say and are dependant on each individual authority so you need to check the relevant website.

More info here: http://www.propertyinvestmentproject.co.uk/blog/no-more-council-tax-exemption-for-landlords-probably/

I was told recently by Cornwall council, you only get the first month "unoccupied" 100% discount IF the property has been occupied in the previous 16 weeks.

You can apply for an exemption/discount if you are undertaking structural works or works that render the property uninhabitable for that period.

Always worth a try!