Bucks Council announces empty home crackdown ending tax discounts for properties

Council tax discounts for empty houses and properties in Bucks have been axed by Buckinghamshire Council.

Councillor John Chilver said the move aimed to bring empty buildings back into use ‘as soon as possible’.

The councillor told a Bucks Council meeting this week: “The council is an outlier currently among neighbouring authorities in giving these discounts.”

The authority’s decision means that the discounts for some empty homes will no longer be in place as of 1 April.

Council leader Martin Tett explained that the move did not target, for example, a family who were going through probate after a relative had died.

He said: “This is about long-term empty properties. It is all part of the government drive to increase home ownership and to try and get empty properties back into use.”

One of the council tax discounts that is being removed is the 100 per cent discount for the first month for empty and unfurnished homes.

The other is the 50 per cent discount for up to 12 months for empty properties undergoing major structural repairs.

The council has also been given new powers to reduce the period after which it can charge a 100 per cent premium on empty homes from two years to one year.

Bucks Council, which gained the power under the Levelling Up and Regeneration Act 2023, will use its new powers from April 1, 2025 in order to give homeowners time to adapt.

Councillor Arif Hussain declared an interest and left the council chamber.

The councillor said he did not own empty homes but that he did own investment properties in High Wycombe.