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Council tax on empty homes

An empty home still pays council tax unless an exemption applies. Once it has been empty and unfurnished for a year, councils can add a premium: up to 300% extra in England (after 10 years) and Wales, and a default 100% in Scotland.

Checked against official sources on 27 October 2026. Independent guide; your council decides your bill.

England

In 2013 England abolished its general exemptions for empty homes (unfurnished, or needing major repair), so councils now decide whether to give any discount. Some empty homes are still exempt, including those left empty because the owner has died (until 6 months after probate), moved into care or hospital, gone to prison or been repossessed, or that the law says can't be lived in.

A home that has been empty and substantially unfurnished for a year counts as long-term empty (the clock restarts only if it is lived in or furnished for more than 6 weeks). Councils can then charge up to:

  • 100% extra after 1 year (double the bill)
  • 200% extra after 5 years (three times)
  • 300% extra after 10 years (four times)

The premium can't be charged for up to 12 months while a home is actively marketed for sale or let, for 12 months after probate, or for up to 12 months while it needs or is having major repairs.

Wales

Wales still exempts empty homes under major repair (up to 12 months) and unoccupied, unfurnished homes (up to 6 months), and since April 2026 a new owner can get those periods afresh. After a year empty, councils can charge a premium of up to 300%, with no step-up by years.

Scotland

Homes empty for up to 12 months normally get a 50% discount, which councils can set between 10% and 50%. After 12 months the default is a 100% increase, with no upper limit since April 2026; homes marketed for sale or let are normally excluded until they have been empty for two years. Water and sewerage are charged in full with no discount.

Empty-home premiums in England, 2026/27

Long-term empty home premium by council, England
CouncilPremiums
Adur100% after 1 year, 200% after 5 years, 300% after 10 years
Amber ValleyNone
Arun100% after 1 year, 200% after 5 years, 300% after 10 years
Ashfield100% after 1 year, 200% after 5 years, 300% after 10 years
Ashford100% after 1 year, 200% after 5 years, 300% after 10 years
Babergh100% after 1 year, 200% after 5 years, 300% after 10 years
Barking and Dagenham100% after 1 year, 200% after 5 years, 300% after 10 years
Barnet100% after 1 year, 200% after 5 years, 300% after 10 years
Barnsley100% after 1 year, 200% after 5 years, 300% after 10 years
Basildon100% after 1 year, 200% after 5 years, 300% after 10 years
Basingstoke and Deane100% after 1 year, 200% after 5 years, 300% after 10 years
Bassetlaw100% after 2 years
Bath and North East Somerset100% after 1 year, 200% after 5 years, 300% after 10 years
Bedford100% after 1 year, 200% after 5 years, 300% after 10 years
Bexley100% after 1 year, 200% after 5 years, 300% after 10 years
Birmingham100% after 1 year, 200% after 5 years, 300% after 10 years
Blaby100% after 1 year, 200% after 5 years, 300% after 10 years
Blackburn with DarwenNot confirmed
Blackpool100% after 1 year, 200% after 5 years, 300% after 10 years
Bolsover100% after 1 year, 200% after 5 years, 300% after 10 years
Bolton100% after 1 year, 200% after 5 years, 300% after 10 years
Boston100% after 2 years, 200% after 5 years, 300% after 10 years
Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole100% after 1 year, 200% after 5 years, 300% after 10 years
Bracknell Forest100% after 1 year
Bradford100% after 1 year, 200% after 5 years, 300% after 10 years
Braintree100% after 1 year, 200% after 5 years, 300% after 10 years
Breckland100% after 1 year, 200% after 5 years, 300% after 10 years
Brent100% after 1 year, 200% after 5 years, 300% after 10 years
Brentwood100% after 2 years, 200% after 5 years, 300% after 10 years
Brighton and Hove100% after 1 year, 200% after 5 years, 300% after 10 years
Bristol100% after 1 year, 200% after 5 years, 300% after 10 years
Broadland100% after 2 years, 200% after 5 years, 300% after 10 years
Bromley100% after 2 years, 200% after 5 years, 300% after 10 years
Bromsgrove100% after 1 year, 200% after 5 years, 300% after 10 years
Broxbourne100% after 2 years
Broxtowe100% after 1 year, 200% after 5 years, 300% after 10 years
Buckinghamshire100% after 1 year, 200% after 5 years, 300% after 10 years
Burnley100% after 1 year, 200% after 5 years, 300% after 10 years
Bury100% after 1 year, 200% after 5 years, 300% after 10 years
Calderdale100% after 1 year, 200% after 5 years, 300% after 10 years
Cambridge100% after 1 year, 200% after 5 years, 300% after 10 years
Camden100% after 1 year, 200% after 5 years, 300% after 10 years
Cannock Chase100% after 1 year, 200% after 5 years, 300% after 10 years
Canterbury100% after 1 year, 200% after 5 years, 300% after 10 years
Castle Point100% after 1 year, 200% after 5 years, 300% after 10 years
Central Bedfordshire100% after 1 year, 200% after 5 years, 300% after 10 years
Charnwood100% after 1 year, 200% after 5 years, 300% after 10 years
Chelmsford100% after 1 year, 200% after 5 years, 300% after 10 years
Cheltenham100% after 1 year, 200% after 5 years, 300% after 10 years
Cherwell100% after 1 year, 200% after 5 years, 300% after 10 years
Cheshire East100% after 1 year, 200% after 5 years, 300% after 10 years
Cheshire West and Chester100% after 1 year, 200% after 5 years, 300% after 10 years
Chesterfield50% after 2 years
Chichester100% after 1 year, 200% after 5 years, 300% after 10 years
Chorley100% after 1 year, 200% after 5 years, 300% after 10 years
City of London100% after 1 year, 200% after 5 years, 300% after 10 years
Colchester100% after 1 year, 200% after 5 years, 300% after 10 years
Cornwall100% after 1 year, 200% after 5 years, 300% after 10 years
Cotswold100% after 1 year, 200% after 5 years, 300% after 10 years
Coventry100% after 1 year, 200% after 5 years, 300% after 10 years
Crawley100% after 1 year, 200% after 5 years, 300% after 10 years
Croydon100% after 1 year, 200% after 5 years, 300% after 10 years
Cumberland100% after 1 year, 200% after 5 years, 300% after 10 years
Dacorum100% after 2 years, 200% after 5 years, 300% after 10 years
Darlington100% after 1 year, 200% after 5 years, 300% after 10 years
Dartford100% after 1 year, 200% after 5 years, 300% after 10 years
Derby100% after 2 years, 200% after 5 years, 300% after 10 years
Derbyshire Dales100% after 2 years, 200% after 5 years, 300% after 10 years
Doncaster100% after 1 year, 200% after 5 years, 300% after 10 years
Dorset100% after 1 year, 200% after 5 years, 300% after 10 years
Dover100% after 1 year, 200% after 5 years, 300% after 10 years
Dudley100% after 1 year, 200% after 5 years, 300% after 10 years
Durham100% after 1 year, 200% after 5 years, 300% after 10 years
Ealing100% after 1 year, 200% after 5 years, 300% after 10 years
East Cambridgeshire100% after 1 year, 200% after 5 years, 300% after 10 years
East Devon100% after 1 year, 200% after 5 years, 300% after 10 years
East Hampshire100% after 1 year, 200% after 5 years, 300% after 10 years
East Hertfordshire100% after 2 years, 200% after 5 years, 300% after 10 years
East Lindsey100% after 2 years, 200% after 5 years, 300% after 10 years
East Riding of Yorkshire100% after 1 year, 200% after 5 years, 300% after 10 years
East StaffordshireNot confirmed
East Suffolk100% after 1 year, 200% after 5 years, 300% after 10 years
Eastbourne100% after 1 year, 200% after 5 years, 300% after 10 years
Eastleigh100% after 1 year, 200% after 5 years, 300% after 10 years
Elmbridge100% after 1 year, 200% after 5 years, 300% after 10 years
Enfield100% after 1 year, 200% after 5 years, 300% after 10 years
Epping Forest100% after 1 year, 200% after 5 years, 300% after 10 years
Epsom and Ewell100% after 1 year, 200% after 5 years, 300% after 10 years
Erewash100% after 1 year, 200% after 5 years, 300% after 10 years
Exeter100% after 1 year
Fareham100% after 1 year, 200% after 5 years, 300% after 10 years
Fenland100% after 1 year, 200% after 5 years, 300% after 10 years
Folkestone and Hythe100% after 1 year, 200% after 5 years, 300% after 10 years
Forest of Dean100% after 1 year, 200% after 5 years, 300% after 10 years
Fylde100% after 1 year, 200% after 5 years, 300% after 10 years
Gateshead100% after 2 years, 200% after 5 years, 300% after 10 years
Gedling100% after 1 year, 200% after 5 years, 300% after 10 years
Gloucester100% after 1 year, 200% after 5 years, 300% after 10 years
Gosport100% after 1 year, 200% after 5 years, 300% after 10 years
GraveshamNone
Great Yarmouth100% after 1 year, 200% after 5 years, 300% after 10 years
Greenwich100% after 1 year, 200% after 5 years, 300% after 10 years
Guildford100% after 1 year, 200% after 5 years, 300% after 10 years
Hackney100% after 1 year, 200% after 5 years, 300% after 10 years
Halton100% after 1 year, 200% after 5 years, 300% after 10 years
Hammersmith and Fulham100% after 1 year, 200% after 5 years, 300% after 10 years
Harborough100% after 1 year, 200% after 5 years, 300% after 10 years
Haringey100% after 1 year, 200% after 5 years, 300% after 10 years
Harlow100% after 1 year, 200% after 5 years, 300% after 10 years
Harrow100% after 1 year, 200% after 5 years, 300% after 10 years
Hart50% after 2 years
Hartlepool100% after 1 year, 200% after 5 years, 300% after 10 years
Hastings100% after 1 year, 200% after 5 years, 300% after 10 years
Havant100% after 2 years, 200% after 5 years
Havering100% after 2 years, 200% after 5 years, 300% after 10 years
Herefordshire100% after 1 year, 200% after 5 years, 300% after 10 years
Hertsmere100% after 1 year, 200% after 5 years, 300% after 10 years
High Peak100% after 1 year, 200% after 5 years, 300% after 10 years
Hillingdon100% after 2 years, 200% after 5 years, 300% after 10 years
Hinckley and Bosworth100% after 2 years, 200% after 5 years, 300% after 10 years
Horsham100% after 1 year, 200% after 5 years, 300% after 10 years
Hounslow100% after 1 year, 200% after 5 years, 300% after 10 years
Huntingdonshire100% after 1 year, 200% after 5 years, 300% after 10 years
Hyndburn100% after 1 year, 200% after 5 years, 300% after 10 years
Ipswich100% after 1 year, 200% after 5 years, 300% after 10 years
Isle of Wight100% after 1 year, 200% after 5 years, 300% after 10 years
Isles of Scilly100% after 1 year
Islington100% after 1 year, 200% after 5 years, 300% after 10 years
Kensington and Chelsea100% after 1 year, 200% after 5 years, 300% after 10 years
King's Lynn and West Norfolk100% after 1 year, 200% after 5 years, 300% after 10 years
Kingston upon Hull100% after 1 year, 200% after 5 years, 300% after 10 years
Kingston upon Thames100% after 1 year, 200% after 5 years, 300% after 10 years
Kirklees100% after 1 year, 200% after 5 years, 300% after 10 years
Knowsley100% after 1 year, 200% after 5 years, 300% after 10 years
Lambeth100% after 1 year, 200% after 5 years, 300% after 10 years
Lancaster100% after 1 year, 200% after 5 years, 300% after 10 years
Leeds100% after 1 year, 200% after 5 years, 300% after 10 years
Leicester100% after 1 year, 200% after 5 years, 300% after 10 years
Lewes100% after 1 year, 200% after 5 years, 300% after 10 years
Lewisham100% after 1 year, 200% after 5 years, 300% after 10 years
Lichfield100% after 1 year, 200% after 5 years, 300% after 10 years
Lincoln100% after 1 year, 200% after 5 years, 300% after 10 years
Liverpool100% after 1 year, 200% after 5 years, 300% after 10 years
Luton100% after 1 year, 200% after 5 years, 300% after 10 years
Maidstone100% after 1 year, 200% after 5 years, 300% after 10 years
Maldon100% after 1 year, 200% after 5 years, 300% after 10 years
Malvern Hills100% after 2 years
Manchester100% after 1 year, 200% after 5 years, 300% after 10 years
Mansfield100% after 2 years, 200% after 5 years, 300% after 10 years
Medway100% after 1 year, 200% after 5 years, 300% after 10 years
Melton100% after 1 year, 200% after 5 years, 300% after 10 years
Merton100% after 1 year, 200% after 5 years, 300% after 10 years
Mid Devon100% after 1 year, 200% after 5 years, 300% after 10 years
Mid Suffolk100% after 1 year, 200% after 5 years, 300% after 10 years
Mid Sussex100% after 1 year, 200% after 5 years, 300% after 10 years
Middlesbrough100% after 2 years, 200% after 5 years
Milton Keynes100% after 1 year, 200% after 5 years, 300% after 10 years
Mole Valley100% after 1 year, 200% after 5 years, 300% after 10 years
New Forest100% after 1 year, 200% after 5 years, 300% after 10 years
Newark and Sherwood100% after 1 year, 200% after 5 years, 300% after 10 years
Newcastle upon Tyne100% after 1 year, 200% after 5 years, 300% after 10 years
Newcastle-under-Lyme100% after 1 year, 200% after 5 years, 300% after 10 years
Newham100% after 1 year, 200% after 5 years, 300% after 10 years
North Devon100% after 1 year, 200% after 5 years, 300% after 10 years
North East Derbyshire100% after 2 years, 200% after 5 years, 300% after 10 years
North East Lincolnshire100% after 1 year, 200% after 5 years, 300% after 10 years
North Hertfordshire100% after 1 year, 200% after 5 years, 300% after 10 years
North Kesteven100% after 1 year, 200% after 5 years, 300% after 10 years
North Lincolnshire100% after 1 year, 200% after 5 years, 300% after 10 years
North Norfolk100% after 1 year, 200% after 5 years, 300% after 10 years
North Northamptonshire100% after 1 year, 200% after 5 years, 300% after 10 years
North Somerset100% after 1 year, 200% after 5 years, 300% after 10 years
North Tyneside100% after 1 year, 200% after 5 years, 300% after 10 years
North Warwickshire50% after 2 years
North West Leicestershire100% after 1 year, 200% after 5 years, 300% after 10 years
North Yorkshire100% after 1 year, 200% after 5 years, 300% after 10 years
Northumberland100% after 1 year, 200% after 5 years, 300% after 10 years
Norwich100% after 1 year, 200% after 5 years, 300% after 10 years
Nottingham100% after 1 year, 200% after 5 years, 300% after 10 years
Nuneaton and Bedworth100% after 2 years
Oadby and Wigston100% after 1 year, 200% after 5 years, 300% after 10 years
Oldham100% after 1 year, 200% after 5 years, 300% after 10 years
Oxford100% after 1 year, 200% after 5 years, 300% after 10 years
Pendle100% after 1 year, 200% after 5 years, 300% after 10 years
Peterborough100% after 1 year, 200% after 5 years, 300% after 10 years
Plymouth100% after 1 year, 200% after 5 years, 300% after 10 years
Portsmouth100% after 1 year, 200% after 5 years, 300% after 10 years
Preston100% after 1 year, 200% after 5 years, 300% after 10 years
Reading100% after 1 year, 200% after 5 years, 300% after 10 years
Redbridge100% after 1 year, 200% after 5 years, 300% after 10 years
Redcar and Cleveland100% after 1 year, 200% after 5 years, 300% after 10 years
Redditch100% after 1 year, 200% after 5 years, 300% after 10 years
Reigate and Banstead100% after 1 year, 200% after 5 years, 300% after 10 years
Ribble ValleyNone
Richmond upon Thames100% after 1 year, 200% after 5 years, 300% after 10 years
Rochdale100% after 1 year, 200% after 5 years, 300% after 10 years
Rochford100% after 1 year, 200% after 5 years, 300% after 10 years
Rossendale100% after 2 years, 200% after 5 years, 300% after 10 years
Rother100% after 1 year, 200% after 5 years, 300% after 10 years
Rotherham100% after 1 year, 200% after 5 years, 300% after 10 years
Rugby100% after 1 year, 200% after 5 years, 300% after 10 years
Runnymede100% after 1 year, 200% after 5 years, 300% after 10 years
Rushcliffe100% after 1 year, 200% after 5 years, 300% after 10 years
Rushmoor100% after 2 years, 200% after 5 years, 300% after 10 years
Rutland100% after 1 year, 200% after 5 years, 300% after 10 years
Salford100% after 1 year, 200% after 5 years, 300% after 10 years
Sandwell100% after 1 year, 200% after 5 years, 300% after 10 years
Sefton100% after 1 year, 200% after 5 years, 300% after 10 years
Sevenoaks100% after 1 year, 200% after 5 years, 300% after 10 years
Sheffield100% after 1 year, 200% after 5 years, 300% after 10 years
Shropshire100% after 1 year, 200% after 5 years, 300% after 10 years
Slough100% after 1 year, 200% after 5 years, 300% after 10 years
Solihull100% after 1 year, 200% after 5 years, 300% after 10 years
Somerset100% after 1 year, 200% after 5 years, 300% after 10 years
South Cambridgeshire100% after 1 year, 200% after 5 years, 300% after 10 years
South Derbyshire100% after 1 year, 200% after 5 years, 300% after 10 years
South GloucestershireNot confirmed
South Hams100% after 1 year, 200% after 5 years, 300% after 10 years
South Holland100% after 2 years, 200% after 5 years, 300% after 10 years
South Kesteven100% after 2 years, 200% after 5 years, 300% after 10 years
South Norfolk100% after 2 years, 200% after 5 years, 300% after 10 years
South Oxfordshire100% after 1 year, 200% after 5 years, 300% after 10 years
South Ribble100% after 1 year, 200% after 5 years, 300% after 10 years
South Staffordshire100% after 1 year, 200% after 5 years, 300% after 10 years
South Tyneside100% after 1 year, 200% after 5 years, 300% after 10 years
Southampton100% after 1 year, 200% after 5 years, 300% after 10 years
Southend-on-Sea100% after 1 year, 200% after 5 years, 300% after 10 years
Southwark100% after 1 year, 200% after 5 years, 300% after 10 years
Spelthorne100% after 2 years, 200% after 5 years, 300% after 10 years
St Albans100% after 2 years, 200% after 5 years, 300% after 10 years
St Helens100% after 1 year, 200% after 5 years, 300% after 10 years
Stafford100% after 1 year, 200% after 5 years, 300% after 10 years
Staffordshire Moorlands100% after 1 year, 200% after 5 years, 300% after 10 years
Stevenage50% after 2 years
Stockport100% after 1 year, 200% after 5 years, 300% after 10 years
Stockton-on-Tees100% after 1 year, 200% after 5 years, 300% after 10 years
Stoke-on-Trent100% after 1 year, 200% after 5 years, 300% after 10 years
Stratford-on-Avon100% after 2 years
Stroud100% after 1 year, 200% after 5 years, 300% after 10 years
Sunderland100% after 1 year, 200% after 5 years, 300% after 10 years
Surrey Heath100% after 1 year, 200% after 5 years, 300% after 10 years
Sutton100% after 1 year, 200% after 5 years, 300% after 10 years
Swale100% after 1 year, 200% after 5 years, 300% after 10 years
Swindon100% after 1 year, 200% after 5 years, 300% after 10 years
Tameside100% after 1 year, 200% after 5 years, 300% after 10 years
Tamworth100% after 1 year, 200% after 5 years, 300% after 10 years
Tandridge100% after 1 year, 200% after 5 years, 300% after 10 years
Teignbridge100% after 1 year, 200% after 5 years, 300% after 10 years
Telford and Wrekin100% after 1 year, 200% after 5 years, 300% after 10 years
Tendring100% after 1 year, 200% after 5 years, 300% after 10 years
Test Valley100% after 1 year, 200% after 5 years, 300% after 10 years
Tewkesbury100% after 1 year, 200% after 5 years, 300% after 10 years
Thanet100% after 1 year, 200% after 5 years, 300% after 10 years
Three RiversNot confirmed
Thurrock100% after 1 year, 200% after 5 years, 300% after 10 years
Tonbridge and Malling100% after 1 year, 200% after 5 years, 300% after 10 years
Torbay100% after 1 year, 200% after 5 years, 300% after 10 years
Torridge100% after 1 year, 200% after 5 years, 300% after 10 years
Tower Hamlets100% after 1 year, 200% after 5 years, 300% after 10 years
Trafford100% after 1 year, 200% after 5 years, 300% after 10 years
Tunbridge Wells100% after 1 year, 200% after 5 years, 300% after 10 years
Uttlesford100% after 2 years
Vale of White Horse100% after 1 year, 200% after 5 years, 300% after 10 years
Wakefield100% after 1 year, 200% after 5 years, 300% after 10 years
Walsall100% after 1 year, 200% after 5 years, 300% after 10 years
Waltham Forest100% after 1 year, 200% after 5 years, 300% after 10 years
Wandsworth100% after 1 year, 200% after 5 years, 300% after 10 years
Warrington100% after 1 year, 200% after 5 years, 300% after 10 years
Warwick100% after 1 year, 200% after 5 years, 300% after 10 years
Watford100% after 1 year, 200% after 5 years, 300% after 10 years
Waverley100% after 1 year, 200% after 5 years, 300% after 10 years
Wealden100% after 1 year, 200% after 5 years, 300% after 10 years
Welwyn Hatfield100% after 1 year, 200% after 5 years, 300% after 10 years
West Berkshire100% after 1 year, 200% after 5 years, 300% after 10 years
West Devon100% after 1 year, 200% after 5 years, 300% after 10 years
West Lancashire100% after 1 year, 200% after 5 years, 300% after 10 years
West Lindsey100% after 2 years, 200% after 5 years, 300% after 10 years
West Northamptonshire100% after 1 year, 200% after 5 years
West Oxfordshire100% after 1 year, 200% after 5 years, 300% after 10 years
West Suffolk100% after 1 year, 200% after 5 years, 300% after 10 years
Westminster100% after 1 year, 200% after 5 years, 300% after 10 years
Westmorland and Furness100% after 1 year, 200% after 5 years, 300% after 10 years
Wigan100% after 1 year, 200% after 5 years, 300% after 10 years
Wiltshire100% after 2 years, 200% after 5 years, 300% after 10 years
Winchester100% after 1 year, 200% after 5 years, 300% after 10 years
Windsor and Maidenhead100% after 1 year, 200% after 5 years, 300% after 10 years
Wirral100% after 1 year, 200% after 5 years, 300% after 10 years
Woking100% after 1 year, 200% after 5 years, 300% after 10 years
Wokingham100% after 1 year, 200% after 5 years, 300% after 10 years
Wolverhampton100% after 1 year, 200% after 5 years, 300% after 10 years
Worcester100% after 1 year, 200% after 5 years, 300% after 10 years
Worthing100% after 1 year, 200% after 5 years, 300% after 10 years
Wychavon100% after 2 years
Wyre100% after 1 year, 200% after 5 years, 300% after 10 years
Wyre Forest100% after 1 year, 200% after 5 years, 300% after 10 years
York100% after 1 year, 200% after 5 years, 300% after 10 years

Empty-home premiums in Scotland, 2026/27

Long-term empty home premium by council, Scotland
CouncilPremiums
Aberdeen100% after 1 year
Aberdeenshire200% after 1 year
Angus100% after 1 year
Argyll and Bute110% after 1 year
Clackmannanshire100% after 1 year
Dumfries and Galloway100% after 1 year
Dundee100% after 1 year
East Ayrshire100% after 1 year
East Dunbartonshire200% after 1 year
East Lothian100% after 1 year
East Renfrewshire100% after 1 year
Edinburgh100% after 1 year
Falkirk100% after 1 year
Fife100% after 1 year
Glasgow200% after 1 year
Highland150% after 1 year
Inverclyde100% after 1 year
Midlothian100% after 1 year, 300% after 2 years, 500% after 3 years
Moray100% after 1 year
Na h-Eileanan Siar100% after 1 year
North Ayrshire100% after 1 year
North Lanarkshire100% after 1 year
Orkney Islands100% after 1 year
Perth and Kinross200% after 1 year
Renfrewshire100% after 1 year
Scottish Borders200% after 1 year
Shetland Islands75% after 1 year
South Ayrshire100% after 1 year
South Lanarkshire100% after 1 year
Stirling100% after 1 year
West Dunbartonshire200% after 1 year
West Lothian100% after 1 year

Empty-home premiums in Wales, 2026/27

Long-term empty home premium by council, Wales
CouncilPremiums
Blaenau Gwent100% after 1 year, 200% after 2 years, 300% after 3 years
Bridgend100% after 1 year, 200% after 3 years
Caerphilly100% after 2 years, 200% after 3 years, 300% after 5 years
Cardiff100% after 1 year, 200% after 2 years, 300% after 3 years
Carmarthenshire50% after 1 year, 100% after 2 years, 200% after 5 years
Ceredigion100% after 1 year, 150% after 5 years, 200% after 10 years
Conwy200% after 1 year, 300% after 5 years
Denbighshire150% after 1 year, 225% after 5 years
Flintshire100% after 1 year, 150% after 3 years, 200% after 5 years, 300% after 10 years
Gwynedd150% after 1 year
Isle of Anglesey100% after 1 year
Merthyr Tydfil100% after 1 year, 150% after 5 years, 200% after 10 years
Monmouthshire100% after 1 year, 200% after 2 years, 300% after 3 years
Neath Port Talbot100% after 1 year
Newport100% after 1 year
Pembrokeshire300% after 2 years
Powys100% after 1 year
Rhondda Cynon Taf100% after 1 year, 200% after 3 years
Swansea100% after 1 year
TorfaenNone
Vale of Glamorgan100% after 1 year, 150% after 2 years, 200% after 3 years
Wrexham200% after 1 year, 250% after 4 years

Premiums from each council's own website or published decisions, checked October 2026.

Questions

Do you pay council tax on an empty house?

Usually, yes. In England there's no national discount for empty homes any more, so you pay the full bill unless your council offers a discount or an exemption applies (for example after a death, a move into care or a repossession). After a year empty, councils can add a premium.

How long can a house be empty before paying more council tax?

A year in England and Wales and 12 months in Scotland. In England the premium can rise to 200% after 5 years and 300% after 10 years.

Do I pay council tax while I renovate?

In England an empty home that needs or is having major repairs can't be charged the premium for up to 12 months, and you can ask the Valuation Office to take a home that can't be lived in off the list while the work is done. Wales and Scotland exempt empty homes under major repair for up to 12 months.

Official sources