Tribunal Tells Councils to End Tax On Empty Homes

A tribunal has ordered local authorities to stop charging two housing associations thousands of pounds in council tax on empty properties. Hammersmith and Fulham, Kensington and Chelsea and Ealing had refused to grant the landlords a six-month exemption after the government changed the rules on empty properties in April last year. Automatic exemptions were removed for private landlords, but housing associations which are registered charities should have been able to benefit from a specific exemption for charitable organisations. Despite this, the three boroughs refused to exempt housing associations, forcing them to pay council tax on void properties - a decision overturned by the valuation tribunal on 31 March. Read more on Inside Housing.