Council Tax - exemptions, discounts and increases (unoccupied properties)

If your property is empty, you may be able to pay less Council Tax. We offer discounts or exemptions of 10%, 50% or 100%, depending on why no one lives there.

If a property has been empty for 12 months or more, you may have to pay more. From 1 April 2019, some long‑term empty properties are charged an empty property surcharge of up to 200% Council Tax.

Use this page to check what applies to you, tell us if something has changed, or send us evidence so we can update your bill.

Discounts and exemptions for empty properties

You may qualify for a Council Tax discount or exemption if your property is unoccupied for specific reasons. Different rules apply depending on the situation, such as whether the property is empty, short‑term or long‑term.

To find out what applies to your property, choose the option that best explains why it is empty from the related pages.

Water and waste water charges

If your property has a septic tank or a private water supply, you may be able to reduce your water and waste water charges. Please see our Water and waste water page for more details.

Tell us if a Council Tax discount or exemption is to end

If you or someone in your household is no longer entitled to a Council Tax discount or exemption because your circumstances have changed, tell us by completing our end of discount/exemption entitlement form.

Tell us about other Council Tax changes

If the number of people living in your property has changed, you need to tell us. Please see our Changes to your household page. 

Provide evidence

If we have asked you to send documents to support a discount or exemption, you can find out what to provide and how to send it on our Council Tax evidence page.