Council tax is set to double on second homes in Bristol under plans in the city council’s budget. Bills will also be twice as much for the owners of homes left empty for one year instead of the current two, if the proposals get the go-ahead at full council in February.
Bristol City Council wants to take advantage of the Government’s Levelling Up and Regeneration Bill which is currently going through Parliament. The new law, if approved, aims to encourage empty properties to be brought back into use for the local community and is expected to come into force from April 2024.
It would give local authorities the power to add premiums of up to 100 per cent on council tax for homes that are substantially furnished but are not the owner’s main place of residence – commonly known as second homes – on top of the council tax that is already charged. Bristol mayor Marvin Rees’s budget also proposes to double council tax on properties empty and unfurnished after just one year – half the current time limit.
