More than one thousand privately-owned Bristol homes have been left 'long-term empty' despite the desperate lack of housing stock in the city. Of those, almost 300 have been unlived-in for at least two years.
In Bristol, owners of empty properties still have to pay council tax and if their properties have been sitting empty for two years or more, they have to pay double the standard rate and after five years they are charged triple. However, if the owner of an empty property wishes to carry out major repairs or structural work, they can apply for a council tax discount.
This week is National Empty Homes Week, during which participating councils can demonstrate measures that have been put in place to bring empty homes back into use. Bristol City Council participates in the initiative and this week Bristol mayor, Marvin Rees, outlined the measures taken by the council to bring unoccupied homes back into use.
