Starting April 1, 2025, Pembrokeshire will impose a 300% tax on homes left empty for over two years to tackle housing shortages.
Pembrokeshire: The local council is shaking things up with a new tax plan for empty homes. Starting April 1, 2025, if your property has been empty for two years or more, you’ll face a hefty 300% tax increase.
This is a big change from the old system, which gradually raised the tax. The goal? To get those empty homes back into use and help ease the housing crunch in Pembrokeshire.
Councillor Joshua Beynon mentioned that this premium aims to encourage homeowners to make their properties livable again. It’s all about helping the community and making sure there are enough homes for everyone.
Now, this premium is added on top of your regular council tax, which includes charges for local services. But if you’re fixing up your place, you might be in luck. You can apply for a council tax exemption for up to 12 months if your home needs major repairs.
If you’ve already got an exemption, you can also ask for a discretionary discount, which could match the empty property premium. Just remember, you’ll still need to pay the standard council tax.
To get this discount, you’ll need to show proof of the work needed, along with some photos. Each case is looked at individually, and the discount usually lasts for a year.
On top of that, Pembrokeshire County Council is joining the National Empty Homes Grant Scheme. This means if your empty property meets certain criteria, you could snag a grant of up to £25,000 to help with renovations.
For more details on the grant, check out the National Empty Homes Grant website. If you want to apply for the council tax discount, just shoot an email to revenue.services@pembrokeshire.gov.uk or write to them at County Hall, Haverfordwest, SA61 1TP.
