Council tax will increase on Sheffield second and long-term empty homes

Members of Sheffield City Council’s finance committee agreed yesterday (February 19) to bring in new legal powers that will enable the council to charge more.

The long-term empty homes premium applies to dwellings that have been unoccupied and substantially unfurnished for a period of at least two years. From April, the council will be able to start charging full council tax from one year.

In Sheffield, this would currently apply to 1,009 homes. Homes that are empty because the owner has died or is in a care home or hospital have full exemption from council tax.

A report to the committee said that the increase would bring in nearly £1.1m in the first year. As the council owns 137 of the homes, applying the charge will cost the authority £200k.

Sign up for our free newsletters now

The committee also approved bringing in the new second homes premium from April 2025, which is the earliest date allowed.

A report to the committee said: “Based on the 509 dwellings currently recorded on the council tax system, applying a 100% premium would increase the amount of council tax owed by these dwellings by £874k.”

Some exemptions may apply but have not yet been announced and councils have discretion about applying the full charge.

The idea behind the new powers is to bring more homes back into use as well as to raise revenue.

LibDems have already raised concerns about the number of empty city homes. The issue is set to be discussed by the strategy and resources committee.