A couple transforming a house with no heating, gas or hot water have been slapped with a 200 per cent council tax bill – because the building has been empty for more than a year. Peter and Emma Shenton bought the property – on Oxford Gardens, in Stafford – using inheritance money left by Emma’s late father on the street where her dad bought his first home.
They say it was only in September when they were handed the keys and discovered the property had been empty for more than two years. It means their annual council tax payment to Stafford Borough Council is now £3,200 – and the makeover is expected to continue until late January, reports StokeonTrentLive.
Emma, aged 50, from Stafford, explained: “We got the keys, went in, sorted out all the electrics, all the utilities, and obviously contacted council tax.” She continued: “We said the gas had been condemned, it needs a total rewire, the lights are flickering, it was lead pipe for the water, no flushing toilet, no hot water, no boiler and radiators and wondered about a council tax reduction.
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“We anticipated taking three or four months to turn it around. I was horrified when I got a letter to say ‘200 per cent’. The property has been empty for two years therefore you owe us 200 per cent council tax.
“We are literally rushing through now, like my husband is self-employed, he’s doing a bit of his job, a bit there, a bit here. I literally start work at 4am and tend to finish around 4pm. I go home, get changed, go straight to the house, and I’m there until 8pm at night.
“We are literally putting absolutely everything into this house. At weekends we are there 10 to 12 hours to basically get it to a liveable condition. The house isn’t empty, there is somebody there near enough 12 hours every day. Yes it may be during the day, we’re not physically sleeping there but it’s there.
“The whole house is effectively there now because we’ve bought the kitchen, the bathroom. So everything is physically there and I’ve no issue with paying 100 per cent council tax. But it’s the fact just because I am not living there, staying there overnight, that they are charging me 200 per cent.
“The house is physically more active and alive now than it ever has been and the people down the street can’t believe the hours we’re putting in. They’re horrified that we’re paying 200 per cent council tax.
“We’re basically just trying to get it done and I’m just so disheartened now. When we first bought it I couldn’t wait to get there, it was great, it was lovely, I love doing it, it’s what I love doing and now I’m coming to the stage where I really do not like this house at all. It’s had a really negative effect on me.”
Stafford Borough Council is standing by its decision. Spokesman William Conaghan said: “We want to ensure empty properties are brought back into use. Homes are a wasted resource if left unoccupied when they could provide much-needed accommodation for our community.
“If they are empty for more than 12 months then they will attract an increase in council tax and we would ask people to work with us at an early stage if they have bought a property, as an investment to sell on for example, so we can provide support if required to enable it to be brought back into use as soon as possible.”