Bromley council plans to tax empty homes

By Joe Coughlan, Local Democracy Reporter

Property owners may soon have to pay more to keep their empty homes as a council has revealed plans to increase tax on properties left empty for more than two years.

Bromley council said in a statement that it would run a public consultation on raising the tax on empty homes across the borough.

The plans look to increase tax on homes left empty for between two to five years to 100 per cent, increasing to 200 per cent after five years and 300 per cent after 10.

The plans are thought to bring in an extra £228,000 to Bromley council, with the council estimating that 89 homes in the borough have been left empty for more than five years.

Council tax records showed that the reasons for homes being left empty for so long included landlords preparing to sell or redevelop properties.

In an announcement for the consultation, a Bromley council spokesman said there were currently 350 in the borough that had been empty for more than two years.

He said that homes left empty on a long-term basis were a “wasted resource”, and that the properties could be an “eyesore” and “nuisance” for the local community.

A previous consultation for raising tax on empty homes was carried out by the council in 2021, but the decision was deferred due to the “impact of the pandemic”, according to council documents.

Currently, homes left empty for up to five years in Bromley are subject to a 50 per cent tax premium, rising to 100 per cent after this.

Dermot Mckibbin, a local housing activist and retired housing advisor, said the service that he supports the changes put forward by Bromley council, but feels more needs to be done to use tax on empty homes as a resource.

He said: “The council needs to draw up an empty homes strategy , designate a senior councillor to lead on this area and work with local residents to successfully bring back empty properties in use.”

The consultation on increasing tax on empty homes in Bromley will run from November 28 to January 4, with the plans intending to be introduced in April 2023.

Bromley council was approached for comment.

Pictured top: Bromley Civic Centre (Picture: Google Street View)