Hammersmith and Fulham to raise £3m from tax on empty homes

By Jacob Phillips, Local Democracy Reporter

A west London council is set to make £3m by not giving any council tax discounts to residents who have empty or second homes.

Hammersmith and Fulham has 2,688 second homes in the borough and a further 749 empty properties, but none of them will be exempt from council tax.

The council predicts it will collect £2.44m from the second homes and a further £673,316 from the empty homes, according to its latest tax report.

Since April 2019, any property in the borough that has been empty for more than two years has been charged double the amount of council tax.

To reduce the number of empty properties in the borough, the council also offers VAT reductions to help make properties liveable again.

On its website, the council says: “Empty properties are a wasted resource, to the owner and to the community as a whole.

“They cost money to tax and maintain and represent a significant amount of lost rental income. They are often a nuisance which devalues the area.

“We want to encourage and help owners and managers to bring them back into use.”

Hammersmith and Fulham council approved its new council tax plan at its full council meeting on Thursday.

Picture: Hammersmith and Fulham council building (Picture: Google Street View)