Discounts and reductions
We do not charge Council Tax on some properties.
Properties exempt from Council Tax
You won't have to pay Council Tax for your property if it is lived in only by:
- students
- people under the age of 18
- people who have severe mental disabilities and who would otherwise be legally responsible for Council Tax
- Some empty properties
Some properties are always exempt, whether they are lived in or not. Any of the following types of properties will be exempt:
- Armed forces accommodation
- Visiting forces accommodation
- A property lived in by someone from abroad who has diplomatic, commonwealth, or consular privilege or immunity who uses the property in an official role.
- An occupied annexe will be exempt if it is occupied by a dependant relative who is living in it as their main home. A relative is classed as dependant if they are over the age of 65, substantially or permanently disabled or severely mentally impaired.
- An unoccupied annexe will be exempt if all of the following apply; it is unoccupied, forms part of a single property and cannot be let separately from the property without a breach of planning control.
Check your last Council Tax bill. If you think you qualify for any of these exemptions which you are not already getting, contact us and we will tell you how to apply.
Disabled Person's Relief
If you qualify for Disabled Person's Relief, we will reduce your Council Tax bill to the amount of the charge for a property in the Council Tax band below yours. This means that if your property is in band B, we will charge you Council Tax as though your property is in band A.
If your property is already in band A, we will reduce your bill by one-sixth.
Can I get Disabled Person's Relief?
You or someone who lives with you must suffer from a substantial or permanent disability to qualify for the relief. The disabled person can be either an adult or a child and it doesn't have to be you. If more than one person who lives in your home is disabled, we can only give one reduction.
Your home must have one feature from the list below which is essential, or very important, to the well being of a person (adult or child) suffering from a disability who lives in your home.
- A room (other than a bathroom, kitchen or toilet) used mainly by the person with the disability. Examples are a downstairs bedroom or a room for storing dialysis equipment.
- An extra bathroom or kitchen for the person with the disability to use.
- Extra space inside your home because the disabled person has to use a wheelchair indoors. The extra room or space doesn't have to have been specially built. It can be an existing room or space as long as it's used specifically for the person with the disability.
You will have to fill in a form to claim Disabled Person's Relief. Please contact us to get a form.
Council Tax Support
If you are on low income you can claim Council Tax Support to reduce your Council Tax bill for the home you live in. You can do this if you are in work or not. If you claim, we will work out how much benefit you get by looking at you and your household.
We will look at:
- your income
- family that live with you
- your family's income and your needs and the needs of your family.
We don't look at your, or your family's, expenses. We only look at income. We can usually only award you Council Tax Support from the date we receive your application.
Claim for a reduction
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