Watford Borough Council to raise tax on empty and second homes

Council tax for empty and second homes in Watford is set to rise to free up housing stock.

At its meeting yesterday (Tuesday, March 11), Watford Borough Council confirmed plans to increase premiums for empty and second homes.

Owners of homes that have been empty for more than two years already have to pay double the amount of council tax, but the period for being classed as empty will change to one year from next month.

Charging double tax on second homes is a new policy for the council and will come into effect from April 2026.

Cllr Kennedy Rodrigues said: “Empty homes contribute to the housing crisis. “By strengthening the rules on empty homes, we encourage property owners to bring them back into use.

“In addition, the premium on second homes will hopefully encourage more premises to be used as a main residence.”

The changes will allow the council to clamp down on a loophole whereby empty homes can be furnished and classed as second homes, which are currently charged the standard rate of council tax.

The 2021 census showed that 2,135 empty homes existed in Watford, more than five per cent of the borough’s homes.

According to council officers, strengthening the empty homes tax rise and introducing the second home tax rise could raise a total of £397,000 in additional council tax income, with around £36,000 going to the borough council.

The existing 200 per cent and 300 per cent premiums on properties left empty for more than five and ten years, respectively, will continue.

Cllr Nigel Bell, leader of the Labour group, supported the changes, saying they were a “good idea” that could help with the “housing crisis.”

Cllr Jennifer Pattinson, leader of the Liberal Democrat group, said: “Empty homes are … unlikely to solve the national housing crisis, but they will give vital funding to councils struggling with temporary accommodation and higher costs of housing our homeless families.”

Peter Taylor, the elected mayor of Watford, has previously said it is “simply unacceptable for properties to sit empty for years while local families struggle to find a home”.

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