Sheltered Housing: Service Charges
The question
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what assessment his Department has made of the potential implications for his policies of arrangements whereby service charges and council tax on retirement properties remain payable by the estate following the death of the owner during elongated periods when the property remains unsold; and whether he plans to review the application of such charges in these circumstances.
Answered by Alison McGovern
In relation to service charges I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to Question UIN 4726 on 8 June 2026.
With regard to council tax, when a property has been left empty following the death of its owner or occupant, it is exempt from council tax for as long as it remains unoccupied and until probate is granted. Following a grant of probate (or the signing of letters of administration), a further six months exemption is possible, so long as the property remains unoccupied and has not been sold or transferred to someone else. Once the exemption period has ended, normal rules on empty properties apply. The government has no plans to change this exemption.
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