OWNERS of long-term empty properties will not be allowed to easily avoid paying up to 300 per cent more council tax, a local authority boss has said.

Darlington Borough Council efficiency and resources portfolio holder Councillor Charles Johnson said the authority was cracking down on unoccupied and unfurnished domestic properties to free up much-needed homes in the borough which could be brought back into the market as affordable homes, as well as improve the environment.

Such is the perceived need for homes in the borough, that the authority is considering plans to build almost 10,000 homes by 2036. The authority is set to increase its council tax premium for properties which have been empty for two years from an additional charge of 50 per cent to double the council tax that is normally charged from April.

The council is also set to increase the council tax premium for properties empty for five years or more to 200 per cent from April and introduce a 300 per cent premium for properties which have remained empty for a decade from April 2021.

In June, there were 154 domestic properties in Darlington classed as “long-term empty” where the council tax empty property premium applies. This represents 0.3 per cent of all domestic properties in Darlington. Of these 154 properties, 54 have been empty for five years or more and 23 have been empty for ten years or more.

Council officers have forecast for this financial year the council tax empty property premium will generate an additional £106k of council tax income, so unless empty property owners take action the increases will generate about £200,000 extra income for the authority.

However, to apply the premium the council will have to show the property has been unoccupied and substantially unfurnished for at least two years. Once occupied or substantially unfurnished, the empty property premium would not apply until a further period of two years years has elapsed.

The authority’s efficiency and resources portfolio holder Councillor Charles Johnson said empty property owners would have to do more than just temporarily move furniture into a property to avoid the tax increases.

He said: “They will need to demonstrate an active renovation programme or demonstrate that it is being actively marketed with an estate agent.

“People hold on to properties for all sorts of reasons, but the thrust of what we are doing is to jog empty property holders’ memories. Some of these empty properties are damaging the environment - sometimes when you get one empty property becoming derelict in a street others can follow. In addition, the more properties we can get on the market means one less house that we have to build.”