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Phil Bond, 68 In His Garden. Credit: Kieran Molloy<\/p>\n Phil Bond, 68 In His Garden. Credit: Kieran Molloy<\/p>\n
Kieran Molloy, Local Democracy Reporter<\/p>\n
A bereaved son has been hit by what he called a \u201cdeath tax\u201d after inheriting his mother\u2019s home.<\/p>\n
Phil Bond, 68, lost his mother, Eunice, 91, in May and as a result her home came into the possession of Phil and his brother.<\/p>\n
Soon after his mother died the brothers received a council tax bill for their mother\u2019s home in Cardiff which included an item labelled \u201cpremium furnished and no-one resident\u201d which doubled the amount that needed to be paid to more than \u00a34000.<\/p>\n
In Wales local authorities can charge a council tax premium of up to 300% on furnished second homes, which Phil\u2019s mother\u2019s home had been classed as being.<\/p>\n
In Cardiff a 100% premium applies to furnished properties that are not anyone\u2019s sole or main residence.<\/p>\n
The premium is intended to encourage bringing empty homes back into use, helping to increase the availability of housing and support sustainable communities.<\/p>\n
Phil called this premium both a \u201cpenalty\u201d and a \u201cdeath tax\u201d.<\/p>\n
He told the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS): \u201cWhat I find amazing is the way it\u2019s set up, as if the council expects you to empty the house straightaway and then worry about the funeral after.\u201d<\/p>\n
The Llandaff North resident said that after his mother\u2019s death he was occupied with informing friends and family and organising the funeral and the house was \u201cthe last thing on my mind\u201d.<\/p>\n
He added: \u201cOnce the funeral is over and everything starts to come back to reasonably normal we then start to look to clear the house because we\u2019re going to sell it so we go through everything and then this bombshell drops.\u201d<\/p>\n
Phil clarified that he didn\u2019t object to paying council tax at his mother\u2019s property but it was purely the extra charge he objected to.<\/p>\n
However after contacting local councillors he managed to get an exemption but is still on the hook for a reduced premium of \u00a3544 for the period between May and August when the house was furnished.<\/p>\n
But he said to him any premium still feels like a \u201cdeath tax\u201d and that he is being \u201cpenalised through no fault of ours\u201d.<\/p>\n
While he did manage to get the bill reduced he only managed to do so through contacting his local councillors on his own initiative and he questioned whether other people would do the same.<\/p>\n
Phil said: \u201cYou can\u2019t tell me we\u2019re the first people that this has affected. Someone somewhere has ended up in the same situation.\u201d<\/p>\n
He worried some people would just pay the bill without challenging it.<\/p>\n
A spokesman for the council said: \u201cThe council recognises that bereavement can be a difficult time for families and aims to ensure residents are aware of any council tax reductions or exemptions that may be available to them. We are sorry to hear of Mr Bond\u2019s loss.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere is no council tax exemption that is applied automatically following the death of a resident.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhere a person who lived alone has died the property may be exempt from council tax if it remains unoccupied.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis exemption remains in place until probate or letters of administration have been granted unless that process takes longer than two years. Once probate or letters of administration have been granted the exemption can continue for a further 12 months.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhere probate or letters of administration are not required council tax remains payable by the owner or occupier in the usual way.<\/p>\n
\u201cProperties that are substantially unfurnished may be exempt from council tax for up to six months while properties that are actively being marketed for sale are exempt from the premium and are charged only the standard rate of council tax for up to 12 months.<\/p>\n
\u201cResidents who believe they may qualify for a reduction or exemption are encouraged to contact the council so that their circumstances can be considered.\u201d<\/p>\n
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