Council Tax Premium in Chichester: Second Homes and Empty Properties
Written by Scott Jones, founder of PropertyKiln · Last updated
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Chichester has now joined the "double it" club: from 1 April 2025 you pay 200% council tax on second homes, and for long-term empties you are looking at 200-400% total depending how long they have been vacant.
Second homes - premium, definitions, numbers
- Decision: Full Council agreed that for 2025-26 a premium of 100% be charged on all eligible residential properties that are not occupied as a main residence and are substantially furnished.
- Policy doc: the March 2025 Second Home Policy repeats that a 100% second-home premium will be applied to "all residential dwellings which are substantially furnished and are not occupied as a main residence".
- Live position: from 1 April 2025 you pay normal 100% + 100% premium = 200% total on a second home.
Definition:
A second home is a substantially furnished dwelling that is not occupied as a main residence.
Numbers and revenue:
- BBC reports that the 100% premium "applies to 3,181 second homes in the area", with around 300 expected to be exempt, and that it "could raise GBP 580,000 for Chichester District Council" in extra income.
- The council's own update gives a slightly more conservative snapshot of 2,984 second homes at an earlier point, so you can fairly say "around three thousand".
Roughly 3,000 second homes in Chichester will be billed at double council tax from April 2025, which the council expects will bring in roughly GBP 0.6 million a year for its own budgets.
Long-term empty properties - premium bands
Chichester already has the stepped long-term empty regime in place.
From the "Council Tax discounts" and "Council Tax on long term empty properties" content:
For 2026-27, discounts on second homes and long-term empties are 0% and instead a premium is applied.
| Duration empty and unfurnished | Premium | Total council tax |
|---|---|---|
| Under 1 year | No premium | 100% (standard) |
| 1-5 years (12-60 months, from 1 April 2024) | +100% premium | 200% total |
| 5-10 years (60-120 months) | +200% premium | 300% total |
| 10+ years (120+ months) | +300% premium | 400% total |
The long-term empty page is explicit that these premiums are in place from 1 April 2024, with the one-year trigger instead of the old two-year rule.
In plain terms:
- Leave a place empty and unfurnished for a year: bill doubles.
- Leave it 5-10 years: triple.
- Leave it 10+ years: four times the normal bill.
Exceptions and exemptions
Second-home premium exceptions
Chichester has a specific "Apply for a second home premium exception" page.
- There are 8 classes of property where a second-home premium may be excepted, for varying periods of time.
- You must apply for an exception and give evidence; the council will not automatically assume you qualify.
The classes mirror the national framework (sections 11C-11D LGFA 1992), so you are typically looking at:
- Some job-related dwellings.
- Certain annexes.
- Some armed-forces-related situations.
- Properties with planning conditions that legally prevent use as a main residence.
If an exception is granted, you go back to paying standard 100% council tax with no premium for as long as the exception runs.
Long-term empty premium exceptions
The long-term empty page highlights the usual carve-outs:
- If the property has a planning condition that prevents occupation, is prohibited by law, or is kept empty due to legal action, it is treated under the exemptions regime rather than charged as a long-term empty with a premium.
- Standard exemption classes (for example some probate situations, some care-related absences, certain uninhabitable properties) mean no council tax and no premium while the exemption lasts.
The premium does not apply if the property is exempt or falls into one of the narrow exception classes; everyone else pays the full 200-400% bill.
Appeals and challenge route
Chichester uses the standard England council tax appeal structure.
- If you think your property has been wrongly classified as a second home or long-term empty, or you qualify for an exception, contact the council tax office to challenge it.
- Evidence they will expect: tenancy agreements, sales or letting adverts, utility bills, GP / electoral registration, planning decision notices, or medical / care documentation as relevant.
- If, after a written decision, you still disagree, you can appeal to the Valuation Tribunal for England.
Dispute it in writing with evidence. If they refuse to change it, you can appeal to the Valuation Tribunal.
Contacts, empty-homes support and revenue use
Contact details
- Email: taxation@chichester.gov.uk
- Phone: 01243 534501 for council tax queries about empties.
- All the premium detail and exception forms are accessed from the main Council tax discounts and second-home premium exception pages.
Email taxation@chichester.gov.uk or call 01243 534501 if you think your property has been mis-classified or you qualify for an exception.
Empty-homes work and grants
Chichester is combining stick and carrot:
- During National Empty Homes Week the council reminded owners that grant funding of up to GBP 10,000 per property is available under its Empty Homes Assistance scheme, repayable only if the property is sold within 10 years.
- Owners of properties empty more than two years can also use a 5% VAT rate on most renovation materials, with a letter from Revenues.
The council will hit you with double, triple or even four-times council tax on long-term empties, but it will also offer up to GBP 10,000 in grants and reduced-VAT letters if you bring the place back into use.
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