Bristol City Council charging double council tax during voids?

Hold on, folks…. this is thread is going off track!
The HMO was not under refurbishment. It had been refurbished throughout prior to the outgoing tenants’ arrival. The tenancies were actually back-to-back. It was like this:
End of tenancy was 30 June 2025 at 10am. The outgoing students were excellent tenants of two years standing. They had arranged a one week cross-over tenancy with their new place and with all their stuff moved out they came back – with their parents – to thoroughly clean the house. It was perfect! Meters were read and on 30 June at 9.30am all the keys were handed back.
To allow for any missed cleaning, the arrangement for the new tenancy was 6pm on 01 July 2025. I met the new student tenants, gave them a run-through of the property workings and handed over the keys.
So out was 30 June (as per contract) and in was 01 July. Bristol City Council, however, have always dis-allowed the last day of a tenancy to be charged to the outgoing tenant. Quite how they have ever justified this, I don’t know.
I have therefore received a bill for one day i.e. 30 June and this was the one that got doubled because BCC applied the 100% second home charge.
The incoming tenants didn’t update BCC with their student status straight away as they were advised to multiple times. When they eventually did, it was this notification that triggered the bill to me.
However, it didn’t just include the 30 June billing. They’ve also dapped on a ‘Summons Charge’ of £52.
Yes, I – of course – had notified BCC of the new tenancy and their student status. But…. until the new tenants had provided this information to BCC direct themselves, a new bill for the interim period of 1 day + 100% couldn’t be raised. That makes me a late payer, apparently.
The bill is made up as follows: £11.02 for their 30 June calculation + £52 summons fee.
As I said to BCC yesterday, I have no control over the students’ billing responsibilities. What else could I do that I hadn’t already done??? (In person, text reminders x 3 + info in tenancy agreement + info from Letting Agent). I couldn’t have paid BCC £5.51 without a billing reference – nor was I to know that they wanted double that amount. But it was no dice, folks.
I’ve now applied for the 2nd Home Exemption and got the tenants to pay £52 into my rent receiving account. BCC advised me to pay the whole amount outstanding immediately and not assume that I would be successful with the 2nd Home Exemption. NB: If I hadn’t have phoned BCC with this query, I wouldn’t have known about claiming the exemption. Nor will anyone else – hence my post.
Hope this puts the thread back on track!
PS: Yes, I meant £122m. I wrote the posting on my phone & didn’t see the dot without my glasses on! Apologies for that.
PPS: Every HMO in Bristol, even small ones like mine, all must have licences now. The fee? Gulp!! It’s £1023.00 for the first part only. The second part is unknown to me yet (BCC have to write with it) but it’s likely to be £700.

I am genuinely confused although a work arround might be to have the new tenancy start 1 minute after the old one ends and not charge the new tenants for a day during which you will clean and inspect the property prior to their arrival…. Lets see them calculate the council tax on that.

Or…. You could rent it to yourself for a day, as single occupancy you would get a 25% discount on the single rate and not pay the double rate. Of course its a lot more busy work for the council when you then move out and they have to close your account and open a new one 24 hours later, but if thats the only way to make the point…

Reply to the comment left by Tim Peters at 16/10/2025 – 19:06
Interesting thought Tim, especially if the property was registered in one’s spouse’s name, and you said you were having a trial separation. Then, if no kids, no second home nonsense and a 25% discount each into the bargain! It’s madness gone mad. What chinless wonder in the government came up with this supposedly cunning plan, I wonder?

To maybe help this topic get back on track….

South and East Yorkshire councils have been doing this for years, double council tax from day 1. No services provided for an empty house so double council tax, Fortunately in my area, they do not have selective licencing, so maybe I shouldnt complain.

and now even Yorkshire water has jumped on the band wagon of bash the landlords.
They know the house is empty and you are using no water, but they will now still charge you for it.

It’s just another money grab on landlords. Apparently we are easy targets until we sell up. A couple of times I tried asking why double when they provide no services? apparently that is just how it is…

I gave up and paid, my houses do not have long void periods and for me, its just not worth the fight.

I recently had 2 tenants swap homes on the same day and I still got charged council tax as I guess 1 of them applied late… I just paid it, wasn’t worth the stress.

It’s either a lot of stress or pay up or sell up, I’m leaning towards the latter, I can’t wait to sell up once tenants leave. I don’t really want to kick them out, just once they leave, I will be selling the houses.

i’ll redecorate and sell at the highest prices and not to a sell your portfolio to us now company.

I want to make sure that all of my houses go to owner occupiers, not the likes of Serco, Lloyds or Blackrock.

Obviously I will have to pay capital gains tax in the UK when I sell my houses, but with the way the government is going, I can’t wait to move all of my money out of the UK and sell all of my UK assets, I think that is about 15 houses, just hoping the tenants move out in the next few years as I want to invest elsewhere.

We now live in the Middle East and there is next to no tax. No capital gains tax on investments. no inheritance tax.

It’s just not worth returning to the UK, and to be honest, I see no reason why I want to return. I’ll sell the UK houses and buy in the Middle East. Rental returns are good. Investments are tax free.

I keep seeing ads about how to buy rental houses in the UK if you live in the middle East…. Really why would anyone want to buy in the UK these days?

I canned the Idea of investing any more money in the UK Rental market a couple of years ago, It’s just not worth it.

Labour are making me want to sell more quickly with the threat of national insurance, It will work and I will sell, It will make me increase rents that have been frozen for years and I’ll add more to make the tenants move. and tell them exactly why.

Hopefully the next time they won’t vote Labour, but to be honest, who are they going to vote for that is not going to screw them?

I’m a journalist for the Telegraph and I’d love to hear more from landlords being charged the second home premium for an article.
Get in touch at [email protected]

Reply to the comment left by Desert Rat at 16/10/2025 – 19:56
I’m a journalist for the Telegraph and I’d love to hear more about this for an article.
Get in touch at [email protected]

Reply to the comment left by LordOf TheManor at 16/10/2025 – 18:09
I’m a journalist for the Telegraph and I’d love to hear more about this for an article.
Get in touch at [email protected]

Yup had that with Derby Council only a month ago, except think it was only 50% becaiuse I was selling