Advice and guidance for empty property owners
Annual Council tax charge for a Band A property for 2025 to 2026
| 2025/2026 CT Charge | 100% Premium if empty for 1 year | 200% Premium if empty for 5 years | 300% Premium if empty for 10 years | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Annual | Monthly | Annual | Monthly | Annual | Monthly | Annual | Monthly |
| £1,546.40 | £128.87 | £3,092.80 | £257.73 | £4,639.20 | £386.60 | £6,185.60 | £515.47 |
Exceptions to the Premium Charge – Rotherham Metropolitan Borough Council
Leaving a property empty could result in a nett loss of between approx. £3,050.00 and £7,700.00 annually and is dependent upon how long your property has been empty, as shown in the above table.
The following outlines the benefits of bringing an empty property back into use and either selling it or renting it out on the open market.
The average sales value for a Council Tax Band A rated property, once associated charges have been accounted for, could be between £130,000 and £170,000, as shown in the table below. However, the associated charges will differ depending upon the agent and whether sold on the open market or via an auction.
| Type of property | Sales value† (December 2025) | Estate agent fees (Average 1.42%) + | Clearance cost o | Expected sales value once charges have been accounted for |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Terraced property | £149,564 | £2,123.81 | £795.00 | £152,482.81 |
| Semi-detached property | £187,567 | £2,663.45 | £795.00 | £191,025.45 |
† UK House Price Index
+ How much should I pay the estate agent?
O Average costs for a general house clearance
Letting Your Property
Properties can be let privately or through a recognised letting agent.
The benefits of using a good, accredited agent, albeit at a cost, is that they will manage the property for you as well as making sure that you meet all your legal responsibilities as a landlord.
Before signing with any letting agent please check that they are a member of both an appropriate body such as Propertymark or a similar body and they belong to an approved redress scheme; both of which are there to protect you and your tenants.
Find out about the redress scheme
Should the property owner wish to keep the property, an alternative option for reducing the cost of keeping your property empty is to let it on the private rental market. This is extremely beneficial if you do not have a mortgage on the property, if you do have an existing mortgage you will have to inform your mortgage lender and arrange for a consent for lease.
The following table provides indicative annual costs that a landlord can expect to receive and pay towards managing a rental property. It is by no means all-inclusive and offers an estimate of the associated costs related to renting. It is anticipated that anyone considering becoming a landlord should look at all the information available to enable them to decide whether it is appropriate for them or not.
| Associated costs | Two-bedroom property | Three-bedroom property |
|---|---|---|
| Market Rent∆ annual value | £7,284.00 | £8,808.00 |
| Less | ||
| Letting agent fees (Approx 10%) based on annual rent | £728.40 | £880.80 |
| Landlord Insurance | £177.00 | £177.00 |
| Repairs (assume 20% of annual rent) | £1,456.80 | £1,761.60 |
| Certificates - EPC (£60-£120), Gas (£60-90), Electrical (£100.00-£250.00) | £460.00≠ | £460.00≠ |
| Landlord membership∞ | £125.00 | £125.00 |
| Estimated annual rental once charges have been deducted | £4,336.80 | £5,403.60 |
∆ UK House Price Index (January 2026)
≠ Based on highest charge
