Access to electric, gas, and water what is required?

[ericmark]

Seems I need to at least temp remove kitchen appliances then.

 

[JohnW2]

Seems I need to at least temp remove kitchen appliances then.

Not necessarily - and that approach could well work against your financial interests.

I presume you're thinking that if you removed kitchen appliances, you could then get it re-classified as 'not an annex'. However, if you did that, your main house would then be "re-banded" such that the Council Tax bill (for house+annex combined) could quite possibly rise to higher than the main house's bill currently is.

However, if you stuck to the current situation (with an annexe, with its own Council Tax bill), then if Powys is like many of the other Councils I've read about, if the only user/occupier of the annex was the owner of the main house (i.e. you), then the Council Tax payable for the annex could reduce to zero (and the bill for the main house remaining as it is now).

Kind Regards, John

 

[ajohn]

I tried finding if no kitchen meant no council tax. It was something I saw some where a long time ago. No sign now. It was a long time ago.

I'd assume originally it was a house plus garage and rated to suite. If they know it's an annex someone must have applied for change of use and it has been rated accordingly. Subject to who lived in it there may not have been any charge. It might have been built as an annex. Garages usually have garage style doors. I suppose the house might be more recent than the annex. It seems odd that the services are in the annex if it's separate. If attached they often are. The planning department should be able to shed some light on this.

If it had been attached people can have as many rooms as allowed but they could re rate the entire building. I have a vague feeling that wales revalued all properties more recently than others - not sure.

Citizens advice have some pages on council tax for england and the devolved regions. These might help but I didn't notice anything. Might be worth asking them. They can sometimes find specialists. Some options seem to be up to the council concerned.

 

[JohnW2]

I tried finding if no kitchen meant no council tax....

As I wrote in my previous message, removal of the kitchen could mean that one could successfully argue that it was no longer an annex BUT that to do so could work against eric's financial interests.

I'd assume originally it was a house plus garage and rated to suite. If they know it's an annex someone must have applied for change of use and it has been rated accordingly. Subject to who lived in it there may not have been any charge.

Eric explained the situation in post #29. He moved into the house about a year ago, when the 'granny flat' was already there, regarded by the Council as an annex, and subjected to Council Tax (separate from that for the house) as an annex.

He apparently applied earlier this year (when he got his 2020/21 Council Tax bill for the annex) to have it all re-classified as a single entity (house plus annex) - but as I warned him, if that actually happens (presumably 'post lockdown') it will probably result in the Council Tax for his house increasing, whereas if he kept it as an annex (with separate Council Tax), the tax on the house would remain unchanged and he might be able to get the amount of tax for the annex reduced to zero (it looks as if he certainly could with some Councils in England), since it is only being used by the owner of the main house.

Kind Regards, John