True or false can someone tell me?.....
True or false can someone tell me?.....
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Discussion

pies1981

Original Poster:

8,992 posts

216 months

Thursday 29th January 2009
quotequote all
Ph, one of my associates who does a bit of work in the building trade has just told me something, that i can fully believe. I

Is it true that if you build a structure (shed or such like)/building in your garden, and declare it as a place of worship, is it true that you do not have to pay council tax on your house?

Or is he talking bks?




Edited by pies1981 on Thursday 29th January 17:15

Crusoe

4,122 posts

260 months

Thursday 29th January 2009
quotequote all
you don't pay council tax on sheds anyway (yet)

pies1981

Original Poster:

8,992 posts

216 months

Thursday 29th January 2009
quotequote all
Sorry, edited to clear that up.

Cap'n Custud

1,184 posts

238 months

Thursday 29th January 2009
quotequote all
I understand that in certain circumstances this is indeed true. (Well after a little web seartching)

Personally never hear of it before.

Plotloss

67,280 posts

299 months

Thursday 29th January 2009
quotequote all
Possibly true, though how you would declare it as such is where the devil lies (no pun intended)

Men of the cloth dont pay council tax, its why I got ordained.

RBWM werent having it though.

Rags

3,676 posts

265 months

Thursday 29th January 2009
quotequote all
in reference the property.

Sounds like a load of bks otherwise pretty much anyone who has a garden shed would be entitled to this, no?

Chrisgr31

14,275 posts

284 months

Thursday 29th January 2009
quotequote all
Depends!

You don't pay Council Tax on a Place of Worship, it would actually be liable for business rates, but if it has a Certificate of Worship it is then exempt from business rates. I am not sure how you get a certificate of worship though! C of E, and I think Roman Catholics automatically apply, some of the less popular religons have to apply and not all our successful.

It is not your decision to grant it a Certificate of Worship though. I know there was a building in Rochester High Street used as a Church which was rateable as it had no certicficate of Worship.

Crusoe

4,122 posts

260 months

Thursday 29th January 2009
quotequote all
sounds like betty swollox to me, maybe if you setup as a religion and registered the home address as a charity.

pies1981

Original Poster:

8,992 posts

216 months

Thursday 29th January 2009
quotequote all
Rags said:
in reference the property.

Sounds like a load of bks otherwise pretty much anyone who has a garden shed would be entitled to this, no?
Thats exactly what i thought!

ultegra

525 posts

235 months

Thursday 29th January 2009
quotequote all
This is like the one about the fact that you don't have to wear a crash helmet on a motorcycle if it is a mowing machine.....

here

Edited by ultegra on Thursday 29th January 17:19

MrV

2,748 posts

257 months

Thursday 29th January 2009
quotequote all
Just pulled this off the net,I guess he means number 8

Exempt Properties

Some properties are exempt and fall into the following classes:

1. Empty properties that are under construction, or which require structural alteration or major repair and less than 6 months has elapsed since works were completed (maximum 12 months)
2. Unoccupied furnished properties owned by a charity (exempt for up to six months)
3. Properties empty and unfurnished or unoccupied caravans (exempt for up to 6 months)
4. Properties which are left empty by an owner or leaseholder who has gone to prison
5. Properties which are left empty by someone who is resident in a nursing/care home or hospital
6. Properties where owner/tenant has died and there is less than 6 months since probate or letters of administration were granted
7. Properties which are empty because their occupation is forbidden by law


8. Properties which are waiting to be occupied by a minister of religion




9. Properties which are left empty by someone who has moved elsewhere to receive non-institutional care
10. Properties which are left empty by someone who has moved in order to provide personal care to another person
11. Unoccupied properties where the owner and last resident is a student
12. Properties which have been repossessed
13. Student halls of residence
14. Properties occupied only by students
15. Armed forces accommodation owned by the Secretary of State for Defence
16. Accommodation for members of visiting forces
17. Properties which are left empty by someone who is bankrupt and which are the responsibility of the bankrupt's trustee
18. A dwelling consisting of a pitch or a mooring which is not occupied by a caravan or, as the case may be, a boat
19. Properties that are occupied solely by people under 18 years of age
20. Properties unoccupied which form part of another property but cannot be let separately
21. Properties where all the residents are severely mentally impaired
22. Properties occupied by diplomats as their main home in the UK
23. Self contained annex occupied by a relation of the main dwelling aged over 65 or disabled or severely mentally impaired

evenflow

8,875 posts

311 months

Thursday 29th January 2009
quotequote all
Number 14 on that list...if my OH and I signed up for an open uni degree (part time) would we be students?

touching cloth

11,706 posts

268 months

Thursday 29th January 2009
quotequote all
Plotloss said:
Men of the cloth dont pay council tax.
Excellent

Morningside

24,147 posts

258 months

Thursday 29th January 2009
quotequote all
I thought some councils sorted this confusion out back in the days of the Poll Tax.

Ganglandboss

8,544 posts

232 months

Thursday 29th January 2009
quotequote all
I heared once that a lot of private houses are declared as mosques in Bradford for this reason. I don't know if it's true or just BNP/Daily Mail propoganda.

john_p

7,073 posts

279 months

Thursday 29th January 2009
quotequote all
evenflow said:
Number 14 on that list...if my OH and I signed up for an open uni degree (part time) would we be students?
Yes but you'd have to pay for tuition fees wink

evenflow

8,875 posts

311 months

Thursday 29th January 2009
quotequote all
john_p said:
evenflow said:
Number 14 on that list...if my OH and I signed up for an open uni degree (part time) would we be students?
Yes but you'd have to pay for tuition fees wink
May be cheaper per year than council tax!

Plus of course I'd have the benefit of knowing where my money was going, rather than it falling into a black hole of middle management civil servant wastage.

mel

10,168 posts

304 months

Thursday 29th January 2009
quotequote all
Wouldn't you have to apply for planning permission for change of use though?

MacBaren

1,155 posts

213 months

Thursday 29th January 2009
quotequote all
evenflow said:
john_p said:
evenflow said:
Number 14 on that list...if my OH and I signed up for an open uni degree (part time) would we be students?
Yes but you'd have to pay for tuition fees wink
May be cheaper per year than council tax!

Plus of course I'd have the benefit of knowing where my money was going, rather than it falling into a black hole of middle management civil servant wastage.
Pretty sure you get a percentage off. Around here it's 25% off if one of the two occupants are students.

snotrag

15,623 posts

240 months

Thursday 29th January 2009
quotequote all
Im pretty sure that rule only applies if ALL the occupants are students.

Which is why theres so many arguments about paying the bill when one person in a student house drops out or gets a full time job.