Renovating a house which is not fit to live in yet, am I liable for the HC?

I have inherited a house which is not fit to live in and I am renovating it myself bit by bit. Do you think I will have to pay the household charge when it is not fit to live in.

I reckon you will have to pay it.

The NPPR allows an exemption if uninhabitable but not this me thinks.

If it were me I'd only not pay it if I got it in writing from the local authority that they agree to an exemption due to it being uninhabitable. And the test for that would probably be very stringent and rules on that not fully formulated yet no doubt. Not worth the risk of not paying due to the penalties.

Household Charge

As you say Sahd the legislation quite clearly states that if the "building is occupied, or suitable for occupation, as a separate dwelling”it is chargeable and seeing as it is not suitable for occupation I don't think it is payable until the renovation is complete.

I'm too lazy to read the legislation. Does liability date mean if the dwelling "is occupied or suitable for occupation" on that date. For example, if it is in uninhabitable condition on the 1st January but habitable on,say, the 15th Jan, does that means the property tax is not liable for the year ?

I'm asking because my house may need some serious plumbing work next 1st January, thus there'll be no water,sewage etc and obviously it'll be unsuitable for occupation on that date......

Apropos of the "uninhabitable" waiver clause the legislation only seems to allow for such an exemption in the case of specific unfinished estates a list of which is to be published anon. It does not seem to allow for an "uninhabitable" waiver in the case of individual properties. Or am I missing something?

ClubMan said:

Apropos of the "uninhabitable" waiver. Or am I missing something?

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The "suitable for occupation" clause is not a waiver, it forms part of the definition of “residential property” in the Act.

2.—(1) In this Act “residential property” means, .......a building that is situated in the State and that is occupied, or suitable for occupation, as a separate dwelling..

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I figure any house that does not have electricity, or does not have running water is not suitable for occupation.

I imagine the housing departments of local authorities operate checklists/criteria to determine if a dwelling is not suitable for occupation.

This issue poses a particular problem for farmers many of whom have 3 generations of dwellings in their farm yard. The older former dwellings are used as outhouses and stores. At one time they were inhabited but it should not be difficult for the farmer to demonstrate the they are not suitable for occupation.

As there is currently no checklist from the Household Charge for premises unsuitable for occupation, I sent a copy of the NPPR waiver application, complete with photos to the Household Charge section, asking for a waiver from the Charge. I got a letter back confirming receipt and a case number. I'm assuming this covers me as it's clear from the form the house is currently uninhabitable, and has been witnessed by a Commissioner of the Peace.

The