Adur & Worthing Councils are increasing the charges in the hope it will persuade property owners to either sell or let their homes in the area if they do not need them all year.

The councils are building new social housing on sites they own and looking for other land that could be developed for council homes. They are also working with developers to ensure that genuinely affordable properties are built in Adur and Worthing.

With around 1900 on Worthing’s housing waiting list, on top of other local residents who may be living with family and friends due to a shortage of affordable properties for them to rent or buy in the area.

There are believed to be 174 second homes in the Adur district and 486 in Worthing. There are also 273 long-term empty properties in Adur and 392 in Worthing.

A change in the law as part of the Levelling-up and Regeneration Act 2023 means councils are for the first time allowed to charge a council tax premium on properties that are not someone’s main residence but are substantially furnished.

The change has to be introduced a year before the first charges are made, so Adur & Worthing Councils will charge double the rate of council tax on such homes from 1st April 2025. 

The act also allows councils to add a supplementary charge to the amount of council tax due on properties which have been left “unoccupied or substantially unfurnished” for at least a year. Previously, councils could only add a charge when a property was in that condition for at least two years.

That change comes in immediately, so property owners affected will get a council tax bill for twice the normal amount for 2024/25.

There will be some exemptions, such as if residents have recently died, if homes are being actively marketed for sale or rent or if major repairs are underway.

“We can’t create more land to build on - we need to make full use of all the homes we already have in Worthing.”