Land

We are currently building a house on the site of what was an unattractive wooden bungalow.

The land is only 0.1 of an acre, and in hemmed in on two sides by roads, and the third side by the parish hall. The bottom of the back garden butts onto the back of our elderly neighbours garden (which is huge! He's got fruit trees, veg plot, rose beds - you name it).

On his side of the boundery are four enormous leylandii trees, which he was keen to cut down once we had levelled the old bungalow, but he dragged his heels getting permission (we are in a conservation area and you can't breath without planning permission), and we weren't prepared to hold up the build for him, so we suggested we'd buy a strip of his back garden (which he admits he can't cope with any more) including the offending trees, and then they would be our problem to remove. This strip would have trebled our overall plot and would have made a super garden, but he's convinced he can sell it off to a developer with permission to put a new bungalow on!

That makes me so cross. He knows what lengths we've gone to with making the new house 'fit' into the conservation area, using hand made hanging tiles and bricks and stacks of beautiful detail, and he would rather ram in a bloomin' bungalow than let us pay a fair price for garden he no longer appreciates.

...I stop ranting now, sorry Nog!

I got the distinct impression from our new allotment tenancy agreement that there are moves afoot to charge council tax on land as well as buildings?

The price of land is now leveling at Ł5,000 per acre and that's agricultural tie. Without agri-tie then double it/treble it/quadrapule it.

I would love to turn a field into a large veg garden and even toyed with the idea of starting a veg shop called homegrown and grow my own veg to suppy it .
Here in devon the land prices are very high , and last week a 1 acre green pasture with an 18' gypsy caravan on it went for Ł 247,000 and they will not be able to put anything on the land bigger than the caravan.

Hi Carl, does that still apply if the buildings are clearly for business use (ie a farm shop)? Could you offer to put a covenent on the land and buildings that they can't be used for residential purposes, or would you need to live on site as well?

No the caravan was origanally used for a holiday let and the council have said no planning permission will be granted for a dwelling , and if caravan is removed then caravan of same size may be installed.
The land is in croyde bay north devon and it was the view that sold the land.

So much land is owned by developers and will never be used, a bit like the Tesco land grab.

They can levy Council Tax on it.

They could Charge NNDR (National Nondomestic Business Rates) on the buildings but you can then claim 90% Mandatory Charity Relief and then 10% discretionary Relief. If you are a charity or a non for profit organization. If not and it is a small building you can claim Small Business relief of 50%.

On the land….this depends on how it is registered as with HMLR Land Registry. If it is Allotments or Leisure Gardens it is exempt. If it Agriturital land there is a small NNDR liability but you then claim the above and it negates the liability…

If you are wrongly rated you can apply for a CRV7 and get it de-Rated.

If you get a demand and are appealing it you still have to pay till it is resolved.

Worrying wording!

Paragraph 3 (c)" From time to time and at all times during the term to bear pay and discharge all water rates and any other outgoings or charges whatsoever and if during the tenancy Council Tax ot other similar charges become payable on allotment gardens to pay the amount of such charge to the Council by way of additional rent"

Must go and read my agreement.

Not Giving Legal advice and Without Prejudice.......

That is a very worring clause.....Water Rates have a VATable element on them, so you cant pay them as Rent.
Also Council Tax can only be payable as rent if the heriditiment (yes it is a real word) is a HMO (House in Multipule Occupation). Because the Landlord and not the tennant will be liable for the Charge.

Any way if the land was in Rating for NNDR the Occupier could be liable. As in they cant find the owner so you are on the land you are liable. now the fact that you have paid the owner as rent would not help you.

I feel that thy have tried to put in a coverall clause and not got the wording right.