Council tax discount for single parents?

my shop has an upstairs flat that is empty,i do not rent it out because it would give tenants rights that could interfere with the business also i would have to have some building work to make it more suitible for living in.i got a council tax discount but from april 2008 the new rules are that i will have to pay full council tax for the flat.i get single parent discount at my home address.does anyone know if i can get the same single parent discount on an empty property

helen, sorry thought single parent discount.i can not remember getting it before kids though. its been said that soon i will have to by law rent it out. i do not want to call council if it means if true my address will be listed first

Hi, I work for local council, you can only claim an SPD (Single Person Discount) on the property that you occupy if you are the only adult resident.

In relation to your flat, if the property is completly empty (unfurnished) you can claim exemption for 6 months, after this you will pay 50% or 12 months if it is in need of structual repair and is uninhabitable. If the property is furnished, you can claim an empty property discount of 50% so overall a better discount than an SPD
Hope this is helpful.

EDIT:- There is no law that says you have to rent out your property, it can remain empty as long as you want it to.

Check out this link:-

You should be able to do so, unless it's registered as a business address. I sincerely wish you well, and I do hope that it all works out good in the end.

You can only get Single parent Discount on One property.

Why don't you just ask the council? By the way it's not a single parent discount, it's a single adult discount.