The costs of an empty house

An empty house still costs money every month. The main bills are council tax (with a possible premium once it's been empty for a year), insurance, which may need to switch to unoccupied cover, energy standing charges and water, any mortgage, and upkeep and security. Over six months or a year these add up to a real sum, so it helps to know your monthly figure before you decide whether to sell, let or keep the house.

This guide covers England and Wales. The figures in the example below are illustrations, not averages, so use your own bills.

What does an empty house cost each month?

Cost	Does it stop when the house is empty?	How to keep it down
Council tax	No, unless an exemption applies, and a premium can be added after a year	Tell the council and claim any exemption
Insurance	No, and standard cover may be restricted after 30 or 60 days	Tell the insurer and get the right cover
Energy	No: standing charges are paid every day	Keep heating low or drain the system down
Water	Depends on your water company	Ask about their rules for empty homes
Mortgage	No	Talk to the lender early
Upkeep and garden	No	Regular checks and basic garden care
Security	Not a bill, but a risk	Visits, good locks and redirecting the post

Council tax

Council tax is usually still due on an empty house, but some empty homes are exempt:

• After a death. In England, there's no council tax until probate is granted, and for up to 6 months after, while the house is empty and still in the name of the person who died. In Wales, since 1 April 2026, the exemption runs until probate (for up to 2 years after the death) and for up to 12 months after the grant.
• When the owner has moved into a care home or hospital, or the home has been repossessed.
• In Wales only, an empty and unfurnished home is exempt for up to 6 months, and one needing major repairs for up to 12 months. In England these are left to each council, which may give a discount.

Once a home has been empty and substantially unfurnished for a year, councils can add a premium. In England it can be up to 100% extra after a year, 200% after 5 years and 300% after 10 years. Welsh councils can charge up to 300%. Council tax on empty homes explains the exemptions, the premiums and how to tell the council.

Insurance

Getting insurance wrong can be expensive, because an empty house that isn't properly covered may not be protected if something goes wrong. The Association of British Insurers says home insurance cover is often restricted when a home is empty for a long period, often 30 or 60 days, and the exact limit is in your policy. Not telling your insurer about a change like this could affect your cover.

• Tell the insurer as soon as the house becomes empty. After a death, Citizens Advice says to tell the insurer the person has died and ask them to keep insuring the property. If they won't insure an empty home, find another insurer who will.
• Ask about unoccupied property cover, and read the conditions. Ask how often the house must be checked, whether the water must be turned off or the system drained, and whether the heating must be kept on.
• Keep a record of your visits, in case you ever need to make a claim.

Prices and conditions vary between insurers, so compare quotes.

Energy and water

Ofgem says the standing charge on gas and electricity is paid every day, even if you don't use any energy. So an empty house still runs up an energy bill while the supply is connected.

• Take meter readings on the day the house becomes empty, and send them to the suppliers.
• Decide how to protect the pipes in winter: keep the heating on low, or have the water system drained down. Check what your insurer requires first.
• After a death, Citizens Advice says utility companies keep supplying the home while the estate is being dealt with, and the final bills are paid from the estate.
• Water companies have their own rules for empty homes, so ask yours what applies.
• Cancel anything you don't need, such as broadband or a TV package.

The mortgage

If there's a mortgage, the payments carry on whether or not anyone lives there. If the owner has died, tell the lender early and ask what they need from the executors. Before you let the house, or leave it empty for a long time, check what the mortgage terms say.

Upkeep, security and the garden

An empty house needs looking after:

• Regular checks for leaks, damp, storm damage and break-ins, as often as your insurer requires.
• The post. Redirect it, because a pile of post behind the door shows the house is empty.
• The garden. An overgrown garden is another sign that nobody's home.
• Small repairs, such as a slipped tile or a blocked gutter, before they turn into big ones.

Squatting in a residential building is a criminal offence, and GOV.UK says it can lead to 6 months in prison, a £5,000 fine or both. Even so, good locks and regular visits are the best protection.

An example: what six months empty can cost

Here's how the sum can look, using example figures. Your own bills will be different.

Monthly cost	Example
Council tax (£2,000 a year, no exemption)	£167
Unoccupied home insurance (£600 a year)	£50
Energy standing charges and low heating	£60
Water	£35
Garden, checks and small repairs	£100
Mortgage	£450
Total each month	£862
Over 6 months	£5,172
Over 12 months	£10,344

If the house in this example stays empty for more than a year in England and the council charges the full premium, the council tax doubles to about £333 a month, taking the monthly total to about £1,028.

Our empty house costs calculator works this out with your own figures, month by month.

The costs that aren't on a bill

Some costs of an empty house don't arrive as a bill:

• Wear and tear. An unheated, unaired house can develop damp and condensation, and a burst pipe can do a lot of damage before anyone notices. Problems like these can come up on a buyer's survey later.
• Time and travel. Executors and owners who live far away can spend a lot of time and money on visits.
• Price changes. House prices can rise or fall while you wait.
• Tax. If the house was your home, the final 9 months you own it are covered by Private Residence Relief. If it stays empty for longer, part of any gain may be taxable. See do you pay tax when you sell your home?

How to keep the costs down

• Tell the council, and claim any exemption or discount
• Tell the insurer, and get cover that fits an empty home
• Take meter readings and cancel services you don't need
• Protect the pipes in winter, in the way your insurer requires
• Redirect the post and arrange regular checks
• Keep the garden tidy and fix small problems early
• Decide early whether to sell, let or move in

Sell, let or keep?

The longer a house stays empty, the more it costs, so it's worth deciding early what to do with it.

• Keeping it makes sense if you or a family member will move in, but the bills carry on until then.
• Letting it brings in rent, but you take on a landlord's legal responsibilities, the house may need work first, and you'll need to check that any mortgage allows it.
• Selling through an estate agent usually gets the highest price for a house in reasonable condition, but a sale can take months, and the costs keep running until completion.
• Selling at auction gives a fixed timescale and can suit a house that needs a lot of work, but there are fees and the price isn't certain.
• Selling to a cash house buyer is quicker and the house can be sold as it is, but cash buyers pay below market value.

A quick sale doesn't suit everyone. If the house is in good condition, you can afford the running costs and there's no time pressure, the open market will usually leave you with more. If the costs are mounting, the house needs work or you need certainty, a faster sale can be worth the lower price. Our cash offer vs estate agent calculator compares the two routes, including the cost of waiting.

If you'd like a figure to compare, we make an offer within 24 hours, buy houses as they are, pay the seller's legal fees and let you choose the completion date. Our offer is below market value, we explain how we worked it out, and there's no obligation to accept it.