Re:Squatters take over Gordon Ramsay's London pub
by notatoad on Sunday April 14, 2024 @05:36PM
(#40034702)
>The property owner pays taxes, right?
My understanding is that they do not, for a listed building that is vacant.
Re:Squatters take over Gordon Ramsay's London pub
by CydeWeys on Sunday April 14, 2024 @05:42PM
(#40034739)
Well that's an easy fix right there. In the US you pay property taxes regardless.
Re:Squatters take over Gordon Ramsay's London pub
by hn_throwaway_99 on Sunday April 14, 2024 @06:00PM
(#40034852)
Not exactly. I mean, in the US, as far as I know in all/most jurisdictions you don't get a different tax rate depending on whether the property is vacant or not. But in many places you can get a sizable property tax deduction for historic designated properties, sometimes equal to 100% of the value of the structure. Note that in the UK "listed building" means the property is registered as being historically significant, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Listed_building.
Re:Squatters take over Gordon Ramsay's London pub
by CydeWeys on Tuesday April 16, 2024 @04:19PM
(#40056658)
That's pretty rare though, especially in the US. And generally afaik, historic listings here impose a cost on the homeowner but not a benefit (i.e. a tax break).
Re:Squatters take over Gordon Ramsay's London pub
by prepend on Sunday April 14, 2024 @05:56PM
(#40034826)
That seems odd as in the UK property taxes are based on ownership, not vacancy. What makes you think vacant properties aren’t subject to taxes?
Re:Squatters take over Gordon Ramsay's London pub
by hn_throwaway_99 on Sunday April 14, 2024 @06:02PM
(#40034865)
The exemption for vacant buildings only applies to listed buildings in the UK. E.g. https://www.clearway.co.uk/news/does-a-landlord-have-to-pay-... :
> If your commercial property belongs to one or more of the following categories, you’ll be eligible for an extended period of relief for business rates, provided that your property is fully empty and not in use:
...
> If your building is a listed building, you will only begin paying business rates once the property is occupied once again
I don’t know if the UK has eminent domain, but in the US the city can use eminent domain to purchase and do something. But in this case, I think if anyone wanted that property, they would purchase it. So it’s a bit of a tough problem to fix by government intervention.
And Gordon Ramsey restaurants are pretty luxury, so it’s not like there’s some essential gap by this pub being empty until someone wants to purchase the space.