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How Vacant Homes Tax (VHT) applies

  1. Overview
  2. When does VHT apply to a property
  3. Who is the chargeable person
  4. Rate of VHT

Rate of VHT

The rate of Vacant Homes Tax (VHT) for a property is three times the basic rate of Local Property Tax (LPT). Your basic rate of LPT can be increased or decreased by your Local Authority. This is known as the Local Adjustment Factor (LAF). Your VHT is calculated on the LPT basic rate before any adjustment to take account of the LAF is made.

The first chargeable period for VHT is 1 November 2022 to 31 October 2023. The amount of VHT chargeable for this period is three times the basic rate of LPT payable for 2023.

Note

If you revise your property valuation for the purposes of LPT, then your liability to VHT will also change.

For information on how your LPT charge is calculated please see How your LPT charge is determined.

  • Example

    Amy lives in a house in Tralee purchased with an inheritance from the estate of her late mother. Prior to moving to Tralee, Amy owned and lived in a one-bedroom apartment in Limerick. This apartment has been vacant since Amy moved to Tralee. Amy intends to retain the apartment for her children to use when they are old enough to attend college. She has decided not to rent the apartment.

    The apartment is worth €250,000. Amy’s base rate of LPT is €225. Limerick City and County Council have applied the Local Adjustment Factor, increasing her LPT liability by 15% to €258. However this adjustment is not relevant for VHT.

    Amy’s liability to VHT is calculated as three times her base rate of LPT of €225. This means that her liability to VHT is €675.

Published: 31 August 2023 Print this page

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