Council Tax When Moving House in Sussex: Who Pays What, and From When

Council tax when moving house has one rule that decides almost everything: you are liable at the new address from the day you complete, not from the day the van arrives. Get the dates to both councils and the rest is arithmetic.

Council tax when moving house catches people out in three predictable places: the handover date, the gap in a chain, and the bill on a house that is standing empty while work is done. Sussex adds a fourth, because the county is split across twelve billing authorities and a move of fifteen miles can easily mean two different councils with two different local policies.

The handover date is completion, not moving day

Liability runs by the day. At the property you are leaving you are responsible up to and including your last day of ownership, or the last day of your tenancy if you are renting. At the property you are buying, liability starts on completion day itself.

That is true even if the keys sit in a drawer for a fortnight while a kitchen goes in. An empty, unfurnished house is still a house with a council tax band on it, and somebody is liable for the charge. Our page on what actually happens on completion day sets out the sequence, and exchange versus completion explains why exchange is not the date that matters here.

Renting is slightly different in one respect. A tenancy of six months or more usually makes the tenant liable for the whole fixed term, so if you leave early and the tenancy runs on, the bill can follow you to the end of it. Check the term, not the moving date.

Sussex has twelve councils, and none of them talk to each other

Council tax is collected by district, borough or unitary councils, not by the county. In East Sussex that means Brighton and Hove City Council, Eastbourne, Hastings, Lewes, Rother and Wealden. In West Sussex it means Adur, Arun, Chichester, Crawley, Horsham, Mid Sussex and Worthing.

Each one runs its own council tax system. Telling Lewes you have moved does not tell Horsham you have arrived. Do both, and do them as soon as you have a confirmed completion date rather than after the move, because a council that hears late will usually bill you from the correct date anyway and simply give you less time to spread the payments.

What each council needs is the same short list: the address you are leaving, the address you are moving to, the exact date, the names of everyone liable, and a forwarding address or bank details for any refund. Most now have an online change of address form that covers both directions in one submission if you are staying within the same authority. Add it to the rest of the paperwork in our address change checklist.

The empty house problem

Until 2013 an empty and unfurnished property in England carried a class C exemption for up to six months. That was abolished, and replaced with a discount each council sets for itself. Some still give a short period at 100 per cent off, commonly one or two months. Others give nothing.

Brighton and Hove is at the strict end: the council no longer gives any council tax discount for properties that are uninhabitable or undergoing works. If you are buying a house in the city to renovate before you move in, budget for the full charge from completion.

Then come the premiums, which are where a slow renovation becomes expensive:

• Second homes and furnished empties. Since 1 April 2025 councils in England may charge up to 100 per cent extra on a furnished property that is nobody's sole or main residence. Brighton and Hove charges that extra 100 per cent from the day the property becomes empty and furnished, with no grace period.
• Long-term empties. The premium now starts after one year rather than two. In Brighton and Hove that is 100 per cent extra from one year up to five, 200 per cent extra from five to ten years, and 300 per cent extra beyond ten.
• Exceptions. A set of national exceptions took effect on 1 April 2025, including property that is genuinely being marketed for sale or let, which is time-limited to twelve months. It is an exception from the premium, not from the tax.

The practical point for anyone moving within Sussex is that a house left furnished can be treated as a second home from day one, while the same house cleared out is treated as an empty property with the clock running towards a one-year premium. Neither is free.

Discounts worth claiming when you arrive

Two are worth checking on the day you register at the new address. A single adult household gets a 25 per cent discount, and it is not applied automatically: you claim it. Full-time students, people with a severe mental impairment, and live-in carers are disregarded when the council counts the adults in the property, which can bring a two-adult household down to the single person rate.

If your new home has been extended, converted or split, the band may not be right. The Valuation Office Agency, not the council, sets bands, and it is the body to approach about a challenge. Do not stop paying while a challenge is live.

Where it fits in the move

Council tax belongs in the same week as the utilities and the post. Read it alongside setting up utilities when you move and Royal Mail redirection, and slot all three into the eight-week Sussex moving checklist. If you are still costing the move itself, our guide to what removals cost in Sussex is the place to start, and Move Sussex covers the rest of the process.

The two official sources worth bookmarking are gov.uk's council tax pages for the national rules and your own council's website for the local discounts and premiums, because that is where the money actually differs.

Frequently Asked Questions

Who pays council tax on completion day?

The buyer. Liability at the new address starts on the day you complete, whether or not you have moved anything in and whether or not the property is furnished. At the old address you are liable up to and including your last day of ownership or, if you were renting, the last day of your tenancy. Councils bill by the day, so a completion at 3pm still counts as a full day for the buyer.

Do I have to tell both councils when I move?

Yes, and telling one does not tell the other. Sussex has twelve billing authorities, so a move from Lewes to Horsham involves two separate councils that share no council tax records. Report the change to the council you are leaving so they can close the account and refund any overpaid direct debits, and to the council you are moving to so a bill is issued in your name from the right date.

Is there council tax to pay on an empty house between exchange and moving in?

Almost always yes. The class C exemption for empty and unfurnished properties was abolished in England in April 2013 and replaced with a local discount that each council sets for itself. Some Sussex councils give a short discount period, others give nothing at all. Brighton and Hove no longer gives any discount for a property that is uninhabitable or being worked on.

What is the second home premium and does it apply in Sussex?

From 1 April 2025 English councils have been able to charge up to 100 per cent extra on a furnished property that is nobody's main home, which doubles the bill. Brighton and Hove applies it, and charges the extra 100 per cent from the day the property becomes empty and furnished. If you are keeping an old house furnished while you renovate the new one, this is the charge to check first.

How long can a house sit empty before the premium starts?

One year for an empty and unfurnished property, not two. The Levelling-up and Regeneration Act 2023 let councils bring the long-term empty premium forward, and Brighton and Hove charges 100 per cent extra from one year, 200 per cent extra after five years and 300 per cent extra after ten. A property genuinely on the market for sale or let can be excepted for up to twelve months.

Can I get a refund if I have paid too much council tax?

Yes. If you have paid a full year by direct debit and move part way through, the council closes the account, works out the charge to your last day and refunds the balance to the bank account the payments came from. It will not happen automatically. You have to report the move and give a forwarding address or bank details.

Checked on 9 September 2026 against gov.uk and Brighton & Hove City Council's published council tax pages. Discounts and premiums are set locally and change each April, so confirm the current position with your own billing authority.