Are you exempt from the household charge?
Homeowners throughout Ireland have until March 31st to register for the controversial new household charge.
However, you could be entitled to a waiver and not even know it with houses in certain unfinished housing estates exempt from the €100 charge.
Homes on two categories of estates will qualify for a Household Charge waiver in 2012. Category 3 unfinished estates - where a receiver has not been appointed and the developer is still in place but is effectively inactive;
Category 4 unfinished estates - where the development has been effectively abandoned and is posing serious problems for residents.
There are about 1,325 unfinished estates in category 3 and 4 that are to be granted a waiver from the Household Charge. It is estimated that there could be as many as 73,000 completed houses and apartments on these unfinished estates. Owners of these houses will not have to pay the household charge (in 2012 at least).
Note: – owners of homes on these estates are supposed to register for the Household Charge onwww.householdcharge.ie and claim the waiver for 2012.
The full lists of unfinished estates in the various counties to be granted a waiver can be found below. These are all the category 3 and 4 unfinished estates.
Dun Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council
North Tipperary County Council
South Tipperary County Council
South Dublin Council say that there are no category 3 or 4 unfinished estates in South County Dublin Council area.
Residents nationwide in the following types of unfinished estates will have to pay the Household Charge:
Category 1: where the developer is still actively completing the development.
Category 2: where a receiver has been appointed.
The household charge website states that if anyone has a query in relation to the estates which qualify for the waiver, they need to contact the Planning and Housing Policy Section of the Department of Environment, Community and Local Government on one of the following phone numbers:
(053) 911 7398; (053) 911 7402; (053) 911 7397; (053) 911 7399
