Owners of empty houses face big tax increases over the next three years, as the council tries to bring them back into use.

Reading Borough Council (RBC) plans to double council tax for empty properties and follow this up with trebling and quadrupling premiums in the next three years.

The proposal - expected to be approved by the council's policy committee tonight (January 14) - aims to help tackle the current pressure on housing.

Owners of properties that are empty for more than two years are currently charged an extra 50 per cent in council tax. This will rise to 100 per cent from April 1 2019.

The council will follow this up with a 200 per cent premium for properties empty for 5-10 years, which will be introduced in 2020.

A further premium of 300 per cent for properties empty for more than 10 years will be introduced in 2021.

The report from Jackie Yates, director of resources, states: “A certain level of empty homes is inevitable due to housing market churn but long-term empty properties are more likely to deteriorate which may result in associated anti-social behaviour in an area.

“We are conscious that there are a variety of reasons why properties remain empty, but is important to try encourage homeowners to bring empty properties back into use, particularly with the current pressure on finding housing for residents.”

There are currently 115 properties which have been unoccupied and unfurnished for more than two years within the borough and are therefore already subject to an empty homes premium.

Of these properties, 83 have been empty for two to five years, 22 for five to ten years, and ten for more than ten years.

RBC has estimated an additional £351,901 will be raised over the next three years if the number of long-term empty properties remains the same.

Properties are most likely to remain empty in Reading because they are ‘undergoing renovation or conversion’ (26 per cent).

‘Flats above shops or tied to vacant commercial premises’ (11 per cent) are the second most common type, while nine per cent are ‘allegedly on the market’.

Exceptions to the premium include premises owned by members of the armed forces and properties that are genuinely on the market for sale or to let.

Only two billing authorities - councils which collect council tax - have not introduced premiums on long-term empty properties.