Do you pay Council Tax on a caravan?

When a caravan counts for Council Tax

For Council Tax, a caravan pitch with a caravan on it can count as a home, just like a house or flat. The key question is whether someone lives there as their sole or main residence. If a caravan is your main or only home, you are liable for Council Tax on it.

The same rules apply to a boat on a mooring, such as a houseboat or narrowboat that you live on.

Quick guide for England

Discounts you can still get

Living in a caravan does not stop you getting the normal discounts. For example:

• 25% off if you are the only adult, or everyone else is disregarded (not counted), such as students or under 18s.
• Council Tax Reduction if you are on a low income or get benefits.

Example

Ken lives alone in a park home all year. It is his only home, so he gets a Council Tax bill. As he is the only adult, he can ask the council for 25% off.

His sister keeps a static caravan on a different site for holidays. Her council in England cannot charge the second homes premium on it, because caravans are an exception to that premium.

The second homes premium

Since April 2025, councils in England can charge up to 100% extra on homes that nobody lives in as a main home but which are furnished. GOV.UK's plain English guide lists caravans and boats as exceptions, along with job-related homes and homes with planning rules that limit how they are used.

How to sort out your bill

1. Find your council using GOV.UK's postcode tool.
2. Tell the council you live in the caravan or boat as your main home.
3. Ask about any discount you may get.
4. If your pitch or mooring is empty, tell the council so it can apply the exemption.

If you live in Scotland or Wales

• Wales: you may get a 50% discount on a caravan on a pitch, or a boat on a mooring, that is not lived in as anyone's main home. An empty pitch or mooring has no Council Tax.
• Scotland: the rules are different. See mygov.scot's guide to empty and second homes, and ask your council.

Related guides

• Who is exempt from Council Tax?
• Do I pay Council Tax on a second home or empty property?
• How do I check my Council Tax band?
• Who pays council tax?

Where this comes from

• GOV.UK: Paying the right level of Council Tax, a plain English guide
• GOV.UK: Council Tax, who has to pay
• Council Tax (Exempt Dwellings) Order 1992, classes of exempt homes
• GOV.UK: apply for a Council Tax discount
• Welsh Government: Council Tax discounts, disregards, exemptions and reductions
• mygov.scot: Council Tax for empty homes and second homes