Many property owners have received a Vacancy Tax Notice for a property they live in or rent. The tax administration recognized a technical error. “These cases have been identified and will be corrected without any action from the user,” she promises.
It’s a letter that doesn’t make you happy… especially when it’s sent wrongly. “The joke of the day at 1,400 euros”, denounces Paul in a post on Linkedin. He says he received a notice of tax imposition on vacant housing even though his property is not empty, far from it.
“A notice (…) for the only property which I own and in which I live with my wife and which has been declared as my main residence for 3 years,” he testifies.
“Obviously, taking out 1,400 euros at the end of the year is nothing at all,” quips the digital strategy consultant.
In the comments, other Internet users complain of having received the same treatment. “Welcome to the club. 750 euros tax to pay for vacant accommodation. For rented accommodation”, says Laetitia. “I have just received a letter with the same surprise for my main residence. Which was clearly declared from the start,” continues Caroline.
“Ten times more than last year”
The Tax Office in fact recognizes “a technical error by the administration”. Notices were “wrongly sent”, even though the owners were in good standing.
Since 2023, they must indeed make their declaration via the Manage my real estate (GMBI) platform. They are required to notify the tax administration of changes in the occupancy situation of their property (identity of tenants for landlords, main or secondary residence for owner-occupiers).
“Every year, we deal with the cases of a few clients who have sometimes forgotten to update their situation, but for the past week, it has been different,” explains Frédéric Granier, director of the APP firm specializing in real estate asset management.
“We had ten times more requests than last year, yesterday alone we had around fifteen emails,” says the manager who supports around 1,000 clients.
It ensures that the errors do not only concern those who moved in 2023 and who therefore have a change in situation, but also customers who have been installed for 2 or 3 years and whose declaration is up to date.
“The users concerned will be contacted”
The tax administration explains these errors by the fact that the number of notices has increased significantly this year “due to the significant expansion of the scope”. Indeed, the tax on vacant housing (TLV), applicable in tense areas, is now applicable in 3,697 municipalities compared to 1,136 in 2023. Then, the housing tax on vacant premises (which applies outside tense areas) now concerns 6,417 municipalities, compared to 5,447 in 2023.
So what should you do if you have received a tax notice wrongly? Don’t panic, the administration will take care of it and cancel the notices.
“There is no action to be taken by the user,” assures the tax administration to BFM Business.
“The users concerned will be contacted by email at the end of the week. They will then receive in the coming weeks by post the letter canceling the initial notice,” promises the administration.
The volume of notices wrongly sent is not yet known because the sending campaign, which started on November 4, has not yet ended.
