There are many reasons for homes becoming empty. Usually this is not a problem as it is temporary, for example, when people move from one house to another or when the occupier dies or moves into care.
In some cases, homes are left for years, decades or permanently. We are committed to working with homeowners and the public to transform empty homes into homes for people who need them.
You can find out more about the empty homes strategy we have been developing here (pdf / 412 KB).
Report an empty home
If you own an empty home, or have seen one in your town or village, let us know.
Creating new homes from empty properties can help to bring the area back to popularity. It can also help the environment, as it is more efficient to bring an empty home back into use than to build new.
Report an empty home
Contact us to report an empty home.
Owners of empty homes
Support is available to owners of empty homes to help bring their properties back into use.
To help bring empty homes back in use we offer grants and loans to owners of empty homes. The funding will allow the owners to bring the homes to a decent standard. There are terms and conditions, and owners will need to work with us to ensure that the funds are used well.
We have also been successful in receiving funds to purchase empty homes to be used as council houses. Not all empty homes are suitable, but if you are interested in selling your empty home to us, contact us to discuss further.
There is also more information available online from:
- the National Landlord Association website
- the Government website including information about how to sell your property and how to apply for probate with or without a will
Enforcement action for empty homes
If owners do not engage with us, or fail to make satisfactory progress to bring their properties back into use, we may take formal action.
We will use enforcement action as a last resort to bring homes back into use. This is generally used when all other attempts to work with owners have failed. In each situation we will consider a range of enforcement tools, which can include:
- compulsory purchase orders
- enforced sales
- empty dwelling management orders
- planning powers around improving the visual amenity in an area, commonly known as removing an eye sore
These steps will allow us to gain possession of an empty property and bring it back into use.
If you own an empty property, please contact us.