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Local councils across the UK are calling on residents to report empty homes to address the ongoing housing crisis. While properties can be empty for periods of up to six months for reasons such as relocation, property exchanges or probate. There are an estimated 260,000 empty properties across the UK. These empty homes can influence surrounding communities and missed opportunities for housing those in need.
What Is Classified As An Empty Home?
A long-term empty home can be a privately owned flat or house that has been unoccupied for six months. However, not all empty homes are immediately obvious.
What Can The Council Do?
Councils have the authority to address empty homes through legal measures, enforcement, and supportive initiatives:
- Council Tax: Councils have the power to increase tax premiums on long-term empty properties. The tax premium amount is determined of the location and how long the property have been empty.
- Empty Dwelling Management Order (EDMO): Initiating this order allows councils to take control of long-term empty properties to bring them back into use.
- Locate Property Owners: Identifying property owners or their next of kin to engage with them directly. Councils often seek support from specialist firms such as Probate Property Service and Blanchards.
- Securing Properties: Councils can take steps in securing abandoned buildings by installing fencing to restrict public access. This measure helps prevent the site from becoming a nuisance to neighbouring properties or a hotspot for antisocial behaviour.
- Compulsory Purchase Orders (CPOs): If an empty home is having a serious impact on neighbouring properties or the surrounding community. Councils can force the sale of a property if other efforts have failed.
Why Reporting Empty Properties Matters
Empty homes can cause many problems for local communities. When left empty, the houses often spiral into decline, neglect and decay. This leads to issues like squatting, vandalism and a drop in the value of surrounding properties. Many of these empty homes are in the middle of towns where people want to live, making them a missed opportunity to improve the lives of families and individuals.
How Can Probate Property Services Help
Probate Property Services handle empty and probate properties. From house clearance to property management, managing a probate property can feel overwhelming. Our services consist of taking on the burden of the empty home and everything that entails.
We support councils in identifying missing property owners or locating the next of kin of deceased individuals. Our team handles property clearance and valuation, ensuring it is prepared for sale for members of the public sector.
Contact Us
Referring an abandoned or empty home near you? Contact us today if you know of an empty property.
