Empty homes

What is an empty home?

A property which has been empty for six months or more is considered to be a long term empty property.

Why does a property become empty?

It is important to recognise that not all empty homes are a major problem and there are often good reasons for properties being left empty. For example they can be empty while there is a change of occupants, they are for sale, or they are undergoing refurbishment. However, there are increasing numbers of empty homes and properties which are left empty for longer than is reasonable. This is a particular issue during a time where there are fewer properties for sale on the housing market and a lack of rented accommodation.

Homes become empty for a variety of reasons, the most common situations being:

the occupant passed away
the occupant moved to a hospital, nursing home or residential care
the resident has been evicted or had their property repossessed
the owner has been unable to rent the property due to maintenance or property value issues

Since housing is in short supply it is important that as many homes as possible are being lived in.

Why are properties being left empty?

There are a number of reasons why the property is being left empty, these include:

the owner may be unwilling to consider leasing or letting the property
the owner may be temporarily working abroad and intends to live in the property in the future
the owner may not be aware of the property’s existence, for example where accurate property records are not kept
unresolved ownership matters, for example following the death of an owner
the owner may not fully appreciate the financial benefit of bringing their empty property back into use
the owner may have acquired the property solely for speculative investment purposes and be unconcerned that the property is empty
the owner may be a development company, with plans for its future redevelopment
the property may be joined to a business property and the business owner does not want to let it
the property may be in need of major repairs or renovation and the owner may not have the financial resource to make it habitable
there may be problems with accessing the property
there may be planning constraints which restrict the occupancy of the property
the property has been repossessed

Why bring empty homes back into use?

An empty property is a wasted home that costs you money. A property should be a home and lived in by someone who needs it, as well as being an asset to you and the local community.

Your empty property will be costing you additional council tax, standing charges for utilities and increased insurance - if you can get it!

In addition, the property is likely to experience:

deterioration and damage resulting in the value of the property reducing
attracts vandalism, crime, squatting and illegal uses for the property
vermin and fly tipping - you will be responsible for waste on your land.

If your property or land is causing a nuisance to the community and/or neighbours, the council may need to take formal action to resolve the issue. This means you could be served with a legal notice to undertake work or the council could undertake the work on your behalf. This is likely to result in you having to arrange for and pay for works yourself, being charged directly for the work carried out by the council, or a charge for the work being placed against the title of your property.

Benefits of having your property occupied

An occupied property is likely to prevent some of the issues above occurring and has other benefits such as:

someone living in the property looking after it for you
rental income
not having to cover the cost of utilities and council tax
giving someone a home who needs it
property value being maintained
reduced risk of fly tipping, squatting and vandalism

Empty homes and Council Tax

Related links to Council Tax Empty Property pages:

Council Tax Empty Property Premiums, Empty Property Discounts

Why the Council wants empty homes to be used

By supporting the repair, improvement, adaptation or conversion of empty properties to bring them back into use as homes, we aim to:

reduce the number of long term empty homes in our district
increase the housing supply
tackle empty property nuisance issues

Support for empty home owners

providing advice on the options available to use the property, and repairs and maintenance.
in some cases providing grants or loans for repairs (subject to conditions and available funding)
Assist with marketing options for sale or let.

How to report an empty home to us

If you notice an empty home and want to report it to us, please email health@middevon.gov.uk. We can often help if you are being impacted by an empty home that is in disrepair, overgrown or causing an issue to your property. If you beleive the property is causing a nuisance please complete a nuisance referral form and return it to health@middevon.gov.uk . Nuisance referral form.pdf Nuisance referral form.docx

Developers and investors

We do not provide lists of empty homes or details of the owners - requests for empty homes lists will not be responded to. We will normally encourage empty home owners to access open marketing services to achieve the best outcome for their home and encourage you to register with local agents and auctioneers. You may also wish to attend our regular landlord networking events - find out more here.

Council Tax Empty Property Premiums

Useful links

Action on Empty Homes