A new strategic guidance for local authorities tackling empty homes has been launched on Wednesday 12 July, produced by the Improvement and development Agency (IDeA) working with the Empty Homes Agency.
There are 26 methods of bringing an empty home back into use, which includes advice, grants, leasing schemes and enforcement methods such as the new Empty Dwelling Management Orders. The Government's campaign is to bring more of the 300,000 long-term empty properties back into use.
The key element of this guidance is that it sets out a strategic approach to tackling empty homes by a simple 3 stage approach:
- Diagnosis - understand why it's empty
- Prescription - if intervention is necessary choose the appropriate method for helping get it back into use
- Treatment - apply a chosen approach, and monitor success
It is vital that local authorities understand why the property is empty and then take the most appropriate action.
These Orders are seen as a last resort, where owners have no long-term plans for their homes and where voluntary negotiations with owners have failed. Among the protections for owners is the fact that a tribunal must be satisfied the dwelling has been unoccupied for at least six months, and that there is no reasonable prospect of it becoming occupied in the near future.
"We are delighted that this new publication - 'a cure for empty homes' which is being sent to all local housing authorities in the country," said Jonathan Ellis, chief executive of the Empty Homes Agency
A long time has been spent working on this guidance, and it is backed up by practical case studies. It is hoped that it will prove to be useful to local authorities in their strategic role within the local housing market and address the issue of long-term empty homes.
The IDeA asked the Empty Homes Agency to produce the guidance to support the implementation of the Housing Act 2004.
Note to editors:
Case studies are available in the report, which can be accessed from the website.
'A cure for empty homes' will be available on the IDeA website then clicking on 'implementing the Housing Act' and on the Empty Homes Agency website www.emptyhomes.com
