Meeting documents

For Members to consider the attached report.

Contact Officer: Neil Green 01296 585160

The Empty Homes Agency (EHA) estimated that there were over 200,000 long term empty homes in England in 2017. This represented 0.85% of the total number of homes in England and was considered a substantial wasted resource. As of April 2017, Aylesbury Vale had 239 private homes which were unoccupied from a total housing stock of 78,850; this represented 0.3% of the housing stock. Although this was below the national and regional average, it was still a cause for concern.

The council was committed to tackling the problems that empty properties caused and was keen to adopt a more proactive approach in supporting owners to help to return their property to use. Empty properties constituted a wasted housing resource, both for individual owners and the local community. Long-term empty properties could fall into a state of disrepair and become dangerous as well as having a negative impact on neighbours and the wider community. It was felt that a coordinated and sustainable approach to empty properties could contribute towards improving standards as well as reducing the number of empty homes.

Between 2011 and 2017 the number of empty properties in Aylesbury Vale was reduced by 45%. This was achieved through a combination of measures which included:

·         Property inspections

·         Provision of help and advice to owners

·         Publicity through mailings and the Vale Times magazine

There were broadly two types of empty residential properties: transactional empty properties and long-term empty properties. Transactional empty properties were generally empty for up to six months. This was usually due to a change in tenant or ownership and was part of the normal cycle of moving house. The vast majority of all empty properties were empty for less than six months though they may be empty longer should they be subject to renovation works.

Empty properties could have a negative impact upon the lives of people in the vicinity and could attract anti-social behaviour. Tackling empty properties not only helped provide additional much-needed homes but also contributed to the improvement of the local environment and benefits communities. The policy outlined in the report would focus on ‘long term empty properties’ which were those houses that had been empty for over two years and those that were situated in or close to the larger towns within the Vale. The policy allowed flexibility with regard to the criteria used to prioritise empty properties for action and to ensure that any new guidance, legislation or funding that becomes available could be made full use of in future. The policy described AVDC’s ‘graduated’ approach to enforcement whereby advice and incentives were offered to landlords to assist them in bringing properties back into use prior to considering formal measures.

The Committee also heard that it was recognised that there were a number of challenges associated with returning empty properties back into use. These could include ownership disputes, personal circumstances of the owner, disappearance of the owner and properties left intentionally empty. Enforcement Officers already had the skills required to trace property ownership, inspect houses and identify hazards under the Housing Health and Safety Rating System.

A statement was read out by the Chairman regarding this item on behalf of the Cabinet Member who was unable to attend the meeting.

Members sought more information and were advised that:-

      i.        The use of compulsory purchase powers to purchase empty commercial properties for conversion into residential dwellings was outside the scope of the policy. Conversions were already happening in the Vale through private companies if there was the market for it.

     ii.        An office in Aylesbury town centre was currently going through the Planning process for conversion into dwellings.

    iii.        The service received monthly reports from Council Tax on properties that were newly declared empty and tracked how long they had been empty for. Information on empty properties was supplemented by intelligence from complaints made by local residents and other officers when carrying out inspections and complaint investigations.

   iv.        Empty properties were exempt from Council Tax for the first month then charged at the full amount. Properties empty for longer than 24 months were subject to a 150% Council Tax rate. False claims had severe penalties.

    v.        If a property was empty due to structural issues then the Council Tax exemption was for six months to allow for works to be carried out. After that time normal charges would be incurred.

RESOLVED –

That the empty homes update be noted and Committee’s comments referred to Cabinet when they consider the item.