Empty properties

See GOV.UK – buying or selling your home.

If you rent your empty property, you may need a property licence.

If you rent your property, decide if you want to:

• be the landlord – you are responsible for carrying out and arranging all maintenance and carrying out duties such as gas safety checks
• rent through a managing agent – check the Association of Residential Managing Agents

If an owner has no intention of bringing the empty property back to use, we have enforcement options:

Empty dwelling management orders

We can take over the management of an empty property on a temporary basis because an owner is unwilling or unable to manage it themselves. We act as the manager, taking all costs from the rent and any remaining money is passed onto the owner.

Compulsory purchase orders (CPO)

A CPO can be made when the owner of an empty property has no plans for bringing the property back into use, and we have tried every other option of getting the property back to use, but have been unsuccessful. We must then take legal action which results in the council taking ownership of the property. The property is then sold to a Registered Social Landlord, and the owner is given the best market price.

Enforced sales procedures

If there is money owed to the council through a statutory notice issued this can be registered as a charge on the property. The property can then be sold through auction.