Empty Properties (Residential / Commercial)

There are enough empty properties in England & Wales to provide homes to over a million people.  Everyone agrees that it makes sense to bring empty homes back into use to help reduce housing need.  But it is not just the issue of wasted housing – long term empty properties (commercial or residential) can have a major negative impact on a neighbourhood and are a disincentive to investment in the area:

  • Nuisance to neighbours
  • Adverse effect on the amenity of an area – property values can fall by up to 18%
  • Reduction in confidence in the area, which can lead to a downward spiral
  • Problems with vandalism, arson and squatting – can act as magnet for alcohol/drug abuse
  • Waste public services resources in dealing with the property and associated issues

Local authorities are the key partners in trying to resolve the problems associated with these long term empty properties.  Local authorities will always be the first point of contact for concerned members of the public and local Councillors; indeed local residents are increasingly using websites to hold local authorities to account over problem properties. There are a considerable range of powers available to deal with problem long term empty homes and many Local Authorities fail to utilise them effectively.

For an authority to be effective,  there needs to be a corporate approach to the problem. However, as there is such a diverse range of legislation, there is often lack of understanding about its use and how different departments within the Local Authority can play their part. Andrew Lavender was the Project Consultant to the Kent Empty Property Initiative since its inception in 2005, a project which has now brought 7,300 long term empty properties back into use to help households seeking decent housing and secured in excess of £80 Million investment into empty homes in Kent.

He was previously appointed by the Welsh Local Government Association to support the Welsh Government and the twenty two local authorities in implementing the £30 Million Welsh Empty Property Initiative “Houses into Homes” and £10 Million Private Sector Home Improvement Loan Scheme. He has recently been appointed by the Welsh Government as part of their Transforming Towns programme, to assist all local authorities in Wales to deal with problem empty and poor condition properties with an emphasis on town centres. This has involved providing training to all local authorities , including Councillors on the broad range of legislation and approaches that can be used to deal with these type of properties.

He is a nationally recognised authority on this area of work not least for his innovative and determined use of enforcement procedures and regularly speaks at national conferences as well as delivering many training courses.  Lavender & Wilson are in a unique position to be able to offer consultancy drawing on their extensive knowledge and experience built up during these very successful projects. 

Practical Help with Problem Empty Properties

Returning long term empty homes back into use is a social imperative at a time when housing need has never been higher.  It is also a time of financial restraint and local authorities should be maximising their potential income and returning long term empty homes back to use is an effective way to do this.  Lavender & Wilson can help through:

  • Awareness building workshops
  • Training
  • Consultancy

Awareness Building Workshops

Awareness building workshop for members and senior officers can help greatly to raise the profile of the empty homes issue.  The aim is to foster corporate commitment to the empty homes initiative – experience shows they help greatly in giving impetus to strategic and policy decisions and can help make the initiative work more effectively (for example delegation of enforcement powers).

Training

Andrew Lavender has built on his experience over the past 17 years to develop a comprehensive range of empty homes training courses.  Courses range from one day through to extended courses up to six days.   The courses focus on practical skills that will be used operationally, including drafting a range of notices, assessing validity of notices (common defects) and tactical use of the different  approaches and legislation.  This enables local authorities to become more effective, ensuring officers time is used more efficiently and appropriate debt recovery procedures are in place. To date we have helped local authorities recover in excess of £2.5 Million from charges that had not been actively pursued. The courses can be tailored to meet the specific needs of your organisation.

Consultancy

During his 15 years consultancy with the Kent Empty Property Initiative / No Use Empty Project, nationally recognised as an innovative partnership approach to dealing with  empty homes. Andrew has achieved a significant level of knowledge and experience in bringing problem empty homes back into use. Andrew has been instrumental in supporting the Welsh Government, Welsh Local Government Association and the 22 Local Authorities in developing and implementing their National Welsh Empty Property Initiatives. If you are interested in developing an effective regional  or local authority approach to empty homes, Andrew can provide consultancy based on proven success. 

Alternatively, you may have some long standing cases that have now become a priority for your authority and you lack the dedicated resources or skills to deal with them. We can provide independent practical advice, including providing an options paper setting out the different approaches available and identify the most appropriate course of action.

We can support you through the various steps as and when you require assistance, ensuring that costs are kept to a minimum.

Both directors have  extensive experience of litigation and surveying in contentious cases, including Magistrates Court, Crown Court, County Court and First-tier Tribunal (Property Chamber). Often a single day of consultancy can unlock the local authority’s ability to deal with their very worst properties and most difficult owners.

If you want a more hands on approach, then we can inspect the property, prepare any paperwork / notices and manage the case through to conclusion including:

  • Statutory Enforcement – full range of legislation
  • Enforced Sales Procedure
  • Compulsory Purchase Orders
  • Empty Dwelling Management Orders

We would encourage officers to be fully involved at each stage to ensure that officers maximise their knowledge and gain the confidence to use similar procedures in the future.

In many cases where action is being considered under the Housing Act 2004 or the local authority is pursuing an enforced sale, these costs can be fully recovered – meaning there is no overall cost to the local authority.

If you would like to have a discussion about any cases, then do not hesitate to contact us for free impartial advice.