Rushcliffe Borough Council (RBC) is highlighting its work helping to bring empty properties back into use across the Borough as part of World Vacant Homes Day (October 8).
The international awareness day launched last year by The Empty Homes Network shines a spotlight on the global challenge of long-term vacant residential properties.
It includes opportunities they offer for boosting housing supply, regenerating communities, and promoting sustainable development.
Since January 2024, RBC has successfully brought 45 long-term empty properties back into use, including 12 so far this year, exceeding its annual target of 10 properties, set out in the Council’s Empty Homes Strategy 2024 – 2029.
The team’s success has been achieved through a combination of direct enforcement measures and engagement with property owners, with additional homes brought back into use through assistance with probate, advisory correspondence and other interventions.
Unoccupied homes can be detrimental to the lives of those in local communities and can cause problems such as vandalism, anti-social behaviour and nuisance and reduce the value of surrounding properties.
RBC continues to encourage owners of empty properties to seek advice from the Council’s dedicated Empty Homes Officer, who provides a wide range of support and guidance, including:
- Free property appraisal, including current value, rental value if habitable and cost of refurbishment works
- Links to estate agents and property investors, to find the most appropriate sale route for the owner
- Links with letting agents to advise on letting the property to family units, students, or as a House of Multiple Occupancy (HMO)
- Advice on upgrades to the property, to ensure all current regulatory standards are adhered to
- Advice on VAT and tax implications of being a landlord
- Guidance on the reduced rate of VAT on refurbishments of properties empty over two years
- A referral to other Council departments, such as planning or housing standards where necessary.
If an owner fails to respond to repeated attempts to contact them, and there are no signs that the property will be occupied in the near future, the Council can consider a range of enforcement options.
They include compulsory purchase orders, an empty dwelling management order, enforced sale to recover debt or improvement notices where the Council can carry out the improvement works if the owner fails to themselves.
RBC’s Cabinet Portfolio Holder for Planning and Housing Cllr Roger Upton said: “We’re proud to support World Vacant Homes Day and showcase the hard work of our Empty Homes Team at Rushcliffe to help tackle empty homes in the Borough.
“Empty homes is a shared challenge across the globe, not just the UK and we continue our work in line with our Empty Homes Strategy to bring empty homes in the Borough back into use, helping local people live healthier, better lives.
“Turning empty homes back into a liveable state is also beneficial to the environment and as such helps our efforts at RBC to support a sustainable and greener future for our residents.
“To help achieve our goals, our Empty Homes Officer Claudia Bowring works directly with homeowners in order to bring any derelict and abandoned properties within Borough back into use.
“Whether a property is struggling to sell, needs repairs to make it habitable, or is in the process of going through probate, there are often difficult and substantial reasons why homes remain empty but we’re here to help.
“Where an owner has plans for the property, and is actively implementing them, we still make contact to see if we can further assist the plans to ensure they stay on track.”
Claudia added: “Putting empty homes back into use can not only can play a pivotal role in solving the housing crisis, but it also ensures Rushcliffe remains a great place to live, preventing decay in a neighbourhood.
“World Vacant Homes Day therefore provides an opportunity to raise public awareness on the matter and promote vital work and as the Empty Homes Officer for RBC, I am keen to work with the community and homeowners to tackle the issue.”
