Empty Homes

The Council sees a long term empty home as being:  “A private sector property that has been unoccupied for at least 6 months”

This definition allows a sufficient length of time for market forces to act to return an empty home into use without any intervention from us.

Why are there empty homes? 

Properties can be left empty for any number of reasons, some examples being:

• A lack of money for repair work 

• Waiting for planning permission to develop the property/land

• Inheritance issues 

• Family disputes/divorce settlements

• Repossession and complex legal/insurance problems

• Owners do not know how to get homes back into use 

• Housing market conditions, such as waiting for the right time to buy or sell

• Buy-to-let proves harder work than many people expected.

Why bring empty homes back into use?

There are significant advantages to bringing empty homes back to use:

For the owners:

• They will gain capital if the property is sold;i

• If it is let they will gain rental income, an increased property value and reduced outgoings.

• Leaving a property empty increases the risk of vandalism and crime, making the property more costly to insure - if it can be insured at all - leaving the owner vulnerable to losing their asset completely if it were destroyed by fire.

• It also avoids the possible costs of evicting squatters and securing the building. 

For local residents:

• It reduces the opportunities for vandalism, fly-tipping and anti social behaviour in all its forms.

• Unsightly properties can have a negative effect on a neighbourhood as well as neighbouring house prices and reduced pride in the area.

• Properties in disrepair can have a direct impact on adjoining properties such as dampness and structural problems.

 For the local economy:

• Bringing an empty home back into use encourages economic vitality - increasing spending in the local economy and protecting house prices of surrounding properties.

• Unsightly properties deter investment in an area and can lead to decline.

For the wider community:

• Returning properties to use reduces demands on service’s such as the Police, Fire and the Council to deal with problems, meaning that resources can be used more effectively elsewhere.

• Using existing housing reduces the demand for building on greenfield sites, preserving the environment for current and future generations. 

• Bringing properties back into use also provides places for people to live and can reduce the strain on housing waiting lists.

What happens if empty homes are not brought back into use?

We always try to work with empty home owners but we sometimes have to use our enforcement powers to bring empty homes back into use. These powers include: 

• Enforcement Notices on homes/land in poor condition

• Compulsory Purchase Orders (Housing Act 1985) 

• Empty Dwelling Management Orders (Housing Act 2004) 

• The Enforced Sales Procedure (Law of Property Act 1925)

Enforcement action is used as a last resort and is best avoided as it adds to the burden of owning an empty home. We will only use enforcement action where an owner refuses to fulfill their responsibilities.

How you can help?

Residents: Please let us know if there is an empty home in your area.

Empty home owners: If you own an empty home we can give you advice and guidance about bringing the property back into use.

If you require further information or advice, please contact the Environmental Health Team via Wokingham Direct on (0118) 9746000 or email Environmental.health@wokingham.gov.uk