Problems with empty homes
Empty properties can easily cause trouble for the owners since they can quickly fall into disrepair and are an easy target for vandals and squatters. Eventually an empty property can become an eyesore and detract from an otherwise pleasant street or other residential area.
With increasing pressure for more, especially affordable, housing it makes good sense to try and address the problem of empty homes and make the most of the housing stock in the Bradford District.
Recycling Empty Homes
New incentives exist for landlords to help tackle both empty homes and overcrowding in the Bradford district.
The Council’s Housing Service is really keen to reduce the number of vacant properties across the whole District as they can become a magnet for anti-social behaviour such as vandalism or graffiti and can be squatted in or become a base for fraudulent criminal activities.
The situation is often made worse because owners often live elsewhere, completely unaware of the impact their empty property is having on the local community.
Empty home owners can now get new help from Housing’s Overcrowding Team to get their property back into use if…
- The property has been empty for 6 months or more
- The owner is willing to let to an overcrowded family
- The owner will accept the Local Housing Allowance rate as rent (appropriate to the property type)
The package of help also involves “Inlets” (a social lettings agency & part of Incommunities) who will find a tenant and even manage the tenancy for a fee or this can even be done through the Bond Guarantee scheme free of charge
For more information about these incentives please contact Housing’s Overcrowding Officer on 01274 432356.
Some empty or derelict properties can also be helped back into occupation simply by giving advice and information about incentives to the owner. For others, the only answer is enforcement action to repair properties causing a statutory nuisance or, in extreme cases, Compulsory Purchase where there has been a long history of non cooperation by the existing owner and the property is causing continued blight on the surrounding area.
Housing’s Regeneration Team have put together a Recycling Empty Homes pack containing beneficial comprehensive information and advice on selling, letting, renovation, energy saving and tax incentives – in fact all the options available to empty property owners to help bring the empties back into use.
If you would like a Recycling Empty Homes pack, advice or information, contact the Regeneration Team on 01274 434742 or the information can be downloaded from the link below.
Contact us about an empty home
- For empty Incommunities (formerly Council) properties, contact Incommunities
For all other empty homes please contact :
Empty Homes Team
Housing Services
1st Floor, North Wing, Jacobs Well,
Bradford
BD1 5RW
Telephone number 01274 434742
