Empty homes
Property owners have a responsibility to prevent empty houses from becoming a nuisance.
Long term empty properties can reduce nearby home values and attract:
- pests
- vandalism
- anti-social behaviour
- unauthorised entry
Report an empty property
With your contact details, you can report a:
- vacant
- derelict
- dilapidated property
We'll keep you updated on your complaint and investigate any nuisance.
Bring a property back into use
To bring a property back into use, owners can:
- sell
- rent
- renovate
- or live in the property
We can provide advice and financial support to help owners with this.
How we can help
We cannot take enforcement action on every empty property.
If we receive a report about an empty property, we'll try to:
- identify the owner
- inform them of any issues reported to us
- prioritise enforcement action on problematic properties and uncooperative owners
Legal action
We are prepared to take legal action where there is evidence of:
- accumulated waste or overgrowth causing pest problems
- nuisance to neighbouring occupiers
- serious risk of injury arising from the condition of the building
- neglected buildings that are detrimental to the local area