Council taking power over empty homes

The council has agreed to adopt special powers to take over the running of empty homes, where these have stood unoccupied for a long time and there is no prospect of them being used in the near future.

The aim is to ensure there is more affordable rented accommodation in the district, to support local families.

These new powers for local authorities were set out in the Housing Act 2004, under which councils can apply for Empty Dwelling Management Orders to put empty homes back into use.

If granted, a final order enables the council to take over the management of an empty property for up to seven years.

While the council would not own the home, it would receive income from the rent paid, which would be used to cover the costs of any improvements needed to bring the home up to a good standard.

It is estimated that there are currently over 300 empty homes in the district, which have not been lived in for more than six months.

Chairman of Selby District Council's Social Board, Coun Gillian Ivey said: "The aim is to help us to ensure that the homes here in the Selby district are available for local families. In some areas there are perfectly useable properties which have stood empty for some time. We think it's right that these are brought back into use to meet local needs.

"Applying for an Empty Dwelling Management Order is a last resort. We will always try to work with the property owner to bring the home back onto the rental market in the first instance, but adopting these powers does give us the option of taking strong action if it's needed. We don't expect such an order would have any additional costs for the council, because any outlay for improvements to each home will be paid for through rental income over the period of the order."

Before applying for an order, the council would have to prove that it had taken all reasonable steps to work alongside the property owner to bring the home back into use. A final decision on each case would be made by an independent tribunal.