10
Mar
Housing minister to help councils over empty homes
Councils are to be given new guidance on how they can get empty
homes brought back into use as residences, housing minister
Margaret Beckett has announced.
The government is providing the information - published jointly
with the Empty Homes Agency - to help authorities use the full
range of powers at their disposal to tackle the issue.
Actions councils can take include placing adverts to track down the
owners or instigating empty dwelling management orders, in which
the authority can take over the running of a property, though not
its ownership.
Ms Beckett said: "With an increased focus and more consistent
approach we can bring more homes back into use. With house building
slowing in the current economic climate, that is more important
than ever."
Such moves may help increase housing supply, something that might
create new opportunities for first-time buyers to get on the
housing ladder.
Commenting on the news, the Royal Institution of Chartered
Surveyors argued that councils should get an extra incentive by
being allowed to keep council tax receipts from formerly empty
homes that new people move into, rather than ceding them to central
government.
