13 March 2009
By Neil Merrick
English councils should do more to track down the owners of empty homes as a first step towards bringing extra housing into use, the government has said.
Adverts could be placed in newspapers and, where appropriate, professional search agencies employed to find owners, said housing minister Margaret Beckett.
Launching new guidance with the Empty Homes Agency on March 10 — which includes strengthened powers for councils — Beckett also urged authorities to respond to residents’ concerns about properties that remain empty for long periods.
As a last resort, they should issue empty dwelling management orders, which allow them to take over the running of a property.
Although the number of empty homes in England has fallen by 9% over the past decade, it has increased by 3.7% over the past 12 months to 697,055. More than 40% of these were empty for six months or longer.
‘With an increased focus and more consistent approach, we can bring more homes back into use,’ said Beckett. ‘With house building slowing in the current economic climate, that is more important than ever.’
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