With increasing pressure on the demand for housing and meeting those needs, the Isle of Wight council is encouraging people to bring their empty properties back into use and tackle their negative impact on neighbourhoods during Empty Homes Week 2024.
Empty Homes Week (4th-10th March) aims to demonstrate the problems that long-term empty homes can cause for residents and urge people to assist in meeting housing need on the Island.
It is what it says
An empty home is a residential property that has remained vacant and substantially unfurnished for six months or more. There are exemptions such as when a person goes into care.
In total, the Island has around 740 empty properties (1 per cent of the overall housing stock) of which 135 have been left empty for more than two years.
Impact of empty homes
Empty homes can have a significant impact on social, environmental, and financial issues, which can include:
- overgrown gardens;
- unsightly appearance;
- anti-social behaviour;
- fly-tipping;
- vandalism;
- graffiti.
The council offers advice, assistance and options designed to help the owners of empty homes to bring these properties back into use.
Empty Property Strategy
It also has an Empty Property Strategy which aims to bring long-term empty properties back into use to increase the supply of quality and affordable homes for Island residents and in turn reduce the impact of empty properties on local communities.
The Empty Property Strategy objectives are to:
- maintain relevant, accurate and up to date information relating to empty homes on the Island;
- bring empty homes back into use by encouragement and advice to property owners;
- consider options for acting when negotiations fail to bring empty homes back into use;
- raise awareness of the Empty Property Strategy (Residential) with residents, property owners and community, town and parish councils.
Premium for empty properties
Following a decision by Full Council last week, premiums for empty properties will now kick in after just one year, not the current two.
The change means owners of properties which have remained empty for 12 months or more will be liable to pay an extra 100 per cent in council tax on top of the standard rate from next month.
Stephens: Please contact us if you feel we can help
Councillor Ian Stephens, Cabinet member for housing, said,
“The council wants to work with owners so please contact us if you feel we can help.
“We understand that not everyone wants to engage, however the council does have enforcement interventions, including if all else fails, compulsory purchase orders (CPO), to acquire the property, to get homes back into use.
“When a property is empty for a long time, it can fall into disrepair, get tagged and vandalised, or used by squatters. Empty properties are also a wasted resource that could provide much-needed homes.
“We remain committed to bringing long-term homes back into use, to assist in meeting housing demand and increasing the availability of affordable housing.
“We wish to work with owners, residents and other partner agencies to identify and return to use those properties that have remained vacant for a long period of time, and which can have such a significant detrimental effect on an area, attracting vandalism, anti-social behaviour and fly-tipping.”
For more empty property information and support, please visit the council’s website.
News shared by Isle of Wight council press office, in their own words. Ed
