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Agenda item

Long term empty homes/second homes strategy update

Purpose

To provide an update on the Long-Term Empty Property strategy work.

 

Cabinet Member

Councillor Juliet Layton, Deputy Leader and Cabinet Member for Housing and Planning

 

Lead Officer

Mandy Fathers, Business Manager for Environmental, Welfare and Revenues

 

Minutes:

The purpose of the report was to provide an update on the Long-Term Empty Property Strategy work.

 

The report was introduced by Councillor Juliet Layton, Deputy Leader and Cabinet Member for Housing and Planning, and Mandy Fathers, Business Manager for Environmental, Welfare and Revenues, and the following points were made:

  • Empty or derelict properties could be squatted in, attract youth trespass, negatively affect neighbouring property values, and create safety and antisocial behaviour issues.
  • Some empty properties were not visible or known, including unsold or hard-to-resell retirement homes.

 

In questioning and discussion, the following points were noted:

  • Empty properties were generally self-declared, often when owners applied for a six-month council tax discount. After that, the Empty Homes Coordinator monitored the property, offering support to bring it back into use, and applied premiums if it remained unoccupied.
  • Improvement notices were served on empty or neglected properties, and in some cases, works in default had been carried out.
  • Action on unsafe or derelict properties was limited by cost and complexity. Any significant intervention would require Cabinet and potentially full Council approval, as recovery of expenses depended on eventual sale or charging orders. The Empty Homes Premium was widely used across the country to encourage bringing properties back into use.
  • Some retirement properties remained unused because planning conditions restricted occupancy to over-55s, and owners were not willing to allow short-term or alternative use despite demand for social housing.
  • Councils could refer specific properties either via Cotswold revenues or directly to the Business Manager for Environmental, Welfare and Revenues.
  • Properties on a private estate were treated the same as any other property. If they were assessed for council tax, they fell under the same monitoring and empty homes processes.
  • The database of empty properties and second homes was not publicly accessible due to data protection considerations.
  • A general mailing could be sent to parish and town councils advising them of potentially empty properties or wish to establish how long a property has been vacant.
  • Income from empty homes and second-home premiums formed part of the council tax base. Whilst £130,000 of second-home premium funding was allocated to support affordable housing in 2024, any proposal to direct such income to specific purposes, such as creating more social housing, would need to go through the standard budget-setting process.
  • Analysis of empty properties could include the number of years a property had been empty, the causes for it remaining unoccupied, and whether any action had been taken. Information would be reorganised and categorised to help develop targeted strategies, with a breakdown to be reported showing what actions had been taken.
  • The Council collected property data solely under its powers to administer council tax. It did not have the power to act as an intermediary or to advertise potential opportunities to property developers.

 

The Committee resolved to exclude the press and public from the meeting on the basis that their presence could involve the likely disclosure of exempt information as described in paragraph 2 of Schedule 12A of the Local Government Act 1972, with the public interest in maintaining the exemption outweighing the public interest in disclosure.

 

The meeting continued in private session and a public minute of the private discussion is below.

 

  • Some empty properties had required formal enforcement steps. Where owners could not be contacted, the Council could place a charging order on the property. Unpaid council tax debts followed the normal recovery cycle: referral to enforcement agents, return to the Council, and then a charging order. Any debt secured against the property was recovered when the property was sold. If Council tax was paid, it became harder to justify stronger enforcement action.
  • Any debts accrued by a property would be passed to the unitary authority.

After 12 months the Council Tax premium was 100%, after 5 years it increased to 200%, and after 10 years it rose to 300%. These were statutory periods.

Supporting documents:

 

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