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Empty homes

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The old police station

The old police station
An old police station in Abergavenny has been converted into apartments through the Houses into Homes scheme.

Council Tax and Long-Term Empty Homes in Wales

This consultation seeks views for Ministers to amend legislation to allow local authorities the discretion to charge additional council tax on long-term empty domestic properties in Wales.

Empty homes good practice guidance

Empty homes good practice guidance
The guide highlights the powers and measures local authorities can use to deal with empty homes.

Empty homes can be a wasted resource and the target of vandals and squatters, which can affect the quality of life of neighbours.

To tackle these social issues, and as part of meeting housing demand, we encourage bringing empty homes back into use.

In February 2012 we launched the new Houses into Homes scheme, an innovative loans fund designed to help return these properties into use. This scheme will be used in addition to the existing powers available to tackle empty properties.

Empty Dwelling Management Orders (EDMOs) enable local authorities to take management control of privately owned empty homes so they can secure occupation of them. These powers are intended to support existing procedures, for instance compulsory purchase orders and voluntary agreements between homeowners and local authorities.

There are two types of EDMO, interim and final. Both types may only be used when a dwelling has been empty without good reason for over six months and certain other conditions are met. They are made against the person with the most relevant interest in the dwelling, known as the ‘relevant proprietor’.

Sometimes there are good reasons for a property to be empty and there are safeguards to take account of these. An EDMO cannot be made on a building that:

  • is not a dwelling, ie a building or part of a building used for non-residential purposes
  • is not wholly occupied, for instance only part of a house or flat is unoccupied or there are spare rooms not in use
  • has been lived in at any time within the previous six months