Cardiff Council’s Private Sector Improvement & Development (PSID) team are making excellent progress in returning empty properties to beneficial use.
The PSID team deals with long term-term vacant properties that can become a nuisance to local communities and uses the Empty Property Strategy to tackle this problem. The strategy encourages owners to get their properties onto the rental market or put them up for sale with any repairs and waste accumulations dealt with.
In the last financial year, 80 wasted homes were returned to beneficial use representing 6.4% of properties in Cardiff left vacant for 6 months or more meeting local and national targets in the process.
The scale of the problem underlines the challenges facing the PSID team. The number of empty properties is expected to rise to 2,800 from 2,200 reflecting the harsh lending climate in the housing market currently. Owners are increasing unable to obtain finance to undertake renovation work for sale or rental of their properties. In addition, properties for sale can be left unsold for considerable periods of time.
With thousands of households waiting for council housing, Cardiff Council works hard to engage with owners to return their properties to occupation. The PSID team offer advice and assistance but some owners are unwilling to cooperate. In such circumstances, the Council can use statutory powers such as Enforced Sale (where a debt has been registered against the property) or Compulsory Purchase Order or managing the property for a period of time through an Empty Dwelling Management Order.
Deputy Leader, Cllr Judith Woodman, Executive Member for Communities, Housing and Social Justice said, “The PSID team are doing very valuable work for Cardiff and I’m pleased they are hitting local and national targets in returning properties to occupancy. It’s vital for communities that properties don’t become vacant for long periods as they can attract anti-social behaviour and blight areas. Cardiff Council works hard to ensure that housing stock is maximised for the high numbers of people wanting council housing in the City and this work makes an important contribution.”
