Cardiff Council has updated its Empty Property Policy detailing the Council’s approach to tackling problematic, long-term vacant properties through measures ranging from advice to owners to enforcement action such as compulsory purchase and enforced sale.
Deputy Leader of Cardiff Council, Councillor Judith Woodman, said: “Cardiff Council’s Private Sector Housing team are making excellent progress in returning empty properties to use. 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 updated Empty Property Policy is intended to bring an even greater number of empty homes back into use, in doing so, creating sustainable, safe and pleasant communities leading to the provision of housing that meets the needs of local people.“
There are approximately 3000 empty properties in Cardiff. Of these, around 1800 are non-transitional vacant properties which are not lived in, being sold or offered for let. These properties are often in poor physical condition, attracting problems such as anti-social behaviour, vandalism and fly tipping.
Government research has identified that the major barrier to bringing empty homes back into use is often financial and the Council is currently working with registered social landlords and private sector landlord partners to explore innovative solutions to this issue. One example is a joint leasing scheme that aims to bring vacant properties back in to use and will help increase the provision of affordable, good quality rented accommodation across Cardiff.
The hope is to include levering in private sector investment to help refurbish properties, in return for nomination or management rights. This approach also offers potential employment and apprenticeship opportunities, helping to address the skills base at the same time as addressing housing need.
Furthermore, as highlighted in the recent Housing Minister’s Paper – ‘Meeting the Housing Challenge, Building a consensus for action (December 2011), an investment of £5 million has been put forward to address the problem of long-term empty properties across Wales. This will be allocated to local authorities using the Local Health Board footprints, and so work is underway with colleagues in the Vale of Glamorgan to prepare a submission.
With a view to improving opportunities for first time buyers, the Council is also taking part in the new Local Authority Mortgage Scheme (LAMS) in partnership with participating mortgage lenders.
Under the scheme, a bond will be placed by the Council for investment with the mortgage provider, which will be used to underwrite up to 20% of a first time buyer’s mortgage. The scheme, which will be managed by the mortgage lender, provides access to 95% mortgages at preferential interest rates usually reserved for a 75% mortgage. Each first time buyer purchase is estimated to generate a further 4 or 5 house sale, which will help to stimulate the housing market in Cardiff.
