Forum Topic

Empty properties

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-42536418Is Ealing active in dealing with this scandal?

Graham Weeks ● 2863d8 Comments

Hi there, I selected Alex Reid from find my builder a couple of days ago. He arrived promptly, was professional and efficient and tidy! I'm delighted with the new ceiling lights he installed, and the price was good. He's also a very personable guy. Lives in Ealing, tel 07944 045178.Donna

Donna Fraser ● 2845d

Hi Just wondering if anyone can help - looked at a previous recommendation for David - called him twice now and said he would call back ,but hasn't.Would be grateful for any other leads

Hiten Patel ● 2847d

Yes, they include the private sector.The BBC article Graham refers to is about high numbers of all residential empty property.As the article states, there *are* ways that councils can deal with long term private empty property:"The data - obtained through a Freedom of Information request - also reveals only one in 13 councils is making use of Empty Dwelling Management Orders.EDMOs allow councils in England and Wales to take over residential properties that have been empty for six months or more."Ealing's got an Empty Property Strategy and mentions EDMOs but it doesn't look like they have used one yet. They have carried out other measures and they do put a 50% additional Council Tax on properties empty for over 2 years. The strategy is here:https://www.ealing.gov.uk/download/downloads/id/717/empty_property_strategy.pdf

Terry Freestone ● 2859d

Like a lot of Government statistics, it's not obvious what numbers represent or what conclusions to draw, but I think the figures you refer to are vacant properties within a local authority but not necessarily properties owned by the local authority, ie this includes private sector housing over which Ealing Council has no control. "Long term" here means properties vacant for over 6 months.

Vlod Barchuk ● 2860d

However looking at the same Table 615, the amount of all *long term* vacant properties (which is what the article Graham linked to was about) fell from a high of 1,215 in 2004 to a low of 153 in 2014. In 2015 and 2016 the amounts rose dramatically to 667 and 695 which is probably down to new builds not being occupied.

Terry Freestone ● 2862d

I can't get the link to work so I wonder if anyone knows why? When my mother died 4 years ago they asked me to clear her flat the very next weekend and it was re-let and occupied within 2 weeks.

Penelope Crocker ● 2862d

Thank you Vlod. So much for that terrible shortage of public sector housing being all the fault of that wicked Thatcher selling off council properties.

Graham Weeks ● 2862d

Labour Ealing can’t get its own houses in order so I doubt they’re any good at dealing with private sector empty properties. Government figures (see the ‘LA owned vacants’ sheet of Table 615 here: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistical-data-sets/live-tables-on-dwelling-stock-including-vacants) show that Ealing Council has had more empty council houses than any other London borough for the last three years – 897 in 2016, up from 524 when Labour took power in 2010. Since 2010, London councils have reduced the number of empty properties by c20% whilst in Ealing they’ve increased by over 70%.

Vlod Barchuk ● 2862d