FOI request (FOIR-719806038)

Empty properties

Requested Tue 03 June 2025
Responded Wed 30 July 2025

1. What is the current number of empty properties and long term empty properties across the council, as of June 2? If a figure is not available for June 2, please provide the most up-to-date figure available and state the date for which that figure is accurate. How many of those are owned by the council? What were the numbers as of 2 June 2019, in terms again of empty properties, long term empty properties, and council-owned empty/long term empty properties?

2. How many people were on the social housing waiting lists on those two dates?

3. What is the reason that the long term empty properties are currently void? Please provide a breakdown by void status – that is, classifying them as available (Undergoing works, Ready for Occupation, TA: Ready for letting, Long cycle void group, Major Works, Minor repairs), temporarily unavailable (Unauthorised Occupant, Squatted, Capital void, Redevelopment), and permanently unavailable (Demolition, Disposal) or a similar classification method that you use.

4. Since 2019, have you undertaken any work around reducing your long term empty properties? If you have, was this done using internal resources, third party resources, or both?

5. How many properties were brought back into use as a result in each of those years since 2019? What were the average financial costs per property, in order for them to be brought back into use?

6. What work is the council currently undertaking and what is it planning to undertake when it comes to reducing its long term empty properties?

7. Does the council offer financial support, in terms of grants or loans, to Long Term Empty property owners to help them bring properties back into use? If yes, how many owners have made use of that in every year since 2019?

8. What is the budget, if any, that the council has allocated for supporting the reduction of empty properties?

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Response

Please accept my apologies for the delay in responding.

Revenues Department

1. As of 2nd June 2025:

Empty under 2 years – 1016 of which 29 are owned by the Council

Empty under 5 years – 582 of which 9 are owned by the Council

Empty under 10 years – 74 of which none are owned by the Council

Empty 10 years and over – 10 of which none are owned by the Council

2. As of 2nd June 2019:

Empty under 2 years and still open as of 2nd June 2025 – 984 of which 2 are owned by the Council

Empty under 5 years but have been closed since 2nd June 2019 – 126 of which none are owned by the Council

3. Information not held as the Prescribed Class Code is just empty and unfurnished for either under 2 years and under 5 years or 10 years.

4. Information not held.

5. An empty homes review was carried out in 2023, by a third party. Information not held regarding any financial information.

6. Information not held.

7. Information not held.

8. Information not held.

Housing Services

1. The council completed a large scale voluntary transfer of its housing stock in 1996 and subsequently only has a relatively small housing portfolio all of which is used for Temporary Accommodation.

As at 31/03/2025, the council owned a total of 47 vacant residential dwellings; 37 properties had been recently purchased by the council and were under refurbishment - none had been owned by the council for 12 months; 9 properties were undergoing void works and had been vacant for less than 12 months; 1 property, which is linked to a commercial premises, was vacant for over 12 months. On 2 June 2019 the council owned 11 properties (used for temporary accommodation), of which 5 were empty: 1 x void property in between tenants, 4 x properties newly purchased by the council, of which 3 were owned less than one week.

Number of households on housing register 2 June 2019 = 1672, 2 June 2025 = 1754.

3. See question 1 above for council owned properties.

4. Not applicable, see question 1 above for council owned properties. The reason the number of short term empty properties has risen is due to expanding our housing portfolio by acquiring and refurbishing properties.

5. Not applicable for council owned properties, see above.

6. Information not held.

7. Information not held.

8. Information not held.