The government should release devoted funding for empty homes officers if it wants to deal with the scourge of homes sitting empty up and down the UK, Propertymark has advised.
The estate firm body found that just 38% of councils have an empty homes technique in place, while simply 41% have a dedicated empty homes officer.
There are presently over 359,000 homes sitting empty for more than six months across the UK.
Timothy Douglas, head of policy and campaigns at Propertymark, said: “Long-lasting empty properties are a visible reminder of a system that is not working as efficiently as it should. At a time when housing demand continues to outstrip supply, leaving hundreds of countless homes unused is neither economically nor socially sustainable.
“Our research shows that while federal governments throughout the UK have actually introduced a variety of procedures, too many local authorities do not have the devoted resources, funding and strategic framework needed to deliver meaningful modification.
“Financial penalties alone will not fix the problem. What works is continual local engagement, expert guidance, and effectively moneyed empty homes teams that can support owners through the process of bringing residential or commercial properties back into use.”
Propertymark launched a detailed paper on the subject called ‘Adding empty properties’.
The paper calls on federal governments and regional authorities to: Work collaboratively with neighborhoods and the third sector to attend to the origin of job; reform service rates to incentivise reuse of business home; extend the Welsh Empty Homes Grant Scheme to personal property managers; present targeted regrowth financial investment in locations with high concentrations of long-lasting empty homes; and guarantee every local authority has a clear strategy, database and devoted budget for dealing with empty properties
The body likewise called for reforms to Empty Residence Management Orders (EDMOs) to permit earlier intervention, while making sure assessment with qualified property agents to speed up the return of stock to the market.