Housing crisis: Plans to tackle derelict properties are in full swing
This week authorities across the UK, including the Isle of Man and Wales, have outlined measures to help reduce the number of empty properties and turn them into affordable homes.
As rates of inflation are failing to decrease at a speed experts are happy with, authorities are taking it upon themselves to provide homes that people can afford to live in. Low-income households have been hit particularly hard by soaring costs, as millions of people have reported that they have had to cut out basic necessities, such as heating and food, to be able to pay their bills.
Against this backdrop, on 21st June Caerphilly County Borough Council in Wales, issued a statement to remind owners of private properties, which have been empty for up to 12 months, that there is still time to renovate them in a bid to convert them into affordable properties for others to live in.
The scheme, known as the Welsh Government National Empty home Grant Programme, which was introduced in January 2023, is designed to make vacant properties safe and improve their energy efficiency rating.
When the project was launched, Welsh ministers outlined £5m in total was available and that individual owners of private properties could apply for grants up to £250,000. The plan is set to run over the next two years and has the potential to see 2,000 long-term empty properties brought back into use.
Cllr Shayne Cook, the Councils Cabinet Member for Housing, said: ‘Tackling the issue of empty properties is a key priority for the council. As well as being a blight on our local communities, empty properties are a magnet for anti-social behaviour and represent a wasted resource during the current national housing crisis.’
Following this, Tynwald, Parliament of the Isle of Man, announced yesterday they have backed a bid to tackle vacant and derelict properties within their region.
In May this year, Jason Moorhouse, MHK called for the rates for buildings in disrepair to be reinstated and penalties charged until something was done to improve it. However, an amendment by Treasury Minister Alex Allison to include an exploration of penalties for all vacant buildings gained support.
The Treasury must now report back to Tynwald by the end of October.
The 2021 Isle of Man census revealed there were about 5,600 vacant homes on the island, including flats, houses, and cottages used as holiday accommodation.
Under current rules, an application can be made for dilapidated properties to have their rates lowered to zero and there are no penalties for leaving a property empty.