Empty homes

Report an empty property

If you are concerned about a vacant, derelict or dilapidated property you can report it to Environmental Health. You are required to provide your details, so we can keep you updated on your complaint and investigate any nuisance being caused to you. 

Bring your property back into use

Property owners have a responsibility to prevent empty houses falling into disrepair or becoming a nuisance. Long term empty properties are a wasted housing resource and can attract pests, vandalism, anti-social behaviour and unauthorised entry. Properties in a poor condition can blight an area and reduce the value of nearby homes.

The best solution for owners is to bring the empty property back into use. This can be achieved by either selling it, renting it or renovating it and living in it. We can provide advice on a number of options which will bring your property back into use. We may even be able to provide owners with some financial support.

Request advice as a Property Owner

What can you expect from us?

For empty property owners requesting help and advice, we will carry out a free inspection of the property, and using our expertise and knowledge, we will find you solutions to help you rent it, sell it or renovate it. We will even try and find financial support for renovations required, find you a buyer or get it rented for you.

When we receive a report about an empty property, we will try to identify the owner and make them aware of the problems reported to us. We cannot take enforcement action on every empty property, but we will assess its condition and prioritise it for enforcement action. We tend to take enforcement action on long term problematic properties or where the owner does not co-operate with us. 

We are prepared to take legal action in the following situations:

• there is evidence of accumulated waste or overgrowth causing pest problems
• the property is causing a nuisance to neighbouring occupiers
• there is a serious risk of injury arising from the condition of the building
• where neglected buildings are detrimental to the local area