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Empty homes

Why bother about empty homes?

• Whilst there is not an obvious empty homes problem in West Oxfordshire, there are increasing pressures for more housing and affordable housing.
• Empty properties can easily cause trouble for owners since they quickly fall into disrepair and can be a target for vandals.
• Empty properties also detract from the enjoyment of the many tourists that visit our District.
• Its just good sense to make the best of our housing stock.

The Council wants to work with owners and other agencies to resolve these problems and has adopted a strategy to do so.

What will the Council do?

The strategy involves Council officers contacting owners to find out why their property is empty and discussing options that may be available for bringing it back into use. New powers known as Empty Dwelling Managements Orders were introduced in England in April 2006. Unless a residential property falls into one of the exemption categories, the Council could (after exploring all other available options) apply to the Residential Property Tribunal for an Empty Dwelling Management Order. This would allow the Council to take over the management of a property that has been empty for more than six months.

 What further advice is available?

Advice is available and owners can be put in touch with the Council's partners who may be able to offer assistance.

There is information and a leaflet available from the Department for Communities and Local Government website.

What options are available to property owners?

There are a wide range of options available to property owners including:

• Occupying the property themselves;
• Selling to an owner-occupier or a housing association;
• Letting the property and managing it themselves; and
• Letting the property but agreeing that it is managed by a housing association or private letting agent.

There is no obligation to follow any of the options suggested, nor is there any charge for advice or any follow up service, but it could lead to great benefits for the property owners and the community.

General advice on letting and property management is available from Housing Services.

Tell us about an Empty Home

Please contact the private sector housing team on 01993 861060, or use the online service on the right of this page, to inform us about an empty home in your area. The following information will be required, address of property, name and address of owner if known, how long it has been empty for and type of property.

Do it online

Go to My West Oxfordshire for all your local information or view all online services

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