Latest Empty Property News 2008
August 2008
The head of the British Property Federation is now looking to the ... 31st August 2008
Telegraph.co.uk - United Kingdom
... wider picture and dealing with a clutch of problems facing the industry, one of which is the imposition of commercial property rates on empty buildings. ...
Money help-desk: How do I convince absentee landlords to pay for ... 30th August 2008
Scotland on Sunday - Edinburgh,Scotland,UK
I hoped to either encourage a joint renovation or buy the empty property to allow Unfortunately, despite advertising in the local newspaper and carrying out ...
Fond memories of abandoned estate - 30th August 2008
expressandstar.com - Wolverhampton,England,UK
For the few residents still remaining on the estate, there is an almost audible creak of empty homes echoing through the near-deserted neighbourhood. ...
Current housing stock should not go to waste - 30th August 2008
Guardian Unlimited - UK
... of their homes and into the arms of hard-pressed local authorities, and adding to the stock of empty homes on an already battered housing sales market. ...
Homes left empty across Waveney area - 30th August 2008
Norfolk Eastern Daily Press - Norwich,England,UK
Of the 904 empty homes in Lowestoft and Waveney, only 63 are council-owned. Many are private homes which the owners do not want to rent out or which would ...
'Freedom living' ideas to make cash go further - 29th August 2008
Telegraph.co.uk - United Kingdom
... apartments to warehouses by way of farms, manor houses and castles - and the guardians act as a form of security measure for the empty property. ...
Property crash opens door to the new council - 29th August 2008
Times Online - UK
There are nearly a million empty house in this state. Here we go again!! Calamity Brown times it wrong again! SO, he is going to borrow more money early and ...
Tories join rates assault - 29th August 2008
Property Week News - London,England,UK
By Jennifer Rigby The Conservative Party has vowed to review property’s hated empty rates tax ‘as a priority’ if it wins the next election. ...
Elaine Duell with the Council Tax bill - 29th August 2008
Cambridge Evening News - Cambridge,England,UK
"The charge will normally be payable in monthly instalments and will end if the property is demolished. "Anyone in a position or owning an empty property ...
Landlords face further empty threat as insurance costs rise - 29th August 2008
Property Week News - London,England,UK
Norris said: ‘If your property is empty, you need to make sure that certain things happen. You have to have a security inspection warranty. ...
Mortgage rescue fund at the ready as property slump gets even worse - 28th August 2008
Times Online - UK
... buyers will also be given more council-backed assistance with deposits and town halls will be given extra money to buy up empty, unsold new property. ...
Rishton flats refused over empty homes fears - 28th August 2008
Lancashire Telegraph - Blackburn,England,UK
Coun Marlene Haworth said that allowing the property to be converted into flats would set a precedent for similar proposals in Hyndburn and would lead to an ...
Government slated for tax on empty office space - 28th August 2008
Official Space - London,London,UK
Regeneration chief, John Nicholls has told the BBC’s Today Programme that the government’s tax on empty offices is having a chaotic impact on regeneration ...
Burnley housing scheme branded 'waste of money' - 28th August 2008
Lancashire Telegraph - Blackburn,England,UK
“They are spouting off about empty homes in Burnley but the Westmorland Street house is still empty.” The property is in the Trinity ward that has been ...
Exodus across London as 120 evicted squatters move into homes for... - 28th August 2008
guardian.co.uk - UK
"We just thought they were empty council flats going to be demolished. Had we known the MoD were going to refurbish them we probably wouldn't have moved in. ...
Council to get tough on empty property - 27th August 2008
The Thetford and Brandon Times - Thetford,England,UK
A district council desperate to bring empty dwellings back into use to ease the housing crisis is set to bring in new rules. Breckland Council want to ...
The Treasury minister who thought the housing crash was a joking ... - 27th August 2008
Financial Times - London,England,UK
I’m not sure any of his suggestions will make a massive difference (they include letting housing associations borrow more to buy up empty homes). ...
Struggling home-owners should sell equity to avoid repossession ... 27th August 2008
Telegraph.co.uk - United Kingdom
Councils and housing associations should also be allowed to borrow money from commercial lenders and use it to buy land and empty homes for use as social ...
Buildings 'razed to avoid taxes' - 27th August 2008
BBC News - UK
In April, the government scrapped rate relief on empty industrial property such as warehouses. The tax was aimed at landlords who kept premises empty in ...
Lib Dems unveil plans to help thousands of families 'on verge of ...
24dash - Hereford,UK
“The Government should allow councils and housing associations to buy up land as well as empty homes to help replenish Britain’s much depleted stock of ...
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Lib Dems call for tighter regulation of repossessions - 27thAugust 2008
ifaonline.co.uk - London,UK
He also called on the Government to make it easy for councils to borrow money to buy up land and empty homes to use for social housing projects. ...
What’s being done about it? - 26th August 2008
Daily Post - Llandudno Junction,UK
CONWY – 1000 EMPTY HOMES “There is robust evidence that empty homes are not only damaging to the built environment, but constitute an unused source of ...
Councils to pull down their empty buildings - 22nd August 2008
Property Week News - London,England,UK
By Jennifer Rigby Local councils that own empty buildings are suffering almost as badly as property investors as a result of the reform in empty property ...
Retailers ask chancellor to help push down property costs - 21st August 2008
Property Week News - London,England,UK
It has asked for the chancellor to help in its fight to push down commercial property costs including the re-introduction of empty property relief, ...
Cross Keys Homes tenants get ’fair’ service with ’promising’ prospects - 21st August 2008
24dash - Hereford,UK
Empty homes are being repaired to a high standard, home improvements are taking place and anti-social behaviour is being tackled effectively. ...
Resdients win homes row - 20th August 2008
Bexley Times - London,England,UK
The site, owned by the Gaelic Athletic Association, has been empty for more than 15 year.Eltham MP Clive Efford dubbed the case a classic example of land ...
Lib Dems: "Turn empty offices to flats" - 20th August 2008
Newbury Weekly News Group - Newbury,England,UK
West Berkshire Council currently aims to bring 18 abandoned homes into use each year, despite over 1000 lying empty and a housing waiting list of 4500. ...
Inquiry into borough's empty buildings - 20th August 2008
News Shopper - UK
AN inquiry is to be launched into problems with empty homes and shops in a borough. Lewisham Council's sustainable development scrutiny committee claims ...
Why should I pay tax on an empty flat in Allesley? - 20th August 2008
CV5 Communities - Coventry,England,UK
By Christina Savvas A PENSIONER left responsible for his late friend's will is furious beneficiaries have to pay council tax for an empty property. ...
Is it sensible to sell by auction? - 20th August 2008
guardian.co.uk - UK
The property is costing us in terms of specialist empty property insurance (£400 a year) and council tax at 50% (£44 a month). Is it worth holding out until ...
Squatters throw party in death trap - 19th August 2008
East Anglian Daily Times - Ipswich,England,UK
... was not available for comment this morning. Any owners with a property that has been empty for some time should contact Tom Ost for advice on 01473 825871.
Squatters quit luxury mansion - 19th August 2008
Ipswich Evening Star - Ipswich,England,UK
The group of between six to ten youngsters, who are almost all from Stowmarket, had even appeared to have bagged up most of their empty alcoholic bottles, ...
WALTHAM ABBEY: Care home plans opposed - 18th August 2008
Epping Forest Guardian - UK
It ha sat empty for many years and has been a problem with vandalism but it’sa valuable area with green space attached to it and it could be used for ...
British Property Federation slams Government 'stealth tax' on ...
24dash - Hereford,UK
The tax is seeing hundreds of thousands of pounds charged to the council in ‘empty rates’, while local businesses with empty property are also being hit ...
Selling space for storage the solution to empty rates problem
Crain's Manchester Business - Manchester,UK
By Simon Binns A developer with spare industrial property in Greater Manchester is looking to avoid empty rates charges by branching out into a new line of ...
Bulldozed: Buildings which could have kept business in city - 18th August 2008
Sunderland Echo - Sunderland,England,UK
And Labour's MP for Halifax, Linda Riordan, has received the support of 35 MPs for an Early Day Motion to reintroduce empty property tax relief. ...
MoD houses handover - 17th August 2008
Watford Observer - Watford,England,UK
Bushey St James Councillor Anita Gamble said she had been responding to issues with the empty homes ever since she was elected in the ward. ...
Buy-to-let landlords: how to avoid repossession - 15th August 2008
Telegraph.co.uk - United Kingdom
While this is far from ideal, it is better to have your property rented at a reduced rate than empty. Look at your remortgaging options "Get on the phone to ...
Blessed bush is swiping my mush - 15th August 2008
Hounslow Chronicle - London,England,UK
She said she had now forwarded this to the voids (empty property) team to look at or, failing that, it would be the responsibility of the tenants when they ...
Warning to the owners of area’s dilapidated homes - 15th August 2008
Cumberland News - Carlisle,England,UK
“Boarded-up, empty houses don’t help attract tourists into the town.” The empty dwelling management orders cannot be used for holiday or second homes, ...
Big drop in number of homeless households - 14th August 2008
this is hampshire.net - Winchester,England,UK
Labour opponents have criticised the Conservative administration for aiming to bring 16 of the 807 empty homes in the borough back into use this year, ...
Seizure threat to empty home landords in Burnley -14th August 2008
Burnley Citizen - UK
A new scheme - dubbed the Empty Homes Strategy - would launch a three-year drive to bring homes back into full use. The masterplan includes: • Handing out ...
Birkdale school site proposed for new family homes - 13th August 2008
Southport Visiter - Southport,UK
Lightflask Ltd has announced it plans to regenerate the site of Sunshine House in Oxford Road – a former special school that has lain empty since it was ...
Demolitions under way as business rates bite - 13th August 2008
Times Online - UK
The property industry is calling on the Government to enact emergency legislation that would temporarily bring back business rate relief on empty commercial ...
Empty property tax outcry -1 3th August 2008
Morning Advertiser - UK
By Paul Collins The response to the campaign against empty property tax has been “phenomenal”, with licensees among those showing their opposition. ...
Council homes: the rise, the collapse and the fall - 13th August 2008
guardian.co.uk - UK
Empty council housing stock in Salford. Photograph: Don McPhee 1986: The Housing and Planning Act gave councils the option of transferring all or part of ...
Squatters in £1.1m country home - 13th August 2008
BBC News - UK
A spokeswoman for Paul Wright estate agents said: "It's owned by a London-based company and has recently been renovated. "It's been empty for a while but ...
A year of economic crisis: crunch time for capitalism - 12th August 2008
Socialistworker.co.uk - London,UK
Empty homes should be taken over by councils to deal with the housing crisis. Pensions should be linked to earnings to lift pensioners out of poverty. ...
Empty properties to help boost job prospects - 12th August 2008
Sunderland Echo - Sunderland,England,UK
The council says some property owners have also decided to keep on buildings as assets, rather than sell or modernise them, however, rules have changed ...
Empty properties tax will stifle economic recovery says BPF - 11th August 2008
Property Week News - London,England,UK
... to demolish a building occupiers cannot simply demolish unwanted space and have no choice but to continue to pay full rates even on empty property. ...
Ahipp urges action on property market - 11th August 2008
mform - UK
He also suggested that more be done to bring empty homes in inner cities back into use, as these could be made available as affordable housing for key ...
Hackney on track for 'zero squatted homes' - 11th August 2008
24dash - Hereford,UK
Chair of Hackney Homes Rupert Tyson said: “We’ve had a long standing problem of empty homes being squatted in Hackney – often on housing estates where ...
Home repossessions jump sharply - 9th August 2008
WalesOnline - United Kingdom
... support housing associations and councils in buying unsold homes at a discounted rate, and by bringing the 830000 empty homes in the UK back into use. ...
Buy To Let - How to evict squatters fast! - 8th August 2008
Property Secrets (subscription) - Crewe,Cheshire,UK
Whatever the reason, it seems a growing number of investors prefer to leave starter homes empty and make their money from a gradual rise in the property ...
Anger over home left empty for 18 months - 8th August 2008
The Argus.co.uk - Brighton,UK
By Lawrence Marzouk, Local Government Correspondent » A Grade II listed family house owned by a council has been left empty for 18 months. The property in ...
An AZ of Boris's first 100 days - 7th August 2008
Independent - London,England,UK
To that end, he allocated £60m for an empty homes "rescue" package last month. It is no secret that the Mayor and the head of the Metropolitan Police do not ...
Rescue plan to save property market - 6th August 2008
Independent - London,England,UK
Ministers are also looking at extending schemes to buy empty properties, particularly in city centres, and turn them into social housing. ...
Should councils bail out the housing market? - August 6th 2008
guardian.co.uk - UK
What about the idea of local authority housing companies being encouraged to buy more empty homes that property developers are struggling to sell during the ...
£3m office block is still empty 15 months after builders left - 5th August 2008
NW Evening Mail - Barrow-in-Furness,England,UK
And the council is having to fork out big rate bills every month because since April, owners of empty shops, office and other commercial property have to ...
East Lancs MPs in tax protest - 5th August 2008
Lancashire Telegraph - Blackburn,England,UK
It urged the government to reintroduce ‘empty property relief’ in response to the “world economic downturn”. It says: “The withdrawal of the relief is ...
Jul 2008
Former prison homes brought back to life - 30th July 2008
24dash - Hereford,UK
... working in partnership with the Council and the Ministry of Justice to bring empty homes back into use and look forward to working on similar projects."
New homes plan for empty plot - 29th July 2008
NW Evening Mail - Barrow-in-Furness,England,UK
AN empty plot of land looks set to be transformed into a “high-quality” housing estate. NEW DEVELOPMENT? Land in Greengate Street, Barrow, which could be ...
Idyllic Britain needs weekenders - 27th July 2008
Times Online - UK
... the damp smell of an empty house. The oldest surviving resident of the old town bought her house just after the war for £150. Now her property is worth, ...
We will turn empty houses into homes - 26th July 2008
Daily Post - Llandudno Junction,UK
The scheme to return more than 1000 empty homes in the county of Conwy back to residential use has been launched by the local authority and North Wales ...
The pros and cons of letting your property - 25th July 2008
Birmingham Post - Birmingham,West Midlands,UK
The alternative is an empty property earning nothing for its owners. “It is vital to employ a specialist letting agent, registered with ARLA, with a proven ...
Over 5000 local authority houses lie empty - Allen - 25th July 2008
Munster Express - Waterford,Ireland
... of property should be vacant. “No doubt there are acceptable reasons why some houses are empty such as regeneration schemes but not on this scale. ...
10000 need homes, yet 100s of houses stand empty - 24th July 2008
Hounslow Chronicle - London,England,UK
... authority in London to be granted an Empty Dwelling Management Order, allowing it to bring a hitherto privately-owned empty property back into use. ...
Why the neighbours hate serviced flats - 24th July 2008
Times Online - UK
There is a lack of data about Liverpool's empty property: the council says it is updating the figures. But in December 2006, out of 9279 city-centre flats, ...
Empty homes scandal revealed - 24th July 2008
Hounslow Chronicle - London,England,UK
A total of 473 private addresses have been unoccupied for at least six months, according to the latest figures from charity Empty Homes. ...
Call to limit number of second homes in the countryside - 23rd July 2008
Times Online - UK
He recognises, however, that in villages where second homes stand empty for many months of the year, public services are threatened. ...
Government backtracks on empty homes incentive - 18th July 2008
Regen.net (subscription) - London,England,UK
The Government has backtracked on proposals to make incentive payments to councils for delivering extra housebuilding dependent on bringing empty homes back ...
It's the homeless couch generation - 18th July 2008
Essex Echo - Basildon,Essex,UK
One of the most important elements of the strategy is to identify empty homes, including those owned by private landlords, and get them back into use as ...
Families to rent homes at a discount to help them save to buy - 16th July 2008
Telegraph.co.uk - United Kingdom
It will be used by the Government agency, The Housing Corporation, to buy empty properties which will then be rented out. The Housing Corporation will hold ...
Doubt cast on future homes land supply - 15th July 2008
Wokingham Times - Wokingham,England,UK
The plans will see the homes built in an empty field off Poplar Lane. - Was the inspectorate right to give the plan the green light? ...
In the professional press: housing's empty promises, medical ... 15th July 2008
Times Online - UK
The council also allocated £5 million for loans, so that property owners could renovate. The loans are then serviced by districts, so they are interest-free ...
Home building target under fire
Lancashire Evening Post - Preston,England,UK
Coun Collins said: "They should do a lot more with the empty homes. We don't think they are doing enough on energy and will be calling it in. ...
Strategy to fill empty houses
Reading Evening Post - Reading,England,UK
West Berkshire councillors are expected to back an initiative to renovate empty properties across the district. The Empty Homes Strategy was due to be put ...
ECONOMY IN CRISIS 762635 748159 Empty dwellings rising as housing ... 11th July 2008
Mirror.co.uk - London,UK
An aide said: "She plans to call in the local authorities who are not reducing the number of empty homes to demand an explanation and more action. ...
Boris turns heritage at risk into homes - 11th July 2008
Easier (press release) - Chester,UK
There are currently 572 Buildings at Risk in London, 50% of which are empty and could be brought back into use. Of all the buildings on the Register, ...
English Heritage attacks ‘waste’ of town house left to lie empty - 10th July 2007
Camden New Journal - London,UK
But costs rose and now the building lies empty while council housing chiefs haggle over whether to sell the property or hand it over to a housing ...
Action! Herefordshire Housing supports students in making film - 10th July 2008
24dash - Hereford,UK
The housing association allowed the students to use an empty residential property, which is due to be demolished as part of its redevelopment of 26 homes at ...
Mayor announces £60m to tackle empty homes - 8th July 2008
Regen.net (subscription) - London,England,UK
Mayor of London, Boris Johnson has announced a £60m funding package to help tackle the capital's empty homes problem. The funding will focus on bringing ...
Empty rates will lead to business failure, says BPF
Property Week News - London,England,UK
British Property Federation chief executive Liz Peace has called on the Government to re-apply empty rates relief in an interview on BBC Radio 4's Today ...
Long-term empty home owners may be forced to sell - 7th July 2008
Plymouth Evening Herald - Plymouth,England,UK
The council’s ‘trailblazing’ Empty Homes Team is working with other departments to draw up proposals ‘to force the sale of privately owned, long term empty ...
Homes at auction take a hammering - 9th July 2008
The Press Association -
He said: "Ministers must wake up now and let housing associations and councils buy empty homes for social housing to rent. "The feeble Government response ...
Empty homes to become affordable houses - 9th July 2008
Newbury Weekly News Group - Newbury,England,UK
By Reporter, newburytoday.co.uk EMPTY Newbury homes are set to be made available for residents if plans for a new multi-thousand pound scheme get the ...
CITY COUNCIL SEEKS TO SMARTEN EMPTY SHOP FRONTS - 9th July 2008
Express & Echo - Exeter,England,UK
The Exeter Chamber of Commerce has been approached by Exeter City Council to see if it can persuade its commercial property agent members to help them ...
Green Building Press: Government makes money as citizens freeze
By Webmaster
The Cut the VAT coalition was formed by the Federation of Master Builders (FMB) in January and features a range of organisations including the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS), Empty Homes Agency and the National Home ...
The TaxPayers' Alliance - Media Coverage - http://tpa.typepad.com/media/
Government grab on empty commercial property - 7th July 2008
Bridging and Commerical - London,UK
Changes to the tax regime for unoccupied commercial property are likely to see the government raise considerably more revenue than initially planned. ...
Campaign to reverse business rates change
Telegraph.co.uk - United Kingdom
The Government withdrew commercial property rate relief on empty buildings in April to encourage landlords not to leave buildings empty. ...
Homes are left empty for six months - 5th July 2008
Borehanwood Times - UK
By Janaki Mahadevan NEARLY 400 Hertsmere homes have been left empty for six months or more, it was revealed last Wednesday. At a Hertsmere Borough Council ...
Dwindling house stocks to lift prices - 4th July 2008
Financial Times - London,England,UK
With buyer demand still strong, the reduction in the number of new homes being built is exacerbating the declining stock of empty property across the ...
Empty houses tackled in Sedgemoor - 4th July 2008
Weston & Somerset Mercury - eston-super-Mare,England,UK
People living in Sedgemoor can now report an empty property to Sedgemoor District Council on-line. This will alert Sedgemoor District Council to any empty ...
Empty Barbican costs taxpayers £85000 - 3rd July 2008
York Press - York,UK
A City of York Council spokeswoman, said: “Owners of commercial properties have to pay business rates whether or not their property is empty. ...
Call to make use of empty houses - 3rd July 2008
This Is Basingstoke - Basingstoke,UK
By David Connop Price A RISE in the number of empty homes in Basingstoke and Deane has prompted a call for action to make those properties available to ...
Empty buildings won't disappear - there will be bargains - 2nd July 2008
Birmingham Post - Birmingham,West Midlands,UK
Along the way, though, it looks as if some of these physical assets will become the property of banks. If they dump them, as they did in the early 1990s, ...
Property construction in turmoil - 2nd July 2008
AboutProperty.co.uk - London,UK
... or forcing landlords with empty properties to open them to the market through increased taxation on empty homes (as seen with commercial property ...
Houses lie empty as credit crunch bites - 1st July 2008
Lancashire Evening Post - Preston,England,UK
The credit crunch has been blamed for an increasing number of empty homes in Preston. There are currently 2638 houses standing empty in the city, ...