Tough action on empty properties
Thursday 10 April 2008
Haringey Council has announced new plans to enforce the sale of 15 empty homes as part of its bid to cut homelessness in the borough.
The plans would involve selling the properties to private owners through auction.
Each of the targeted 15 properties has been empty for more than a year and their owners have amassed debts to the council.
The planned enforcement action comes after the council agreed to apply for compulsory purchase powers to take over six eyesore properties in the borough. The council's Cabinet is due to decide whether to make a seventh Compulsory Purchase Order application at its next meeting on Tuesday 22 April.
The council hopes its approach will encourage more owners of empty properties to bring homes back into use.
Grants of up to £17,000 per unit are available to long term empty property owners, while first time buyers and owner occupiers in Haringey who need to move into larger accommodation due to overcrowding can benefit from grants of up to £25,000 when they purchase long term vacant properties.
The council also hopes its actions will make residents safer by cutting vandalism, fires and burglary at empty buildings.
Cabinet Member for Housing, Cllr Isidoros Diakides, said:
"There are huge housing pressures in this borough and we cannot allow properties simply to stand empty. Owners need to take responsibility by bringing homes back into use, and we would strongly encourage them to explore the grants and advice available.
"In the last three years we've brought more than 1,000 empty properties back into use, but there are still almost 2,000 empty homes in Haringey. We will only enforce sales or apply for compulsory purchase powers as a last resort, but we need to tackle this problem and sometimes we have no other option."
More information on help available can be found at www.haringey.gov.uk/empty_property_grants, or by calling Anoma Amarajeewa on 020 8489 4214 or emailing empty.properties@haringey.gov.uk.
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