Rother District Council

What is an abandoned and derelict residential property?

There are many abandoned properties throughout the Rother District; some become dilapidated during a transitional period, others stay uninhabited and rundown for a much longer period of time.

There are a many reasons why properties in the Rother District can become and remain empty:

• Owner has moved into residential care / hospital or has abandoned the property due to age or ill-health
• Property currently pending a change of owner (e.g. during buying and selling process)
• Property inherited - owner lacks knowledge or interest to deal with property
• Repossession/ bankruptcy
• Delays experienced during probate after owner has died
• Plans for redevelopment
• Property purchased as an investment property and left uninhabited until the housing market rises; owner hopes to make a profit without refurbishing
• Unused property above shops- unsuitable means of access, or freeholder reluctant or unable to deal with this.
• Property in process of renovation or structural repairs
• Financial restraints - owner lacks funds to redevelop property to a satisfactory standard.

A property which is left abandoned may cause problems if it is left unattended and not secure. It can attract vermin, vandalism, tipping of rubbish, fly posting, anti-social behaviour and very quickly become an eyesore. If it becomes very run down it may also start to cause repair problems to the property next door and will certainly affect the market value of other properties in the area.

What we are currently doing about abandoned and derelict residential properties in the Rother district?

Since 2009 Housing Services have been pro-actively working to bring abandoned and derelict homes back into use.

The Council is able to assist people affected by abandoned and derelict homes and the owners of the property themselves. This includes providing a range of help, advice, information and where necessary, taking enforcement action if required.

Why should I want to bring an abandoned and derelict residential property back into use?

While the property remains abandoned and derelict, owners are paying bills, including Council Tax. It is estimated that keeping a property abandoned and derelict could be costing you over £8000 a year in expenses and lost income. There are a variety of options available. These depend on the type of property and the owners personal circumstances.

Some of the options:

• Sell the property - From time to time private investors approach the Council to buy abandoned and derelict homes. The Council will not give out a list of abandoned and derelict homes, it will however put owners in contact with interested buyers.
• Letting the property -Alternatively owners may wish to rent the property, in which case they may wish to contact a letting agent who will manage the tenancies and property for them. A list of letting agents can be found in the phone book or find them via various websites that list agents.

If owners use a letting agent they may wish to consider using an agent registered with the Association of Residential Letting Agents (ARLA)  or the National Association of Estate Agents (NAEA) who both operate schemes to ensure high professional standards for letting agents.

Or

• Let the property using the Council's own Landlord Link Scheme which offers a number of attractive benefits including; Pre-tenancy inspections, A Bond Scheme (covers the cost of uninsured repairs for damage), A Pet Bond Scheme (covers the cost of uninsured damage caused by a tenant's pet), Tenant Support Visits, Assistance with direct HB/LHA payments to landlords for clients who are deemed vulnerable

Plan of action

We are currently in the process of drafting a new Abandoned and Derelict Homes Strategy 2011 -2016, which will put forward the main aims and objectives of the Council to bring these abandoned and derelict residential properties back into use. It will target properties which have been abandoned and derelict for longer than 6 months, it will exclude holiday and second homes.

Once approved, the draft strategy will be placed on this web page for consultation for a period of 6 weeks. We would welcome your comments particularly on the methods used to tackle abandoned and derelict residential properties across the district and what you think should be our key priorities.

Why have a Strategy?

Abandoned and derelict residential properties are an eyesore, a neighbour nuisance and a wasted resource, especially when there is such a shortage of affordable housing within the district. It is therefore vital that more emphasis is placed on bringing abandoned and derelict residential properties back into use in order to reduce the shortage as well as prevent them becoming a target for crime and anti-social behaviour and to enhance and improve the whole community.

Abandoned and Derelict Residential Properties: the facts

• There are over 500 long term abandoned and derelict residential properties in the Rother District.
• There are almost 730,000 abandoned and derelict homes in England while green fields are lost to new house building.
• It is estimated that the cost of leaving a home abandoned and derelict can be as high as £8,000 a year after taking into account rent loss and deterioration of the property
• Living next to an abandoned and derelict home can reduce the value of neighbouring homes by almost 10%. In the Rother district this would be an average of almost £25,000.
• There are four abandoned and derelict homes for every homeless family in England
• Abandoned and derelict homes attract crime and vandalism. Abandoned and derelict homes are described as a 'honey pot' for crime by the Association of Chief Police Officers.
• The Government expects Councils to encourage the reuse of abandoned and derelict homes.

How you can help?

We rely on a number of sources of information when identifying abandoned and derelict properties. Council Tax records provide the main source, along with information shared by our Private Sector Housing Enforcement Officers who work across the district.

You could report an abandoned and derelict residential property

If you know of an abandoned and derelict residential property in your parish or ward or live next to an abandoned and derelict dwelling, report this now by using the form at the bottom of this page or by contacting one of our lead officer's Jane Gilbert on 01424 787588 or Kieran O'Leary 01424 78717.

When reporting an abandoned and derelict residential property, please have the following details available:

• Number and street of the property
• Your name and contact details
• The name and contact details of the owner if you know them
• How long you believe the residential property has been abandoned and derelict for

What do we do when a residential property is reported to us?

We will inspect the property and investigate who owns it. We will then contact the owner to find out what they plan to do with the property, outline the options available to them and give information that may help them make a decision on what to do with it.

Where the property is causing a neighbour nuisance or is insecure, we will ask the owner to stop the nuisance and secure the property. If the owner does not, we will take enforcement action against the owner to force them to do so. If an owner does not do the work, we will commence formal action through the law court and in certain cases we will carry out the work on their behalf and charge for doing so.

If a property remains abandoned and derelict with no prospect of it being re-occupied or demolished, the council may use one or more of the various powers available to them to make the owner undertake work to the property in order to bring it into a condition suitable for occupation. The council may also take action to force the owner to sell the property by using its powers to enforce a sale or via a Compulsory Purchase.

If you live next door to an abandoned and derelict residential property that is causing problems to your home (e.g. water penetration) and you wish to make a complaint, please contact the Private Sector Housing Team on 01424 787566.

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