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Are you an empty home owner?

As the owner of an empty home, you are losing potential rental revenue and will have to pay costs for rubbish and garden clearance, graffiti removal or boarding up the home. Alongside increased council tax premiums, there are increased insurance premiums for an empty or dilapidated property and potential implications if the property is mortgaged.

There are a number of options for getting your property back into use. Our Empty Homes service offers homeowners information, advice and support to bring their empty properties back into use.

Additional revenue – White Horse Lettings

Once your home is ready to move into, you can get free help to rent out your property. This includes finding you tenants and a guarantee to cover loss or damage to the property (beyond fair wear and tear). If you would like to find out what we can offer, and how our White Horse Lettings scheme might work for you email emptyhomes@southandvale.gov.uk for support.

If you would like to join the White Horse Lettings scheme but your property requires minor renovations before it can be occupied, you could be eligible for financial assistance.

Additional revenue – Private rental

You could also rent your property privately yourself or use an agency. A letting agent will be able to provide the following services:

  • Advice on rent levels
  • Finding tenants and checking references
  • Collecting rent and holding the money in a separate client account and providing a monthly statement
  • Arranging utilities safety checks and routine maintenance work
  • Arranging regular inspections of the property
  • Dealing with all legal and administrative paperwork between tenant and landlord Fees vary from agency to agency but they typically charge 10% to 15% of the rental income (plus VAT). As landlord you would be responsible for insuring the building and major repairs and maintenance.

You could also rent your property privately yourself or use an agency. For more information and advice on letting your property, contact:

Refurbishing the property

Whether to be occupied by you as the owner, put on the open market for sale or to rent the property out, bringing the property up to the Decent Homes Standard is an option available. In order to achieve this, there is help and assistance available with the following:

  • VAT reduction on renovations for properties empty for at least two years 

Renovations and alterations to residential properties that have been empty for at least two years will be eligible for a reduced VAT rate of 5%. If you decide to refurbish a property that has been empty for two or more years, the District Council can provide you with a VAT letter which may reduce the VAT. More information can be found on the government website and via HMRC. Further details on VAT discounts when renovating empty homes are available from No Use Empty.

  • Planning Advice

If you decide to undertake a refurbishment or major works to the property, you may need to get building control approval or planning permission. It can be worthwhile getting advice from the Council prior to work commencing, or prior to submitting a planning application. Information on planning guidelines, pre-planning advice and the application process can be found on our website.

  • Help to make your property more energy efficient:

You may be eligible for financial help to make the property more energy efficient – Better Housing Better Health can provide advice on the assistance available for energy saving home improvements like cavity wall and loft insulation. If you would like further information, please visit www.bhbh.org.uk or call 0800 107 0044

  • Choosing a builder

Further advice on how to choose a builder can be found on the No Use Empty website

Selling the property – yourself or through an estate agent

You could sell the property through an estate agent, at auction or by advertising the property yourself, which could reduce the costs incurred by you.

The process of selling a property can be made easier by using a private estate agent to help sell your property by:

  • Valuing the property and advertising it in the best way in order to target suitable buyers
  • Arranging viewings of the property and showing potential buyers around
  •  Receiving offers from potential buyers and helping to negotiate offers
  • Advising you on any improvements that could be made to the property to help achieve a sale

Selling the property – by auction

One of the great advantages of selling a property in auction is that auctions have a targeted audience made up of developers, cash buyers, investors and portfolio landlords. Unlike selling via an estate agent, once the gavel falls the purchaser has a legal obligation to complete the sale of the property. This eradicates the complication of a prospective purchaser withdrawing from the sale as can happen when a property is sold subject to contract via the estate agency method. There is also the added benefit of speed of sale by selling at auction. Once the sale has been agreed, it usually only takes 20 working days for completion. With realistic guide prices it is also the best way to achieve a good sale price. There are numerous auctioneers that sell properties within the districts. Most auctioneers hold auctions on a monthly or quarterly basis in various locations.

If you own or are responsible for looking after an empty property e.g. while waiting for probate, please see information on managing an empty property.

If you are an empty home owner, we can help you. Please email emptyhomes@southandvale.gov.uk and we can discuss the help available to return your property to use. Please complete the Empty Homes questionnaire – this will help us understand more about your property and circumstances and how we can help further.