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Empty homes cause problems, can attract vandals or become overgrown and filled with rubbish. If this happens, they soon become an eyesore and can affect the value of surrounding properties, becoming a safety risk to children. Local indicators suggest there are currently 933 long-term, vacant properties in St Helens.
In 2003, we introduced our first empty property strategy to target long-term and problematic vacant properties with the appointment of a dedicated Empty Property Officer. To date, a total of 1,047 vacant properties have been demolished or brought back into use (December 2019 data).
We have an Empty Homes Strategy, which provides a range of tools available for action to be taken in respect of long-term, privately owned, vacant properties.
The objectives of this strategy include:
This strategy is concerned with properties that have been vacant for more than six months. Reasons why a property may be empty for a short period of time can vary and be a result of local market turnover, refurbishment or probate issues. However, the main concern of this strategy relates to properties where there is no real reason why they should not be occupied.
Wherever possible, we try to prevent properties being left vacant in the long term by providing informal advice and assistance in cases where owners are not sure of their rights and responsibilities.
We aim to bring empty properties back to use by a process of negotiation and support. However, in severe cases where the owner refuses to meet their responsibilities, formal intervention may be necessary.
This intervention can take several forms, from the serving of statutory notices to deal with immediate issues such as rubbish and dangerous structures, to the use of Compulsory Purchase, Enforced Sale and Empty Dwelling Management Order.
To date, under this initiative, we have successfully compulsory purchased seven properties.
Then you may be eligible for a reduced rate of VAT (currently 5%) on the works of repair, maintenance or improvement. The following link will provide further information HMRC 708
You can report your concern about a vacant property near to you by contacting the Empty Homes Team on 01744 676246 or by email at contactcentre@sthelens.gov.uk.
Please provide as much information as possible and a member of the team will investigate further.