Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what steps he is taking to bring unoccupied properties back into use.

The Government has given strong powers and incentives to local authorities to tackle empty homes. From 1 April 2019, they will have discretion to increase the maximum level of premium charged on properties that have been empty for more than two years, from 50 per cent to 100 per cent extra council tax, through new powers afforded by the Rating (Property in Common Occupation) and Council Tax (Empty Dwellings) Act 2018. In addition, the New Homes Bonus allows local authorities to earn the same financial reward for bringing an empty home back into use as building a new one.

Under certain circumstances, local authorities can apply for an Empty Dwelling Management Order (EDMO) to temporarily take over the management of a property that has been empty for more than two years in order to bring it back into use. They must provide evidence that the property represents a nuisance, and that there is community support for their proposal.