How to Report an Empty Home - Youspotproperty
How to Report an Empty Home – Youspotproperty, According to Youspotproperty, there are over 800,000 empty houses in the UK. Although this looks a lot on paper, 65% of the houses are temporarily vacant. So, this leaves about 200,000 empty homes in England, 26,500 in Wales, and 34,000 in Scotland.
The UK government states that there is a need for over 250,000 more houses to manage the housing crisis. Youspotproperty reports that empty houses can lead to a wide range of complications. For instance, it can lead to dampness and pests.
Empty homes can also attract squatting, arson, vandalism, and other anti-social behaviors. Not only does this reduce the value of homes in the neighborhood, but it also becomes challenging for people to spot and report empty houses in the street.
An empty home looks abandoned with deteriorated paintwork, overgrown shrubs, and trees, giving an experience of a ghost house. Besides, vacant properties deteriorate quickly than occupied homes and decrease the value of properties in the neighborhood.
Therefore, the owner of an empty home must follow the Law and keep the house to a minimum standard. The purpose is to ensure the property is safe, secure, and free from hazards, including structural damages caused by pests. Read on!
Reasons Homes Become Empty – (Youspotproperty)
According to UK law, an empty home is a residential property left vacant or unoccupied for at least six months. There are numerous reasons why people leave their homes empty for a long time. Most often, the reasons are complex and involve legal and financial disputes.
Sometimes, owners in London do not have funds available to maintain their houses or bring them up to a habitable standard. Some of the most common reasons encountered in London, according to Youspotproperty, are:
A home is inherited, and the new owner has no idea what to do with it
The owner performs improvement projects but runs out of money
The owners works in another city or country and occasionally visits London
The owner suffers from mental illness and lives in a nursing home
Many owners want to bring their properties back into use, but they don’t have enough resources to get the job done. On the other hand, some owners do not plan to bring their houses back into use.
That’s why they leave the property in its existing condition. As a result, the property experiences structural damages due to lack of maintenance and affects people’s overall living standard in adjacent homes.
Disadvantages of Leaving An Empty Home – (Youspotproperty)
There are numerous disadvantages of leaving an empty home. For example, vacant homes attract vandalism, arson, and other anti-social behaviors. Besides, an empty house also attracts illegal squatting.
That’s why Youspotproperty encourages Londoners to spot and report an empty property. According to Youspotproperty research, vacant homes can reduce the value of neighboring houses by 10%.
So, this is a massive problem for people living in areas with an increasing number of empty houses. Another disadvantage of a vacant home is that it can cause structural damages to the adjacent properties.
Not only do empty homes are prone to damage, but they also become victims of disrepairs, leading to depreciated values.
Youspotproperty experts say that empty or vacant properties are wasted assets that can cost homeowners a lot of money.
Moreover, local authorities may take enforcement actions. The purpose is to ensure the empty homes are reoccupied. Owners can lose their vacant homes through demolition or enforced sales. Therefore, it is crucial to report an empty house.
What Does The Law Say? – (Youspotproperty)
Many people ask: Does keeping my house empty illegal? The quick answer is “No.” It is not illegal to keep a home vacant. However, doing so has other harsh consequences. For instance, keeping a house empty will cause the owner to make efforts and spend money to ensure the property remains secure during the vacancy.
According to UK law, homeowners must take care of their empty properties and keep them vacant for a specific period. An empty for a long time will experience structural damages, requiring the local council to take action and initiate enforced selling. Therefore, the owner of an empty house must maintain the property and ensure everything is in good working order.
If a person lives in another city and has an empty home in London, Law requires the homeowner to invest in property maintenance. The purpose is to prevent the property from becoming vulnerable or damaged. Likewise, the property can fall into disrepair and becomes an easy target for criminals. Therefore, the Law requires a homeowner to:
Arrange proper insurance
Invest in garden maintenance
Perform regular inspections
Repair any damages
Keep in touch with a neighbor
Tackle emergencies
If the owner of an empty home fails to take care of the property, the local council will deal with these problems by giving the homeowner advice and assistance. That way, the owner can bring the house back into use.
However, in some situations, homeowners do not focus on the local council’s advice and assistance. correspondingly, the property remains empty and resulting in damages. It also attracts anti-social behavior, crime, and vandalism.
In these situations, Youspotproperty offers people an opportunity to spot an empty home and report it to the company. Youspotproperty will find the owner and discuss their concerns to ensure the property is back into use.
What Do Authorities Do About An Empty Home? – (Youspotproperty)
The local council deals with empty homes in various ways. The council has a dedicated team of professionals who search for vacant homes. Remember, the primary target of the council is to spot long-term empty homes.
The team finds the owner and encourages them to turn the empty house into a living space. Sometimes, the council takes enforcement actions against owners of empty homes who continue to leave their houses vacant.
Besides, an empty property is directly proportional to deteriorated health and wellbeing of people living in adjacent homes. It is due to the rubbish, pests, and other problems. The council makes substantial efforts to:
Work with owners to empty homes to fix the problem
Serve notice on owners whose empty houses cause a statutory public nuisance
Enforce actions when an owner refuses to follow the Law
Give advice and assistance to owners of vacant homes
Provide financial aid to owners for repairs and maintenance