Council buys house left empty for more than a decade

West Lindsey District Council has completed the Compulsory Purchase of a 12-year empty terraced house in Waterworks Street, Gainsborough, which had been allowed to fall into an awful state of disrepair and left open to the elements.

Cllr Owen Bierley, chairman of the prosperous Communities Committee at the council said: “We received a lot of complaints about this property as it was insecure, gathering rubbish in the garden and was attracting vermin. It was in such a poor state that it was having a bad effect on neighbouring homes.

“Despite our repeated attempts to get the owner to improve the appearance, the work was not carried out. A compulsory purchase order is considered as a last resort and we couldn’t leave the property in the state it was.”

The empty property officer continued to negotiate with the owner’s representative throughout the process and allowed time for the owner to complete the necessary works and bring it back to use. New windows were fitted and some works commenced but the home remained damp, uninhabitable, and an eyesore. The prospects of this house coming back to use as a safe and habitable home were bleak without council intervention. The council proceeded to confirm a Compulsory Purchase Order and took ownership of the property on 11 September 2015.

The council is now starting works to bring the property back to use as a quality family home. It is part of a wider council drive to bring 100 empty homes back into use in the South West Ward of Gainsborough. This includes the renovation of a number of previously dilapidated houses which now provide decent, warm homes to local people.

The district councils in Lincolnshire are committed to bringing long term empty homes back to use, to reduce the blight of dilapidated and dangerous properties and to make the best use of the private housing stock. The council can help owners with options to bring homes back to use. However, when empty homes are having an adverse impact on communities, the council may consider its enforcement powers including the service of statutory notices, the making of empty dwelling management orders, and the enforced sale of empty homes to recover a debt to the council. The making of a Compulsory Purchase Order is a serious option where homes are in a very poor state, are the source of repeated complaints, or where the ownership is uncertain.

Landlords and empty home owners in West Lindsey who need advice about an empty home should contact emptyhomes@west-lindsey.gov.uk.

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