To mark National Empty Homes Week (27 February- 5 March), Northumberland County Council is highlighting the work that is taking place to address the problem of empty properties in the county and is appealing to anyone who owns or knows of a long-term empty property to get in touch. 
 

With affordable housing in short supply, the council has been taking action in a number of ways to help bring unused properties back into residential use. The Housing Services, Private Sector housing team has assisted in returning over 540 empty properties back into use over the last 5 years. 
 

If you are an owner of an empty property or if there is a long-term empty property in your neighbourhood the council would like to hear from you to see if it can help.  You can get in touch by contacting our private sector housing team on 0345 600 6400 or email privatesectorhousing@northumberland.gov.uk   
 

The council can offer a range of advice and assistance, including a free Property Accreditation Scheme, which can help owners to source tenants for their properties, via free advertising on Northumberland Homefinder, and carry out free tenant reference checks. Other powers include the use of Empty Dwelling Management Orders; this is an enforcement procedure used to repair, re-let and manage problematic long term empty properties on the owner’s behalf for a period of around seven years. Once repaired, the properties are let to tenants on Northumberland County Council's housing register. 
 

Through the use of Empty Dwelling Management Orders (EDMO) powers, over the last five years, 15 properties that had been empty for over two years have been brought back into use providing valuable housing which is managed directly by the council. 
 

Over the last five years, twelve properties that have been empty for more than six months have been purchased, repaired and let out at an affordable rent then managed by the council. This has not only brought back into use some of the most problematic empty properties in Northumberland but has added to the council’s housing stock. 
 

Northumberland County Councillor Colin Horncastle, cabinet member with responsibility for housing said: 

“Unfortunately, some properties are left empty for long periods of time, often getting into a state of disrepair and attracting anti-social behaviour, when they could be providing much needed accommodation to people living in Northumberland. 
 

“Empty homes continue to be an issue in the county and National Empty Homes Week is an ideal opportunity to highlight the work that we are doing to address this problem. 
 

“It’s great to see these properties once again becoming much-needed family homes. We know there is still more work that needs to be done and we will be continuing to work closely with landlords and owners to identify other properties where we can offer help to provide these homes with a new lease of life.”