South Kesteven Council Struggles to Track Empty Homes Coming Back Into Use
Owners rarely report when properties are reoccupied, leaving the council with an unclear picture
Officials at South Kesteven District Council say it’s proving difficult to identify how many empty homes across the area have been brought back into use.
Many property owners aren’t reporting when their homes are occupied again, meaning the council doesn’t have a complete overview of empty housing in the district.
At the start of this financial year, six hundred and forty-one homes were recorded as having been empty for six months or longer.
Of those, one hundred and twenty-one were classified as long-term empty, having been vacant for two years or more.
The council has specially identified twenty-two homes empty for over ten years and contacted their owners, but received “little to no response” from most.
Cabinet member for housing Virginia Moran explained that efforts to find out how other councils measure this have also come up short.
Since April, ninety-two visits have been made to assess the condition of empty homes, and thirty-seven questionnaires completed.
The council is now planning an empty homes open day later in the year to try and tackle the issue.