Empty Properties

The Empty Homes Team

Empty homes are a wasted resource and a drain on our economy.  Worst of all they are a threat to our neighbourhoods being good places to live and can become eyesores to people living in the local community. 

If you wish to report an empty property that is either insecure, has an accumulation of rubbish or is affecting the amenity of the area, then please contact the Neighbourhood Enforcement Team either by e-mailing your complaint to nuisance.team@doncaster.gov.uk or by telephoning 01302 862365.

What the Council is doing to proactively tackle empty properties

The empty homes team strive to work with owners of empty properties and have developed an advice and assistance service specifically designed to address the problems associated with returning empty properties back into use.

The empty homes team is proactively working within Doncaster and will be assessing both long term and sort term empty properties as part of their area based initiatives.

Officers are providing FREE inspections carried out under the Housing Act 2004 along with a FREE schedule of works.  Further to this, the following initiatives have been developed to assist you in returning your empty property back into use.

St Leger Management Referral Scheme

Grants/Loans

Housing Options Referral Scheme

Property Matching Service 

If you would like to be proactive and return your empty property back into use then please arrange for an officer to visit by contacting the empty homes team on 01302 862031.

Not only are the empty homes team providing support to owners and landlords, we aim to ensure that the standard of accommodation within the Private Rented Sector is improved and in line with the Housing Act 2004.  It is therefore unfortunate, that in some instances, we have to revert to the use of formal notices where owners proceed to rent out their property without complete attention to disrepair.  For details on common disrepair issues please see the document to the top right of this page on housing standards.

• Notice can be served where properties fail to meet the current housing standards in accordance with those criteria outlined under the Housing Act 2004

• Where empty properties have accrued debts owed to the Council, Enforced Sale Procedure (ESP) has been used successfully in the past

• Finally, although not entered into without exhausting all other avenues with owners, the Council can Compulsory Purchase (CPO) a property under several Acts.

Empty Property Market Day Event 30th September 2011

The Empty Homes Market Day event took place on Friday 30th September 2011.  The event was very well attended by over 60 delegates ranging from existing and prospective landlords to property developers, investors and voluntary sector training providers.

The aims and objectives of the day were to :

• Raise awareness of the problems associated with empty homes in Doncaster and the opportunities for bringing homes back into use.

• Provide information on the work that the Council is currently doing to tackle empties, and how we can offer advice and assistance to owners of empty properties and/or potential investors.

• Explore opportunities for partnership working between the public and private sector.

If you would like to discuss how the Council might help you as an individual Landlord, please contact the empty property team on 01302 862031 or e-mail us at housing.standards@doncaster.gov.uk.

The full summary can be found in the document list at the top right of this page.