Cambridge City Council is marking Empty Homes Week this year by highlighting the significant progress in its efforts to address vacant properties and provide much-needed housing.
This year, through the help of the council’s Empty Homes Officer, 20 previously empty homes have been brought back into use and are now occupied providing homes for people who need them. Bringing empty homes back into use is a priority and the council is committed to providing quality housing and creating sustainable communities. These 20 homes represent a significant step forward, and we will continue to work with homeowners to address the issue of empty properties.
The council’s approach includes providing advice and support to homeowners, facilitating the Town Hall Lettings scheme, and taking appropriate action to address long-term empty properties. Two of these empty properties have been refurbished and let through Town Hall Lettings to provide housing for families in need. The revitalisation of these properties increases housing availability which is important due to the shortage of affordable housing in Cambridge.
Bringing existing properties back into use reduces the need for new construction, minimizing our carbon footprint and limiting the degradation of empty homes and their environmental impact. Reoccupied homes reduce the potential for anti-social behaviour and improve the overall appearance of neighbourhoods.
When left empty for long periods of time, properties can easily deteriorate, becoming a burden to owners and increasingly expensive to bring back into use. The council can offer practical and financial support to property owners to help address long-term empty homes.
Case study 1
A Cambridge homeowner contacted the council’s Empty Homes Officer for support after being concerned about being able to bring property up to a suitable condition for renting or selling.
“I found myself with a house in Cambridge that had been rented until the tenant went into care. I became less able around the same time. Old age arrives very suddenly. I simply was not able to do what needed to be done to either rent or sell my house.
“I got in touch with Cambridge city council’s empty homes officer, who was reassuring and cheerful with a can-do attitude. She explained how the council could help by bringing the house up to a good standard and renting it out, managing the rental and taking care of the property throughout the rental period. This was a weight off my mind.
“The empty homes officer and Town Hall Lettings brought the house back to life and made it a home for a family, as it should be. It was a win win. A family has a home, I have rent from the property and reassurance that the property is looked after. I thank the Cambridge City Council for the help I received.”
Case study 2
A pair of Cambridge homeowners have also been working with our Empty Homes Officer and Town Hall Lettings.
With this support their once empty house has been refurbished and a family is due to move in this month.
“Renting our house with the help of the Empty Home Officer and Town Hall Lettings has been great - they have been very easy to deal with and very supportive at all stages and it has been very satisfying also to think that the house will be used and enjoyed by a family in need of a home.”
Empty homes in Cambridge – what you can do
If you would like to bring an empty property back into use or know of an empty property near you can let us know here. The council can help, including through:
- Informal advice and assistance
- Dealing with environmental issues caused by empty properties
- Referrals to Town Hall Lettings the council’s not for profit letting agent
- Offering to buy empty homes from the owners
- Offering assistance to reduce VAT on refurbishment work if buying a qualifying property.
In some circumstances the council does use enforcement action, either to bring empty homes back into use or to resolve environmental issues causing problems to neighbours. This includes the use of Community Protection warning letters and notices where appropriate to tackle problem empties that are causing issues to neighbours. Our Empty Homes Officer not only gets houses back into occupation but also responds to and solves a large spectrum of problems originating from empty homes.
