Nick Pritchard-Gordon is the Empty Homes Officer for Reading BC and Vice Chair of the Empty Homes Network. The Empty Homes Network is a web-based resource that shares best practices for empty homes work through online forums, an extensive library, and weekly news stories. Since 2010, the UK government has increasingly supported empty homes work through national strategies, funding, and legal reforms. Local authorities take different approaches to empty homes work depending on available resources, but practitioners often draw on skills from councils tax, legal, and other teams. Reading BC focuses on the most complex empty home cases through discretionary grants, loans, and enforcement actions when needed. Engaging with empty home owners can be difficult as personal issues often under

1. Nick Pritchard-Gordon
Empty Homes Officer. Reading BC
Vice Chair. Empty Homes Network
LOCAL AUTHORITY
EMPTY HOMES WORK
CAMELOT CONFERENCE 2014

2. THE EMPTY HOMES NETWORK
 WEB-BASED
 On-line forums to share experience
 Extensive information library
 Legislation, templates, best practice
 Practitioner Guides
 Weekly News stories
2

3. TOP DOWN SINCE MAY 2010
 1ST National Empty Homes Strategy,
 New Homes Bonus for empty homes,
 Capital Funding,
 Reform of Council Tax,
 Criminalisation of Squatting.
 Reform of EDMO
 ATED
 Serious Government commitment.

4. COUNCIL RESOURCES FOR EH WORK
 Practitioners often a sole operator using skills
from other teams. Council Tax. Valuations.
Regulatory Services. Legal. Housing Enabling.
Environmental Health.
 DEPENDS on local priorities and style. Host
team. Skill set of the practitioner.
 Berkshire Empties Group. 6 UAs=2.3 FTE
practitioners
4

5. READING
BOTTOM UP
5

6. READING BC – ‘ENABLING’
 WE TARGET THE MOST COMPLEX CASES.
 £10K discretionary empty home grant
 Flexible Home Improvement Loans
 2 x HCA-funded Leasing Schemes
 Trusted trades
 VAT Relief letters.
 CT correction.
 Helping developers/investors
6

7. READING BC – ‘ENFORCEMENT’
 Standard LA ‘property’ powers
 Works in Default and Debt.
 Use of other Debts
 Pressure on Mortgagees.
 Criminality & Proceeds of Crime
 Court of Protection
7

8. A WEEK IN EMPTY HOMES
 Incoming referrals/complaints
 Tracing
 Surveying
 Grant/Loan Applications & approvals
 Valuations
 Referrals & Signposting
 Council Tax Data Correction
 Enforcement Notices
 PTO
8

9. A WEEK IN EMPTY HOMES
 Organising contractors
 Battling with Mortgagees
 Complaints against service
 Service development
 Media
 Crime, fraud, overpayments.
 Courts & Tribunals
 NLA Accredited Landlords
 BROKEN PEOPLE
9

10. THE IDEAL OWNER
WILLING AND ABLE TO DECIDE AND DO
 WILL – keen to crack on
 SKILL – can think ‘project’
 TIME – can complete the ‘project tasks’
 MONEY – can fund or source funding
I do not need to hunt for the ideal owner
10

11. EMPTY HOME OWNERS
Welcoming?
Logical?
Reasonable?
Organised?
Mentally sound?
Identify best interests?
11

12. Empty homes = Personal issues
 Inheritance Shrines
 Relationship Breakdown
 Bankrupt/Insolvent
 Criminal
 D&D
 Hoarders
 Depression & mental health
12

13. 13

14.  For local authorities – Prudential Borrowing,
at preferential rates
 For community organisation, bonds, Big
Society Capital (accessible via intermediaries)
 Dissemination of best practice and education
needed

15. 15

16. 16

17. 17

18. 18

19. 19
OTHER DEBTS
+
Threat of further
Debts arising from
Enforcement Work
Owner owed a
builder/friend £130k for
works elsewhere.
Why not settle the
debt by transferring
the property to him?

20. 20

21. 21

22. CONTACT DETAILS
Empty Homes Network
 0844 736 5 736
 admin@ehnetwork.org.uk
 www.ehnetwork.org.uk
 Nick Pritchard-Gordon
 0118 937 3091
 emptyhomes@reading.gov.uk
22