Empty Calderdale house owners offered help to stop buildings becoming a blight in our communities

Calderdale is offering help to home owners as part ofNational Empty Homes Week

As part of National Empty Homes Week (Monday September 23 to Sunday September 29 2019) Calderdale Council is holding a number of drop-in advice sessions

During the awareness-raising week, the Council is reminding people of the support it can offer to help breathe new life into empty properties.

Councillor Jane Scullion, Calderdale Council’s Cabinet Member for Regeneration and Resources, said: “We want people to feel proud to live in Calderdale, so we’re committed to bringing empty homes back into use as we know they can blight our communities, attract anti-social behaviour and devalue surrounding properties.

"We always encourage owners to work with us and use the support available to turn their empty house into a home.”

The Council is running three drop-in sessions to give advice on topics such as selling and renting; work that can be carried out on empty properties; community-led solutions and short-term finance options.

In just one year, between October 2017 and October 2018, the Council reduced the number of long-term empty homes in Calderdale by 130.

The Council say the preference is always to work with homeowners to proactively resolve the issues, but in some cases the Council has to use its enforcement powers to ensure owners of empty properties take action.

These powers could include the enforced sale of a property to cover the costs incurred by the Council for work, including the removal of fly-tipping or the boarding up of windows and doors to secure the property.

As a last resort, the Council may have to use Compulsory Purchase Orders (CPOs) to tackle more problematic empty properties, where owners fail to take any action to address the resulting issues which are being caused in the local community.

The advice drop in sessions take place on:

· Monday September 23, 10am – 12 noon: Hebden Bridge Library

· Monday September 23, 2pm – 4pm: Brighouse Customer First at Brighouse Civic Hall

· Friday September 27, 10am – 4pm: Halifax Customer First