Appendix A
Solihull Empty Homes Strategy
1. Introduction
Solihull has a buoyant housing market with a high level of demand for homes of all
types to buy and to rent. This means that homes which become available are
generally occupied quickly and do not lay empty for extended periods.
Long term vacancies do occur, however, and it is recognised that these are a wasted
resource which deny housing opportunities to local people and which can have
negative impacts on communities. The Council wants to see these homes returned to
residential use.
This is particularly important as the number of people in housing need continues to
rise and outstrip supply and a significant number of households cannot afford to buy
a home or obtain a home to rent within the Borough.
This strategy has three main elements:
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Clear information on definition and numbers of empty homes in Solihull,
including ward – level information on specific properties

Encouraging owners to bring empty homes back into use through offering
advice and assistance, including financial incentives where appropriate

Using the Council’s enforcement powers where owners will not respond,
particularly where the empty property is causing blight or nuisance to a
neighbourhood, where there is a robust business case to do so
2. Empty Homes in Solihull
At the end of December 2014 there were 868 empty homes in Solihull of which 487
had been vacant for six months or more. The latter are considered ‘long – term’
empties.
There has been a reduction in number over recent years, mostly due to changes in
the housing market (particularly the increase in private renting) and changes in the
local Council Tax charging policy which has involved the removal of rebates for
empty homes and imposition of a premium in some cases.
There are no spatial concentrations of empty or long-term empty homes and virtually
all are in private ownership.
The Strategy will focus on homes which have been empty for six months or more (i.e.
‘long-term’ empty homes)
Some properties may be unoccupied for extended periods but will not be classed as
‘empty homes’:
 Second homes and holiday lets
 Properties which are normally occupied by students
Appendix A
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Owner of a property is in British Armed Forces
Owner of a property is giving or receiving care
Owner of a property is in prison
Flood – damaged property
Property awaiting clergy
Around 125 of the 487 long-term empties come within these categories, leaving
approximately 362 which could reasonably be tackled.
Of these, 48 properties have been empty longer than 2 years and attract 50%
additional Council Tax. Almost all of the owners of these properties are paying this
additional sum.
In some instances there will be little of no prospect of any approach bringing a home
into use, for example where a property is tied up in probate. In such cases any action
by the Council would await the completion of that process.
STRATEGY
The key objective of this strategy is to bring empty properties back into residential
use after they have been vacant for 6 months to maximise use of the Borough’s
housing stock and maintain the quality of its neighbourhoods
Where the implementation of the strategy leads to the following additional outcomes
this will be particularly welcome:
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improvement in the local streetscene or relief of nuisance
new lettings or sales that are ‘affordable’ to local households
property will provide temporary accommodation for homeless applicants
property will provide shared accommodation
improvement in the repair and quality of homes
improvement in the thermal efficiency of homes
This will be achieved through the following process:
1. The Council will know which properties are empty and for how long.
A single database will be maintained by Council Tax. This will show the duration and
location of empty properties at both Borough and ward levels, the latter for advising
Ward Members on their local situation. The source information will include:
 Council Tax records
 Reports from the public [www.gov.uk / Council web / SCH web / Connect]
 Reports from officers of the Council [e.g. Public Protection, planning, building
control] and external agencies [e.g. Land Registry, Probate Office]
2. The Council will find and engage with owners of empty homes to find out why
they are being kept empty
This will be part of the regular inspections by staff in Income and Awards (for Council
Tax) and officers in Public Protection (following complaints and referrals).
Appendix A
3. The Council will provide advice and assistance to all owners of empty homes
in order to return their properties to residential use
Some owners choose to leave their property empty when bringing it back into use
would benefit them both financially and through improved security for their property.
Often owners may not appreciate how much they are losing out on financially or do
not know how to go about bringing their property back into use. Perhaps they need
some assistance in carrying out repairs or are reluctant to enter into a landlord /
tenant relationship.
The options for owners who wish to remedy this are to rent out the property, lease it
out for a longer term, sell it or live in it themselves
A particularly important aspect of the strategy is in reassuring owners that they can
let their property with confidence, both earning additional income and having the
ability to obtain possession of the property at the end of the term.
The Council and Solihull Community Housing (SCH) will ensure that owners can
access advice on the options and reasonable assistance in pursuing an action which
will return the property to use.
Information on how to return an empty home to use will be freely available on the
Council and SCH websites and will be given by Income and Awards officers when
they contact empty home owners. This will include:
 advice on letting or sale of the property
 advice on repair and improvement works that may be required, how to get the
work done through a reliable contractor (linking to “No Rogue Traders Here”
scheme) and on any financial assistance that may be available
 free home security check through the Homecheck scheme
 advice on how to improve the energy efficiency of the property
 advice on how to obtain planning permission where required
Where the owner of an empty home is interested in bringing it back into use but
requires further advice and practical assistance than can be provided by Council Tax
officers there will be a referral to SCH whose staff can offer a package of measures
to include (as required):
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Business advice – becoming a private landlord or selling your property
Technical advice - repairs, improvements, safety
Tenant referral
Rent Guarantee – to protect landlord from tenant’s default
Management Service - paid for out of rental income
Loan finance – for property improvement
Improvement grants – for property improvement
Energy - related grants – for property improvement
These products will be part of SCH’s new private sector package which will seek to
maximise the potential of the private rental sector to provide good quality homes to
local households which are in housing need
Where the property is or is likely to constitute a nuisance a referral will be made to
Public Protection. An officer will seek to advise and encourage the owner to take the
Appendix A
necessary steps to remedy disrepair in accordance with the Public Protection
Enforcement Policy.
In doing so PP may wish to liaise with SCH on possible assistance through the
measures outlined above or on purchase of the property (see below), or refer the
case to SCH if no PP involvement is required
4. The Council will encourage partner agencies to help owners dispose of
properties to secure their future residential use
In some cases owners of empty homes may wish to sell their property rather than
bring it back to use themselves. This may be through private sale or by a housing
organisation targeting such properties in liaison with the Council.
In 2015/16 Solihull Community Housing will, subject to Board approval, purchase
vacant properties from the open market to replenish the Council’s housing stock.
They will, wherever feasible, seek to include long – term empty properties in their
portfolio. Where this is not suitable (eg on cost grounds or because of the type /
location / condition of the property) they will seek to encourage other parties to
consider the business potential.
SCH will also consider assistance through the private leasing scheme which will be
introduced during 2015/16. Where other Registered Providers have interest and
capacity to do similar, the Council will encourage them to work in partnership with
SCH.
5. The Council will use its enforcement powers where necessary to provide a
cost-effective solution
Where an owner of an empty home will not respond to reasonable requests and
advice from Income and Awards or SCH, the case will be referred back to Income
and Awards who will arrange a ‘case conference’ to consider available options.
This will comprise officers from; Council Tax, SCH, Legal Services and Public
Protection.
These will include the use of statutory powers by Public Protection to require the
owner to undertake work to prevent nuisance, remedy safety issues or
neighbourhood dis-amenity.
Alternatively, the statutory powers may require the owner to return the property to
residential use. This may be on grounds of health and safety, neighbourhood impact
or a wasted asset
In some cases the disposal of the property by the owner may lead to the best
outcome and this may involve an enforced sale or even compulsory purchase.
Enforced Sale Procedure – this allows the Council to force the sale of a property with a local
land charge. Any outstanding charges against the property, including any mortgage, works by
the Council over the years to make it safe while it was empty and Council Tax are paid
following the sale, and the money remaining (if any) is put into an account for the owner to
claim.
Appendix A
Compulsory Purchase Order (CPO) – the 1985 Housing Act allows Local Authorities to
acquire property and remove ownership from the current owner. Once an Order has been
granted, the dwelling can be developed as affordable housing through agreement with SCH
or a housing association. If this is not financially viable, the property will be sold on the open
market subject to covenants ensuring the refurbishment and reoccupation of the property.
Empty Dwelling Management Order (EDMO) - whereby the Local Authority takes
possession of the property for a set period of time, the management and repair of the property
being contracted out to a partner organisation
In considering the use of any of these options the objective will be to determine the
most appropriate means of securing the most cost-effective solution.
This will require the preparation of a business case for each proposal for approval by
the relevant Elected Member.
In some instances properties may come directly to the attention of Public Protection
as a result of inspections or other referrals. Public Protection will inform Council Tax
of the property and of any action that it will take in such cases
The cost of enforcement measures to the Council can be significant in terms of time
and money so will be used only when (a) co-operative approaches have failed, and
(b) the cost / benefit of the proposed action is reasonable to the Council. The
cost/benefit of the Council action will be determined by an intervention risk
assessment developed by Public Protection.
Where works are carried out in default the cost will be recovered from the owner or a
charge put against the property.
DELIVERY
Successful delivery of the strategy will depend on effective partnership working
involving the following:
Partner
SMBC Council Tax
SMBC Connect
Solihull Community Housing
SMBC Development & Regulatory
Management
SMBC Managed Growth
SMBC Communities and Adult
Social Care
Role
Council Tax charging
Data and analysis
Empty homes list
Tracking progress of cases
Ward-level info and analysis
Advice and assistance to owners
Referrals to SCH / PP
Response to calls from public
Referrals to CTax / PP as req’d
Specific advice and assistance
Property improvement, adaptations
Property disposal [Leasing / purchase]
Empty Homes Strategy
Enforcement - Housing Act Powers
Dealing with nuisance
Home energy advice / assistance (via SCH)
Housing Strategy
Appendix A
Homecheck
Legal Services
Communications
Security checks and advice
Empty Dwelling Management Orders
Compulsory Purchase
Public relations and awareness
REPORTING
In all cases Income and Awards will be advised by SCH or Public Protection of the
progress of cases so that they can keep track of property histories, keep a record of
progress through the implementation of the strategy, and update the database.
This will enable the production of ward-level analysis which will be made available to
elected Members.
Progress in the implementation of the strategy will be reported to elected Members
on a quarterly basis by the Head of Income and Awards
The Neighbourhoods Scrutiny Board may receive an annual report on the progress of
the strategy and the current situation as regards empty homes in Solihull.
March 2015