Empty Homes are a waste! According to the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors, an empty property costs the owner over £7,000 per annum (figure includes lost rental income). It does not end there: empty homes make no sense to the wider community, especially in an area of high housing demand. In addition to being a wasted resource, empty properties can attract anti-social behaviour and crime.
In Swindon, the current Empty Homes Strategy was approved at the end of 1997. This followed a survey in 1996 which identified over 1,600 homes lying empty in the private sector in the Borough of Swindon.
Reporting Empty Properties
Please note that we encourage members of public to report empty properties. The telephone number given below can be used at anytime (including evenings and weekends).
Private Sector Housing Renewal Assitance
Policy Document
Contact
Anyone who owns an empty property and who is not sure of all the options open to them should telephone Stuart Hook, Housing Enabling Officer (Empty Homes) on 01793 464286 or e-mail Stuart Hook at shook@swindon.gov.uk
Alternatively, please write to:
Housing Enabling Officer (Empty Homes)
Housing Services
Swindon Borough Council
Civic Offices
Euclid Street
Swindon
SN1 2JH