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23
Aug 2022
Rise in empty homes adds pressure on Harrogate district housing market
The number of empty homes in the Harrogate district has increased post-covid despite the district’s severe shortage of affordable housing.
Harrogate Borough Council figures show there are currently 801 properties that have stood empty for more than six months – up from 758 in February.
There are also 204 properties that have been empty for over two years, while 30 have been vacant for over a decade.
This comes at a time when housing is in desperate need, with high property prices and a national decline in real wages forcing residents out of Harrogate, which remains as one of the most unaffordable places to live in the UK.
There are also around 1,800 households on the council’s housing register.
The council said it has continued efforts since introducing an empty homes strategy in 2019, although it added much of the responsibility to ensure these properties don’t put pressure on the housing market was on homeowners themselves.
It said in a report:
The council has carried out enforcement action on several empty properties through compulsory purchase orders which allow it to take ownership without the consent of the owner.
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However, the council’s first step is to always make an offer to buy these buildings.
It has set aside £2.5 million for this and has recently proposed to buy three buildings on Almsford Road, Rawson Street and Hartwith Drive in Harrogate, and one on Kings Road in Knaresborough.
The council said there is “no guarantee” that an empty homeowner will agree to sell and that in order to take enforcement action the authority must demonstrate it has “exhausted all efforts” to return the property to use.
It said:
Why are homes left empty?
There are numerous reasons properties can lie empty. In some instances, landlords cannot afford to renovate their property to sell or rent out.
Properties may also have been inherited and the new owners don’t know what to do with them. Rentals can also fall below safety standards which means they sit vacant until the problems are fixed.
What else can be done?
As well as carrying out compulsory purchase orders, the government has also given councils powers to charge an additional 100% council tax on properties that have been empty for two years.
Empty dwelling management orders can also be issued for long term empty properties that are attracting vandalism and causing a nuisance to the community.
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