Plan to bring hundreds of empty Sunderland homes back into use - here's how

Council bosses have signed off a new plan which aims to bring hundreds of empty homes back into use across Sunderland.
Sunderland Civic Centre Sunderland Civic Centre
Sunderland Civic Centre

Sunderland City Council has said tackling empty homes is a key priority in its City Plan, with incentives being used to drive up standards in the private rented sector.

At a recent cabinet meeting, city leaders approved the Empty Homes Strategy which sets out actions that will be taken over the next five years.

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A key focus includes long-term empty properties, of more than six months, which can lead to disrepair or associated antisocial behaviour and vandalism.

As of January 2020, there were 6,286 empty homes across the city, with 3,348 being empty for more than six months – and some for more than five years.

The Hendon ward has the highest level of empty homes, with around 11% of its stock unoccupied, followed by Millfield (6.81%), St Michaels (6.14%), Washington North (4.97%) and Pallion (4.82%).

According to the strategy, homes become empty for a variety of reasons from low demand and lack of interest from owners/landlords to deaths, repossessions and family disputes.

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Over the next five years, council bosses hope to bring a minimum of 250 long term empty properties back into use at a rate of 50 per year.

To meet their targets, council bosses will be using a mixture of prevention, intervention and enforcement.

This includes speeding up the process of rehousing tenants, providing support and advice to the private rented sector and strengthening the Private Landlords Accreditation Scheme.

The council will also work alongside other housing providers to look at properties they could support alongside general advice and signposting.

Key schemes in the Empty Homes Strategy include:

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:: Grant support: Supporting homeowners with financial assistance to carry out repairs to bring properties up to a lettable or re-sale standard – Up to £5,000 is available per property depending on the length of time the property has been empty.

:: Lease and repair schemes: A homeowner would lease their property to the council, and once in council control, repairs are carried out with this cost (minus fees) recouped via the letting of the property over an agreed period.

:: Purchase and repair schemes – The council would buy a property outright when financially viable to do so.

:: Virtual Bond scheme – This is available to homeless applicants to access accommodation in the private rented sector – a bond of £750 would be secured on behalf of the tenant to act as a deposit.

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:: Enforcement – This could range from enforced sales and compulsory purchase orders to empty dwelling management orders.

The report to the cabinet goes on to say: “Not all empty properties cause a problem and a percentage are required to allow the housing market to function.

“However, the council recognises that if left empty, at some point a short-term empty home can become a long-term problematic empty home.

“By intervening at the earliest possible stage, we can reduce the risk of properties becoming empty in the long-term, falling into disrepair or becoming subject to vandalism and at worst, becoming detrimental to the neighbourhood.”

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