Empty Homes Bill

House of Commons

Session 1998-99
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Arrangement of Clauses (Contents)

Empty Homes Bill

A
B I L L
TO
Make provision for reducing the incidence of vacant dwellings; to extend the duties and powers of local authorities to that end; to require local authorities to publish empty homes strategies and to exercise their duties and powers in accordance with those strategies; and for connected purposes.
BE IT ENACTED by the Queen's most Excellent Majesty, by and with the advice and consent of the Lords Spiritual and Temporal, and Commons, in this present Parliament assembled, and by the authority of the same, as follows:-

Interpretation.     1. - (1) In this Act-

"local authority" means a local housing authority in England or Wales within the meaning of the Housing Act 1985 and any reference to the area of a local authority is to be construed as a reference to the area of an authority within the meaning of that Act;

"unoccupied dwelling" includes any dwelling house or hotel, house adapted for multiple occupation, barrack accommodation, student lodgings or other residential accommodation which is not used as a place of residence.

Empty property officers.     2. - (1) A local authority shall designate an empty property officer ("an officer") responsible for securing re-use of unoccupied dwellings owned by public bodies within the authority's area.

    (2) An officer shall forthwith upon complaint or information from any person (whether living in the authority's area or elsewhere) make inquiries to ascertain the name and address of the owner or person in control of any dwelling-

(a) which has been unoccupied for a period of 6 months or more; and

(b) which is owned by a relevant body.

    (3) An officer may publish such details of unoccupied dwellings and their ownership in such manner and in such places as he thinks fit.

    (4) An officer may make full use of any manual, electronic, computerised or other data held by any local authority in order to obtain details of-

(a) the ownership of an unoccupied dwelling; and

(b) the period during which the dwelling has not been occupied.

    (5) For the purpose of carrying out his duties or exercising his powers under this section an officer may make inquiries of any relevant body.

    (6) An officer's reasonable expenses or costs arising from carrying out his duties and exercising his powers under this section in respect of any unoccupied dwelling may be charged to the relevant body which owns that dwelling; and any sum so charged shall be recoverable from the body as a civil debt.

    (7) In this section "relevant body" means a body listed in the Schedule.

Empty property strategies.     3. - (1) A local authority shall in the course of each calendar year prepare and publish an empty property strategy for securing the return to residential use of unoccupied dwellings within its area.

    (2) In preparing a strategy a local authority shall consult relevant persons, including owners of unoccupied dwellings, landlords, property professionals (including residential letting agents and housing associations) and residents in its area.

    (3) The strategy shall include-

(a) information on the number of unoccupied dwellings within the authority's area, including details of location and ownership of all dwellings which have been unoccupied for a period of 12 months or longer;

(b) annual targets, including targets for the number of unoccupied dwellings to be returned to residential use by the efforts of the local authority and its partners;

(c) measures that the local authority and its partners consider practical, cost-effective and likely to result in the return to residential use of unoccupied dwellings.

Guidance by the Secretary of State.     4. - (1) The Secretary of State shall from time to time issue guidance to local authorities and officers on the operation of sections 2 and 3 of this Act.

© Parliamentary copyright 1999
Prepared 20 July 1999

Empty Homes Bill

	A B I L L TO Make provision for reducing the incidence of vacant dwellings; to extend the duties and powers of local authorities to that end; to require local authorities to publish empty homes strategies and to exercise their duties and powers in accordance with those strategies; and for connected purposes. BE IT ENACTED by the Queen's most Excellent Majesty, by and with the advice and consent of the Lords Spiritual and Temporal, and Commons, in this present Parliament assembled, and by the authority of the same, as follows:-
Interpretation.	1. - (1) In this Act-
	"local authority" means a local housing authority in England or Wales within the meaning of the Housing Act 1985 and any reference to the area of a local authority is to be construed as a reference to the area of an authority within the meaning of that Act;
	"unoccupied dwelling" includes any dwelling house or hotel, house adapted for multiple occupation, barrack accommodation, student lodgings or other residential accommodation which is not used as a place of residence.
Empty property officers.	2. - (1) A local authority shall designate an empty property officer ("an officer") responsible for securing re-use of unoccupied dwellings owned by public bodies within the authority's area.
	(2) An officer shall forthwith upon complaint or information from any person (whether living in the authority's area or elsewhere) make inquiries to ascertain the name and address of the owner or person in control of any dwelling-
	(a) which has been unoccupied for a period of 6 months or more; and
	(b) which is owned by a relevant body.
	(3) An officer may publish such details of unoccupied dwellings and their ownership in such manner and in such places as he thinks fit.
	(4) An officer may make full use of any manual, electronic, computerised or other data held by any local authority in order to obtain details of-
	(a) the ownership of an unoccupied dwelling; and
	(b) the period during which the dwelling has not been occupied.
	(5) For the purpose of carrying out his duties or exercising his powers under this section an officer may make inquiries of any relevant body.
	(6) An officer's reasonable expenses or costs arising from carrying out his duties and exercising his powers under this section in respect of any unoccupied dwelling may be charged to the relevant body which owns that dwelling; and any sum so charged shall be recoverable from the body as a civil debt.
	(7) In this section "relevant body" means a body listed in the Schedule.
Empty property strategies.	3. - (1) A local authority shall in the course of each calendar year prepare and publish an empty property strategy for securing the return to residential use of unoccupied dwellings within its area.
	(2) In preparing a strategy a local authority shall consult relevant persons, including owners of unoccupied dwellings, landlords, property professionals (including residential letting agents and housing associations) and residents in its area.
	(3) The strategy shall include-
	(a) information on the number of unoccupied dwellings within the authority's area, including details of location and ownership of all dwellings which have been unoccupied for a period of 12 months or longer;
	(b) annual targets, including targets for the number of unoccupied dwellings to be returned to residential use by the efforts of the local authority and its partners;
	(c) measures that the local authority and its partners consider practical, cost-effective and likely to result in the return to residential use of unoccupied dwellings.
Guidance by the Secretary of State.	4. - (1) The Secretary of State shall from time to time issue guidance to local authorities and officers on the operation of sections 2 and 3 of this Act.