Empty Homes

An empty home is a property which has been empty (unoccupied) for six months or more.

We have been working to reduce the number of long term empty homes in the borough for some time. With a high level of demand for housing in the borough and limited supply, it is essential that full use should be made of existing housing stock to meet the local housing need.

Some owners, largely in the private sector, choose to leave properties empty for a number of years. The reasons often involve:

• Inheritance issues and/or delays with probate
• Lack of finances to carry out essential repairs to the property
• The owner may be in residential care
• Ownership of the property may be unclear
• Owners live abroad
• Perceived problems with letting the property.

If brought back into use, empty homes can:

• help to reduce the need to build more new homes
• the reuse of existing buildings is generally more environmentally sustainable than building new homes
• improve neighbourhoods
• reduce anti-social behaviour, such as graffiti
• provide an income to the owner(s)
• increase access to housing and
• help to improve the quality of life for our residents.

We are often asked for a list of empty homes in the borough, but we do not publish or share this information.

We keep the property addresses private to protect the owners’ personal data and to help prevent empty properties from being targeted by vandals or thieves.

If you are looking to buy a property in the area, local estate agents or property auctioneers are best placed to help you find suitable properties.

No Use Empty Scheme

If you own or are looking to buy an empty home in Ashford, we can help you cover the renovation costs with an interest-free loan.

Working in partnership with Kent County Council, we offer two different loan schemes depending on your plans for the property.

No Use Empty Scheme (For landlords and developers)
This scheme helps you pay for repairs so you can sell or rent out an empty property.

Loan amount: Up to £25,000 per unit of accommodation (maximum £175,000).
Who can apply: Landlords, owners, and property developers.
The rule: The property must have been empty for six months or more.
Find out more on the No Use Empty website

Owner Occupier Loan (for homebuyers)
This scheme is specifically for individuals who have bought an empty home and plan to live in it themselves.

Loan amount: Up to £25,000.
Who can apply: Anyone who has bought an empty home to live in.
The rules:The property must have been empty for more than six months before you bought it.
You must live in the property yourself for at least five years after the work is finished.

ABC Lettings 

Ashford Borough Council may be able to support you in bringing it back into use.

ABC Lettings has operated as a social lettings agency for more than a decade. We offer a range of services for property owners and can tailor an arrangement to suit your circumstances, helping to provide income, reduce stress and bring your property back into use.

Fully Managed Service

For property owners who want a hands-off, stress-free service

For a fee of 10% plus VAT, we manage the letting from start to finish. This includes matching your property with a suitable tenant, arranging repairs and guaranteeing your rent. You would also benefit from the reassurance of working with an experienced organisation known for its careful, considered and hassle-free approach to lettings.

Private Sector Leasing Scheme

For property owners seeking a longer-term arrangement

ABC Lettings is currently offering leases on family-sized accommodation within the Ashford borough. We lease your property for a term of between three and five years, during which you receive a guaranteed monthly income. We also cover void periods and routine repairs and maintenance. At the end of the lease, the property is returned to you in the same condition, allowing for fair wear and tear.

We try and work positively with owners, however encouraging the return to use of an empty home is a lengthy and time consuming process.

The Authority can take action where a building is unoccupied and not effectively secured against unauthorised entry or likely to become a danger to the public. We use enforcement options only as a last resort, where all possibility of reaching a voluntarily agreed solution with the owner has been exhausted. There are several options available to us, including:

• Compulsory Purchase Orders (CPO) - this is where we buy a property from an owner, even if they don't give their consent.
• Enforced sale - this allows the sale of an empty property to be forced to recover debts that are owed to us.
• Empty Dwelling Management Order (EDMO) - this is a legal measure that allows us to take over the management of an empty property on a temporary basis, to have it renovated and reoccupied.
• Improvement notices – where the condition of a property is such that it poses an immediate threat to public health, safety, or the integrity of the property, or neighbouring property in question, that immediate action needs to be taken.

If you are the owner of an empty home and would like our help, please ask us. If you know of an empty home near you, we'd also like to know about it.

Please email private.sectorhousing@ashford.gov.uk

Advice on any available government funded loans will be given where appropriate.