Turning Empty Houses into Homes

In a time of serious housing need, empty property is a waste and can be a blight on local communities. The Empty Homes Agency estimates that there are over 75,000 empty homes in London alone.

SHfH has now created ‘Empty Houses to Homes’ which brings empty property into back into use by repairing it and renting it to a family in housing need.

How the scheme works

SHfH will take a lease for at least five years on an empty property. If the property needs renovation or modernisation, SHfH will repair the property. We do this by working with volunteers or local construction trainees and give them vital skills and experience in construction. The property will then be rented to a homeless family who are nominated by the local authority via their housing waiting list.

The rent pays back the repair costs – usually over three or more years. After the debt for the repair costs is repaid, SHfH could be in a position to provide the property owner with a proportion of the rental income for the remaining term of the lease. At the end, after all the expenses are covered, there could be a lump sum before the property owner takes repossession of their property.

Advantages to the Property Owner

• A property, which is empty because the homeowner may not be able to afford the repair costs, is brought back into use.
• Depending on the repairs costs, there may be an income during the period of the lease
• The owners will get the property back in good order at the end of the lease period or they could choose to continue to rent
• The tenancy will usually be managed by an Housing Association which means it will be managed to high standards
• There is a reduction in the likelihood of burglary, vandalism or squatting in the property
• It is an entirely voluntary arrangement and does not involve any of the legal issues involved in a Empty Dwellings Management Order

Applying for the Scheme

SHfH will want to meet with the owner to assess the financial viability of the scheme and assess the condition of the property, but there are also other conditions:

• The property must have been empty for at least six months before applying for this scheme.
• It must be available for rent for a period of at least five years after the repairs have been completed by SHfH.
• The owners must be prepared to work with SHfH to apply for any grant that may be available.

If SHfH are satisfied that this is a suitable scheme to take forwards:

• SHfH will survey and prepare a plan for repairing or modernising the property.
• If an empty homes grant is available then this should be applied for either by the owner or by SHfH on behalf of the owner
• If this is acceptable, we will move towards formal legal agreements.

SHfH insists that the owners of property take independent legal advice before entering into any legal agreements.

>We work with local government Empty Property Officers to identify suitable properties and discuss the options on our scheme with owners. If you would like to contact us directly about an empty property which may be suitable for this scheme, please contact Gareth Hepworth gareth.hepworth@shfh.org.uk or call 020 7732 0066.