Dealing with the empties

It looks as if some Councils at least are using the new Empty Dwelling Management Orders which came into force last year. I am delighted to see that my own local authority of Norwich seem to be in the van here, as reported in the Evening News, and their own web-site.

However it seems that they are not alone. David Ireland, the Chief Executive of the Empty Homes Agency, reports on his blog that other orders are being obtained in South Oxfordshire District Council. But, he reports, it is often enough just to threaten to use the order. Apparently Manchester have done this on no less than 15 occasions, each time the property was sold or let.

Its nice to hear of empty properties being brought back into use.