Blaenau Gwent County Borough Council is currently investigating the presence of approximately 800 empty properties within the Borough. Empty properties lead to social, economic and environmental concerns including:
- Creating eyesores which are a target for nuisance and anti-social behaviour
- Decreasing the value of neighbouring properties
- Contributing to a housing shortage in the neighbourhood
- Increasing pressure for housing development on Greenfield sites to meet housing demand
- Burdening the local authority with lost revenue from council tax and the time and resources spent by Public Health, Building Control, Fire Authority and Police Services
Empty property owners are also missing out on the potential income generated through letting or selling their property.
Reporting an Empty Property:
To report a problematic empty property please email: environmental.health@blaenau-gwent.gov.uk or phone 01495 357813
Empty Homes Strategy 2014-2020
The Empty Homes Strategy 2014-2020 has been launched with the aim to reduce the amount of empty properties within the Borough through working with owners to bring their properties back into use. This involves monitoring empty homes; provide advice and guidance to landlords and property owners.
Enforcement
Where empty property owners are not compliant and all negotiations have failed, the council will take the appropriate enforcement action to ensure that the empty property is returned to a habitable condition and brought back into use. Enforcement actions may include empty dwelling management orders, enforced sale, compulsory purchase orders or voluntary acquisition.
We urge owners to consult the support links for advice and guidance on bringing their empty property back into use.
For more information about empty properties in Blaenau Gwent please read our Empty Homes Strategy 2014-2020.